Oswelled Ureke
Biographic Data
| ID | 131501 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Oswelled Ureke |
| GIVEN NAMES | Oswelled |
| FAMILY NAME | Ureke |
| SIGNATURE | UREKE O |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Johannesburg |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0775-9699 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 16 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 12 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
No laughing matter: (Self) ridiculing and reputational risk on Ghanaian and Zimbabwean TikTok
The positive branding of a country is vital in its global standing and recognition. In light of this, the Africa Rising campaign was launched to sell the potentials of the continent globally. However, some citizens do not always share the same reputational goals with their states. Their perceptions may conflict with the reputational agendas of state institutions. This paper argues that in an attempt to speak [in]directly to significant public iss…
Cross-genre aesthetics in Zimbabwe’s HIV orphans cinema: Realism, ideation and subject matter in fiction and documentary filmmaking
The article examines the documentary Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children: A Struggle for Survival (2010) and the narrative film Everyone’s Child (1996) for similarities in depicting Zimbabwean orphans and vulnerable children. The article uses these two case studies to discuss intra-genre possibilities in documentary and fiction cinema’s approaches to filmmaking. It shows that while the actual events filmed are different, and the films belong to differe…
Politics at Play: TikTok and Digital Persuasion in Zimbabwe's 2023 General Elections
Zimbabwe's August 2023 elections were held against the backdrop of outcry over the outcomes of previous elections, which opposition political parties accusedthe ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party of rigging. Access to the public media is among the issues of contestation. Opposition political parties claim that they are not given equal space for campaigning purposes. Social networking sites such as X (formerly Twitter) an…
“Get-Rich-Quick Rituals, Remote Sex, and Herbs in Vaginal Canals”: Portrayal of Indigenous Fruits and Medicinal Herbs in Zimbabwe's The Mirror Newspaper
This article examines how The Mirror, a regional newspaper in Zimbabwe, represents issues related to indigenous knowledge, such as the use of medicinal herbs and fruits. The Mirror largely circulates in the Midlands and the Masvingo region, although it also has a presence in parts of Mashonaland East, Manicaland, and Matabeleland South. The article utilises a qualitative methodology, in which archival data were collected from The Mirror to examin…
The Discursive Dynamics of Action-Research and Zimbabwean San People’s Production of Audio-Visual Stories
When conducting research with historically marginalised peoples, such as Zimbabwe’s autochthonous San, it is necessary to observe the most sensitive ethical and methodological practice. The San are a group of people living largely on the edges of the contemporary market economy in the whole of southern Africa, including Zimbabwe. The San of Zimbabwe often work as unskilled labourers for their Ndebele and Kalanga neighbours in rural areas of Mateb…
Aesthetic of Innocence: Experiencing Self-filming by the San of Zimbabwe
This article discusses the process and outcome of a participatory video production endeavour in which selected members of the Twai Twai San community in Zimbabwe were taught to operate video cameras and mobile phones for the purpose of documenting their realities. The study was aimed at finding out the nature of audio-visual narratives that the marginalised community would create if empowered to do so. The article pays particular attention to rep…
Zimbabwe: Cinema exhibition and consumption in a shadow economy
The relatively recentc emergence of more participatory and interactive models of screen media consumption has led some to the view that cinema-going is ‘dying’.1 Assertions of this ‘death’ are predicated on the existence of faster, more convenient ways of distributing and exhibiting films, such as video on demand (VOD), streaming, and other internet-based facilities. In developing economies there are yet more alternatives to theatrical exhibition…
Locating Sembène's mégotage in Zimbabwe's kiya kiya video-film production
The main objective of this paper is to develop a macro-level account of the film industry in contemporary Zimbabwe by exploring the role of its people, infrastructure and institutions in past and current film production efforts. The article is informed by Ousmane Sembène's view of filmmaking in Africa as mégotage (cigarette-butt cinema). Sembène's memorable description is used as a way to think about the production efforts and infrastructure cons…
Theoretical Paradoxes of Representation and the Problems of Media Representations of Zimbabwe in Crisis
This article attempts to theorise the various representations of Zimbabwe in the media. It does so by scanning the media landscape for significant events constituting what is commonly called the “Zimbabwean crisis”. Such representations centre around the person of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, perceived human rights abuses, and many other facets of political conflict, whether real or imagined. The article problematises the concept of…
From ‘African Cinema’ to film services industries: A cinematic fact
This article problematizes the universally used phrase ‘African cinema’ and explores how it can be examined in terms of a film services framework, which includes both industrial criteria and ideological shifts, as a way of deepening screen media studies in searching for a more holistic value chain framework. The main argument is that the idea of ‘African cinema’, especially as defined from racial, continental or ideological points of view, is out…
Social commentary, subaltern voices and the alternative medium of Zimdancehall music: Unpacking the music of Winky D and Sniper Storm
The article explores the subject of Zimbabwean dancehall (Zimdancehall) music, a contemporary genre whose local popularity is on the rise, particularly among urban youths. Zimdancehall is infamous for its sometimes 'dirty' lyrics and the stereotyped 'ghetto'/dancehall culture of drug and alcohol abuse, sex and rebelliousness that pervade its creation and consumption. This article critically analyses selected songs by two of the most popular and e…
Political gladiators’ on Facebook in Zimbabwe: A discursive analysis of intra–Zimbabwe African National Union – PF cyber wars; Baba Jukwa versus Amai Jukwa
Social media have been hailed as liberative in contexts of political repression. In Zimbabwe, there are emergent debates on the possibilities of using Facebook to ‘democratise’ political space. But the use of Facebook to settle personal political scores or to relentlessly attack political opposition seemed to have escaped academic scrutiny. This study looks at the use of Facebook by opposing camps in Zimbabwe’s July 2013 election to attack each o…
Politics at Play: TikTok and Digital Persuasion in Zimbabwe's 2023 General Elections
Zimbabwe's August 2023 elections were held against the backdrop of outcry over the outcomes of previous elections, which opposition political parties accusedthe ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party of rigging. Access to the public media is among the issues of contestation. Opposition political parties claim that they are not given equal space for campaigning purposes. Social networking sites such as X (formerly Twitter) an…
Theoretical Paradoxes of Representation and the Problems of Media Representations of Zimbabwe in Crisis
This article attempts to theorise the various representations of Zimbabwe in the media. It does so by scanning the media landscape for significant events constituting what is commonly called the “Zimbabwean crisis”. Such representations centre around the person of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, perceived human rights abuses, and many other facets of political conflict, whether real or imagined. The article problematises the concept of…
Political gladiators’ on Facebook in Zimbabwe: A discursive analysis of intra–Zimbabwe African National Union – PF cyber wars; Baba Jukwa versus Amai Jukwa
Social media have been hailed as liberative in contexts of political repression. In Zimbabwe, there are emergent debates on the possibilities of using Facebook to ‘democratise’ political space. But the use of Facebook to settle personal political scores or to relentlessly attack political opposition seemed to have escaped academic scrutiny. This study looks at the use of Facebook by opposing camps in Zimbabwe’s July 2013 election to attack each o…
From ‘African Cinema’ to film services industries: A cinematic fact
This article problematizes the universally used phrase ‘African cinema’ and explores how it can be examined in terms of a film services framework, which includes both industrial criteria and ideological shifts, as a way of deepening screen media studies in searching for a more holistic value chain framework. The main argument is that the idea of ‘African cinema’, especially as defined from racial, continental or ideological points of view, is out…
Zimbabwe: Cinema exhibition and consumption in a shadow economy
The relatively recentc emergence of more participatory and interactive models of screen media consumption has led some to the view that cinema-going is ‘dying’.1 Assertions of this ‘death’ are predicated on the existence of faster, more convenient ways of distributing and exhibiting films, such as video on demand (VOD), streaming, and other internet-based facilities. In developing economies there are yet more alternatives to theatrical exhibition…
Locating Sembène's mégotage in Zimbabwe's kiya kiya video-film production
The main objective of this paper is to develop a macro-level account of the film industry in contemporary Zimbabwe by exploring the role of its people, infrastructure and institutions in past and current film production efforts. The article is informed by Ousmane Sembène's view of filmmaking in Africa as mégotage (cigarette-butt cinema). Sembène's memorable description is used as a way to think about the production efforts and infrastructure cons…
Social commentary, subaltern voices and the alternative medium of Zimdancehall music: Unpacking the music of Winky D and Sniper Storm
The article explores the subject of Zimbabwean dancehall (Zimdancehall) music, a contemporary genre whose local popularity is on the rise, particularly among urban youths. Zimdancehall is infamous for its sometimes 'dirty' lyrics and the stereotyped 'ghetto'/dancehall culture of drug and alcohol abuse, sex and rebelliousness that pervade its creation and consumption. This article critically analyses selected songs by two of the most popular and e…
Political gladiators’ on Facebook in Zimbabwe: A discursive analysis of intra–Zimbabwe African National Union – PF cyber wars; Baba Jukwa versus Amai Jukwa
Social media have been hailed as liberative in contexts of political repression. In Zimbabwe, there are emergent debates on the possibilities of using Facebook to ‘democratise’ political space. But the use of Facebook to settle personal political scores or to relentlessly attack political opposition seemed to have escaped academic scrutiny. This study looks at the use of Facebook by opposing camps in Zimbabwe’s July 2013 election to attack each o…
From ‘African Cinema’ to film services industries: A cinematic fact
This article problematizes the universally used phrase ‘African cinema’ and explores how it can be examined in terms of a film services framework, which includes both industrial criteria and ideological shifts, as a way of deepening screen media studies in searching for a more holistic value chain framework. The main argument is that the idea of ‘African cinema’, especially as defined from racial, continental or ideological points of view, is out…
Theoretical Paradoxes of Representation and the Problems of Media Representations of Zimbabwe in Crisis
This article attempts to theorise the various representations of Zimbabwe in the media. It does so by scanning the media landscape for significant events constituting what is commonly called the “Zimbabwean crisis”. Such representations centre around the person of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, perceived human rights abuses, and many other facets of political conflict, whether real or imagined. The article problematises the concept of…
Locating Sembène's mégotage in Zimbabwe's kiya kiya video-film production
The main objective of this paper is to develop a macro-level account of the film industry in contemporary Zimbabwe by exploring the role of its people, infrastructure and institutions in past and current film production efforts. The article is informed by Ousmane Sembène's view of filmmaking in Africa as mégotage (cigarette-butt cinema). Sembène's memorable description is used as a way to think about the production efforts and infrastructure cons…
The Discursive Dynamics of Action-Research and Zimbabwean San People’s Production of Audio-Visual Stories
When conducting research with historically marginalised peoples, such as Zimbabwe’s autochthonous San, it is necessary to observe the most sensitive ethical and methodological practice. The San are a group of people living largely on the edges of the contemporary market economy in the whole of southern Africa, including Zimbabwe. The San of Zimbabwe often work as unskilled labourers for their Ndebele and Kalanga neighbours in rural areas of Mateb…
Aesthetic of Innocence: Experiencing Self-filming by the San of Zimbabwe
This article discusses the process and outcome of a participatory video production endeavour in which selected members of the Twai Twai San community in Zimbabwe were taught to operate video cameras and mobile phones for the purpose of documenting their realities. The study was aimed at finding out the nature of audio-visual narratives that the marginalised community would create if empowered to do so. The article pays particular attention to rep…
Zimbabwe: Cinema exhibition and consumption in a shadow economy
The relatively recentc emergence of more participatory and interactive models of screen media consumption has led some to the view that cinema-going is ‘dying’.1 Assertions of this ‘death’ are predicated on the existence of faster, more convenient ways of distributing and exhibiting films, such as video on demand (VOD), streaming, and other internet-based facilities. In developing economies there are yet more alternatives to theatrical exhibition…
“Get-Rich-Quick Rituals, Remote Sex, and Herbs in Vaginal Canals”: Portrayal of Indigenous Fruits and Medicinal Herbs in Zimbabwe's The Mirror Newspaper
This article examines how The Mirror, a regional newspaper in Zimbabwe, represents issues related to indigenous knowledge, such as the use of medicinal herbs and fruits. The Mirror largely circulates in the Midlands and the Masvingo region, although it also has a presence in parts of Mashonaland East, Manicaland, and Matabeleland South. The article utilises a qualitative methodology, in which archival data were collected from The Mirror to examin…
Cross-genre aesthetics in Zimbabwe’s HIV orphans cinema: Realism, ideation and subject matter in fiction and documentary filmmaking
The article examines the documentary Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children: A Struggle for Survival (2010) and the narrative film Everyone’s Child (1996) for similarities in depicting Zimbabwean orphans and vulnerable children. The article uses these two case studies to discuss intra-genre possibilities in documentary and fiction cinema’s approaches to filmmaking. It shows that while the actual events filmed are different, and the films belong to differe…
Politics at Play: TikTok and Digital Persuasion in Zimbabwe's 2023 General Elections
Zimbabwe's August 2023 elections were held against the backdrop of outcry over the outcomes of previous elections, which opposition political parties accusedthe ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party of rigging. Access to the public media is among the issues of contestation. Opposition political parties claim that they are not given equal space for campaigning purposes. Social networking sites such as X (formerly Twitter) an…
No laughing matter: (Self) ridiculing and reputational risk on Ghanaian and Zimbabwean TikTok
The positive branding of a country is vital in its global standing and recognition. In light of this, the Africa Rising campaign was launched to sell the potentials of the continent globally. However, some citizens do not always share the same reputational goals with their states. Their perceptions may conflict with the reputational agendas of state institutions. This paper argues that in an attempt to speak [in]directly to significant public iss…
Sociology (11 works) · Media studies (10 works) · Political science (10 works) · African studies and sociopolitical issues (8 works) · African history and culture studies (7 works) · Art (7 works) · Law (7 works) · Law (7 works) · Aesthetics (6 works) · Cinema and Media Studies (5 works)