The paradoxes of research audiences in sub-Saharan Africa

Simon Vurayai

doi:10.46652/rgn.v9i40.1181

Simon Vurayai University of Johannesburg | South Africa http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9395-8880

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46652/rgn.v9i40.1181

Keywords: Community engagement; knowledge consumption; paradoxes; research audiences; sub-Saharan community.

Abstract

This study aimed at interrogating the puzzles that are encountered by research audiences in the consumption of knowledge in the sub-Saharan community. A systematic literature review study was employed as the methodology for this study. The study found out that despite the fact that the research audiences and the sub-Saharan community at large have the right to access and know the findings of the research to which they are the targeted recipients, they rarely access the scholarly work. Some of the challenges that were examined in this study are language, literacy, funding, and poverty, duration of research, scholarly communication, cultural imperialism, digital divide and predatory publishing. The study recommended that there is need for sub Saharan countries to mobilise and raise more funding to revamp the library operations, boost ICTs infrastructure, and market African research for better visibility and consumption by the intended recipients and community.

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Author Biography

Simon Vurayai, University of Johannesburg | South Africa

Senior postdoctoral research fellow in the Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg in South Africa. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology of Education. He taught in the Sociology of Education in the Department of Educational Foundations at Great Zimbabwe University, Zimbabwe. His research interests are, gender studies, social justice, problems in education, sociology of knowledge, sociology of mass media, sociology of development and poverty studies.

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