Pavement radio, an expression first popularised by historian
Stephen Ellis in referring to the
grassroots
A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...
, informal communication networks that relay information, primarily in
urban African settings.
Etymology
''Pavement radio'' is the literal
English translation of the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
phrase ''radio trottoir'' which in US English would usually be rendered ''sidewalk radio''.
Significance
Particularly interesting to Ellis is the blurred distinction between broadcaster and listener, and the essentially democratic nature of the system (in that a how long-lasting a story is, and how widespread it becomes, and the form it eventually takes, are down to the predominant preferences of the recounters of the story). Pavement radio is mistrusted by a number of academics, journalists and politicians, citing its anonymous nature, and the propensity of the genre to include tales of witchcraft and other ludicrous notions. Ellis, however, argues that pavement radio is a modern continuation of the African
oral tradition, and that such ostensibly inconceivable stories are
metaphors or are indicative of historic or cultural beliefs, and as such not to be confused with factual news.
Why it might in this way be regarded as distinct from say, Western cultural beliefs,
urban legend, rumours and metaphors such as propagated by gossip,
Internet social networking service
A social networking service or SNS (sometimes called a social networking site) is an online platform which people use to build social networks or social relationships with other people who share similar personal or career content, interests, act ...
s or informal actuality media, Ellis omitted to express definitively, either in the 1995 book
or in later works.
See also
*
Chinese whispers
*
Grapevine (gossip)
To hear something through the grapevine or on the grapevine is to learn about something via an informal source or hearsay, from another person; it may refer to an overheard conversation or anonymous sources of information. An Australian term used ...
References
{{Reflist
Oral tradition