French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa Research Articles

Advances in pediatric anesthesia services over the past 10 years in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.

To improve and maintain quality and safety in anesthesia, standards have been proposed regarding human resources, facilities and equipment, medications and intravenous fluids, monitoring, and the conduct of anesthesia. Compliance with these standards remains a challenge in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and results in high morbidity and mortality particularly in children. This aim of this study was to assess the progress made in improving the pediatric anesthesia infrastructures, human resources, education, medications, and equipment in French-speaking SSA over the past 10 years (2013-2022). This is a descriptive, multicenter, cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection, conducted from September 1 to November 5, 2023. Comparative data from 2012 to 2022 were collected through an online survey. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data. Data were obtained from 12 countries out of 14. The number of hospitals providing pediatric surgery and anesthesia rose from 94 in 2012 to 142 in 2022 (+51%). The total number of physician anesthesiologists rose from 293 (0.1 physician anesthesiologists/100 000 inhabitants) in 2012 to 597 (0.2 physician anesthesiologists/100 000 inhabitants) in 2022 (+103.7%). Five (0.006 physician anesthesiologists/100 000 children) had completed a fellowship in pediatric anesthesia and intensive care in 2012, and 15 (0.01 physician anesthesiologists/100 000 children) in 2022 (+200%). Five physician anesthesiologists had an exclusive pediatric anesthesia practice in 2012, whereas they were 32 in 2022 (+540%). There is no specialized training in pediatric anesthesia and intensive care in any of these countries. Halothane was always available in 81.5% of the hospitals in 2012, and in 50.4% of the hospitals in 2022. Sevoflurane was always available in 5% of the hospitals in 2012, and in 36.2% in 2022. Morphine was always available in 32.2% in 2012, whereas it was available in 52.9% of them in 2022. Pediatric pulse oximeter sensors were available in 36% of the hospitals in 2012, and in 63.4% in 2022. Capnography was available in 5.3% of the hospitals in 2012, and in 48% in 2022. Progress have been made over the last 10 years in French-speaking SSA to improve infrastructures, human resources, education, medications, and equipment for pediatric anesthesia in French-speaking SSA. However, major efforts must be continued. Standards adapted to the local context should be formulated.

Use of standardised outcome measures among physiotherapists in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.

The use of standardised assessment tools is a fundamental aspect of good clinical practice. However, to our knowledge, no study has documented the use of standardised assessment tools in physiotherapy in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa. Documenting the use of standardised outcome measures in physiotherapy in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa. Our cross-sectional survey used an online self-questionnaire on facilitators and barriers to the use of standardised outcome measures, distributed to physiotherapists in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 241 physiotherapists working in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa responded to the survey. The most represented countries were Benin (36.9%), Cameroon (14.1%), and Burkina Faso (10.8%). Although 99% of participants reported using standardised outcome measures, only 27% of the respondents used them systematically (all the time). The most reported facilitators included the recognition that standardised outcome measures help to determine whether treatment is effective, help to guide care, and improve communication with patients. The most significant barriers were the lack of time, unavailability of the standardised outcome measures, and non-sensitivity of measures to patients' cultural and ethnic concerns. There was a higher proportion of use in the middle age group (30-40) (p = 0.02) and a lower proportion of use in physiotherapists simultaneously working in public and private sectors (p = 0.05). Standardised outcome measures are still not widely used by physiotherapists in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa. The perceived barriers and facilitators could help to develop strategies to improve the systematic use of outcome measures in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.

Knowledge and perception of nuclear medicine by radiologists in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.

Objective(s):to assess the knowledge and perception of nuclear medicine by radiologists in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.Methods: cross-sectional study conducted from April 8 to June 7 2020 including radiologists practicing in French-speaking sub-Saharan African countries. Data were collected electronically via a google form. Results:Of the 142 radiologists surveyed, 45.8% had already completed an internship in Europe, 3.52% in a nuclear medicine department and 72.54% had a nuclear medicine department in their country of practice. Among these radiologists, 21.13% knew the three main techniques of nuclear medicine and only 9.15% knew that nuclear medicine allows functional, metabolic and molecular studies. On average, 56.8% were aware of clinical indications for the main fields of nuclear medicine. In 47.18% of cases, they thought that scintigraphic imaging was more irradiating than radiological imaging, 71.1% knew about hybrid imaging techniques, 43.66% had read a scientific article on nuclear medicine, 4.93% had attended a nuclear medicine conference and 28.9% had recommended a scintigraphic imaging examination in their report. Half of them would like to see nuclear medicine and radiology merged into a single specialty and 95.77% considered it essential to create a nuclear medicine department in their country. Conclusion:The level of knowledge of radiologists in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa about nuclear medicine was, on the whole, unsatisfactory with a generally encouraging perception.

Situation Analysis of Uncorrected Refractive Errors in Sub-Saharan Francophone African Countries

Background: Uncorrected refractive errors (URE) are a serious public health problem by their magnitude, the multiple consequences they result in, but also by the inability of the countries of French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa (FSSA) to meet the needs of the population. Governance problems, associated with human resources problems, financing problems for care, infrastructure and consumables, led us to initiate this study, the objective of which is to analyze the situation of UREs in FSSA with the stakeholders involved in the eye health system.

La rhétorique de la congolité dans la publicité en RD Congo. Enjeux d’un discours de populisme nationaliste en Afrique francophone

The field of advertising is a melting pot of ideologies, that is, of both cultural and political identities. Today, these are built in and through social discourses specific to the contemporary context. In DR Congo, the instrumentation of the Congolese paradigm with a hint of sovereignty has increasingly become a constant in the advertising discourse. It is a media dynamic of expression of a certain autarky against Western and Sino-American economic imperialism, through the promotion of the local industry. It is deployed through the rhetoric of « Congolity » which is understood in terms of a catalyst for the issues of a discourse of nationalist populism in a country of French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.

Knowledge and attitudes of ultrasonography physicians regarding the biological effects of ultrasound in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.

To assess the knowledge and practical attitudes of ultrasonography physicians regarding the biological effects of ultrasound in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa. A descriptive cross-sectional study carried out over a period of 03months (from 1st August to 31st October 2019) which included doctors carrying out ultrasound examinations in French-speaking sub-Saharan African countries via an electronic survey form. The 137 ultrasonography physicians came from 13 different countries and included 58% radiologists, 15% gynecologists, 14% cardiologists and 13% general practitioners. The majority of ultrasonography physicians had less than 10years of professional experience (87.60%) and performed more than 25 ultrasonographies per week (65.69%). The biological effects of ultrasound were known by 69.34% of ultrasonography physicians. Only 44% were able to cite the two biological effects of ultrasounds; 59.13% were unaware of the existence of thermal and mechanical indexes and 66.42% had no idea about the normal values of these indexes. They were unaware that their devices showed mechanical or thermal index in 48.91% of cases, consulted these indexes at the beginning of ultrasound explorations in 26.92%, and had no idea about the practical attitudes to adopt in the face of an increase in these indexes in 54.74% of cases. Half of the gynecologists and general practitioners and 55% of the radiologists affirmed that they avoid using Doppler as much as possible to explore the embryo. The level of knowledge of ultrasonography physicians about the biological effects of ultrasound was unsatisfactory in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa and good attitudes to ultrasound safety were not always adopted.

Systematic review of observational studies of the impact of cardiovascular risk factors on preeclampsia in sub-saharan Africa

BackgroundMaternal mortality is a public health issue, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the region most affected worldwide by maternal mortality, and preeclampsia is one of the main causes. We performed a systematic review of observational studies to identify the impact of cardiovascular risk factors on preeclampsia in SSA with a more representative sample.MethodsDatabases: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched to identify published studies. Studies were included if they reported results on the link between at least one cardiovascular risk factor and preeclampsia. Relevant studies quality was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Odds ratios and relative risk (RR) were reported with their confidence intervals.ResultsTwelve articles (8 case-controls, 3 cohorts, 1 cross-sectional) were included in this review, with a total of 24,369 pregnant women. Cardiovascular risk factors such as chronic hypertension, overweight, obesity, diabetes and alcohol were significantly associated with a high risk of preeclampsia. Very few data were available concerning some risk factors. None of the articles reported tobacco consumption as a preeclampsia risk factor. There is a lack of data from French-speaking SSA countries.ConclusionCardiovascular risk factors increase the risk of preeclampsia. Our results suggest the need for prospective cohort studies to ascertain this association in order to reduce maternal mortality due to preeclampsia.

Current State of Affairs With Regard to Thanatological Imaging in Francophone Sub-saharan Africa: Opinions of Radiology Technicians

Abstract Background: In French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa, thanatological imaging is not integrated into the training of radiology technicians. Thus, this raises a question about the knowledge level of radiology

Perception of the role of scintigraphic imaging in the exploration of pulmonary embolism by cardiologists in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa

Perception of the role of scintigraphic imaging in the exploration of pulmonary embolism by cardiologists in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa

Gender-Based Violence in Mali: A Hidden Disaster in Schools

Introduction: Violence against girls has always been considered as a factor of deschooling in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa. It is often inadequately reflected in Education for all policies and programs. The objective is to study the frequency and characteristics of gender-based violence at the tertiary vocational training institute (IFP-TER) in Kayes/Mali. Methodology: The survey was conducted for four months (September 1 to December 30, 2012). A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the establishment of IFP-TER Kayes. The study population consists of all the girls in the school. Extensive sampling was done. Individual interviews were conducted and data entered on the Epidata 3.1 software and analyzed on SPSS version 16.0. Results: 357 girls were surveyed, of whom 336 experienced at least one form of violence. Of the girls who were abused, 52.4% experienced sexual violence, 77% experienced physical violence, and 47.4% experienced emotional abuse. The vast majority of assaults took place at school (50.9%) and 40% in host families of students. Of the girls surveyed, 77% said they were victims of physical violence, jostling; punches and slaps were frequently cited as types of violence with 69.1%; 40.7% and 36.4%. Girls were victims of sexual violence 52.4% of cases, threats and harassment were the most cited with respectively 75.1% and 74.8%; rape was cited in 41.9% of cases. Blackmail predominated among victims of psychological violence (81.5%). Conclusion: The proportion of girls who are abused (94.3%) raises the issue of gender-based violence at the level of IFP-TER. Faced with this situation; it seems advisable to lead an effective fight with the involvement of the various actors in the Kayes region.

Maternal immigrant status and signs of neurodevelopmental problems in early childhood

Abstract Background A growing body of evidence suggests that children of immigrants may have increased risks of neurodevelopmental disorders. However, evidence based on parent report and on very young children is lacking. We therefore investigated the association between maternal immigrant status and early signs of neurodevelopmental problems in a population-based sample of two-year-old children using standardized parent-report instruments. Methods We used data from the French representative ELFE birth cohort, initiated in 2011. The study sample included 9,900 children of non-immigrant French, 1,403 children of 2nd, and 1,171 children of 1st generation immigrant women followed-up to age two years. Neurodevelopment was assessed using the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) and an adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI). Results In fully adjusted linear regression models, maternal immigrant status was positively associated with M-CHAT scores, with stronger associations in children of 1st (β-coefficient: 0.19; 95% CI 0.08-0.29) than 2nd generation immigrants (0.09; 0.01-0.17). This association was especially strong among children of 1st generation immigrant mothers native of North Africa (vs. non-immigrant French: 0.33; 0.16-0.49) or French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa (0.26; 0.07-0.45). MB-CDI scores were lowest among children of 1st generation immigrant mothers, particularly from mostly non-francophone regions. Children of 1st generation immigrant mothers were most likely to have simultaneously low MB-CDI and high M-CHAT scores. Conclusions Our findings suggest that maternal immigrant status is associated with higher risks of early signs of neurodevelopmental difficulties, with strong variations according to maternal region of origin. Standardized screening instruments may aid the early detection and treatment of these difficulties, helping to address inequalities in neurodevelopmental health in children of immigrants. Key messages Children of immigrant mothers in a population-based sample appear to have elevated neurodevelopmental risks, as assessed by maternal report. This is in line with evidence from clinical samples. We found strong variations according to maternal region of origin, with the highest risks in children of 1st generation immigrant mothers from North Africa and French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa.

Maternal immigrant status and signs of neurodevelopmental problems in early childhood: The French representative ELFE birth cohort.

A growing body of evidence suggests that children of immigrants may have increased risks of neurodevelopmental disorders. However, evidence based on parent report and on very young children is lacking. We therefore investigated the association between maternal immigrant status and early signs of neurodevelopmental problems in a population-based sample of 2-year-old children using standardized parent-report instruments. We used data from the French representative Étude Longitudinale Française depuis l'Enfance birth cohort, initiated in 2011. The study sample included 9,900 children of nonimmigrant French, 1,403 children of second, and 1,171 children of first generation immigrant women followed-up to age 2 years. Neurodevelopment was assessed using the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) and an adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI). In fully adjusted linear regression models, maternal immigrant status was associated with M-CHAT scores, with stronger associations in children of first (β-coefficient: 0.19; 95% CI 0.08-0.29) than second generation immigrants (0.09; 0.01-0.17). This association was especially strong among children of first generation immigrant mothers native of North Africa (vs. nonimmigrant French: 0.33; 0.16-0.49) and French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa (0.26; 0.07-0.45). MB-CDI scores were lowest among children of first generation immigrant mothers, particularly from mostly non-francophone regions. Children of first generation immigrant mothers were most likely to have simultaneously low MB-CDI and high M-CHAT scores. Our findings suggest that maternal immigrant status is associated with early signs of neurodevelopmental difficulties, with strong variations according to maternal region of origin. Further research is necessary to test whether these associations persist and to determine the underlying mechanisms. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1845-1859. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: We asked immigrant and nonimmigrant mothers in France about early signs of neurodevelopmental problems in their 2-year-old children. Overall, we found that children of immigrants may be at higher risk of showing these early warning signs, as compared to children of nonimmigrants. This is in line with previous studies, which were based on doctors' diagnoses at later ages. However, our results differed depending on the mothers' regions of origin. We found the highest risks in children of first generation immigrants from North and French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa, who also seemed especially at risk of neurodevelopmental problems combined with low language development.

Open and Distance Learning in French-Speaking Sub-Saharan Africa: A Literature Review

This article is a literature review on open distance learnings (ODL) in Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa (FSSA). The state of research on this question highlights many topics, such as the supporting reasons for the creation of ODL systems and their potentials. Success, difficulties, and issues linked to their implementation also hold a crucial place in this research. Besides, this literature review shows that studies on ODLs in FSSA emphasize the representations, motivations, and identities of students and university managers, including the historical and cooperative aspects of these third-generation learnings. While most of the research in this field are descriptive or exploratory, others are critical. Beyond these results, research must further explore many perspectives, mainly those related to teaching and learning practices, evaluation, social and university transformations, and the hybrid forms of learning.

Universal Health Coverage in Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa: Assessment of Global Health Experts' Confidence in Policy Options.

Many countries rely on standard recipes for accelerating progress toward universal health coverage (UHC). With limited generalizable empirical evidence, expert confidence and consensus plays a major role in shaping country policy choices. This article presents an exploratory attempt conducted between April and September 2016 to measure confidence and consensus among a panel of global health experts in terms of the effectiveness and feasibility of a number of policy options commonly proposed for achieving UHC in low- and middle-income countries, such as fee exemptions for certain groups of people, ring-fenced domestic health budgets, and public-private partnerships. To ensure a relative homogeneity of contexts, we focused on French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa. We initially used the Delphi method to arrive at expert consensus, but since no consensus emerged after 2 rounds, we adjusted our approach to a statistical analysis of the results from our questionnaire by measuring the degree of consensus on each policy option through 100 (signifying total consensus) minus the size of the interquartile range of the individual scores. Seventeen global health experts from various backgrounds, but with at least 20 years' experience in the broad region, participated in the 2 rounds of the study. The results provide an initial "mapping" of the opinions of a group of experts and suggest interesting lessons. For the 18 policy options proposed, consensus emerged only on strengthening the supply of quality primary health care services (judged as being effective with a confidence score of 79 and consensus score of 90), and on fee exemptions for the poorest (judged as being fairly easy to implement with a confidence score of 66 and consensus score of 85). For none of the 18 common policy options was there consensus on both potential effectiveness and feasibility, with very diverging opinions concerning 5 policy options. The lack of confidence and consensus within the panel seems to reflect the lack of consistent evidence on the proposed policy options. This suggests that experts' opinions should be framed within strengthened inclusive and "evidence-informed deliberative processes" where the trade-offs along the 3 dimensions of UHC-extending the population covered against health hazards, expanding the range of services and benefits covered, and reducing out-of-pocket expenditures-can be discussed in a transparent and contextualized setting.

Renal transplant in human immunodeficiency virus positive dialysis patients; report of four cases in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa and review of literature

Quality of life and life span have considerably increased in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients over the past years owing to the highly effective antiretroviral therapy. Consequently, the number of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has increased in dialysis centers. Several teams in the United States as well as in Europe have therefore proposed renal transplantation to this group of patients with encouraging results. From March 2015 to February 2016, four kidney transplantations have been conducted in the very first kidney transplantation program ever in French speaking black Africa. Three male and one female with a mean age of 50.75 years have been transplanted. One of them was HIV-2 positive. Before kidney transplantation, patients have exhibited diverse highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen. They all have undetectable viremia and the mean value of the CD4 count was 454.5 cells/µL. Raltegravir, an integrase inhibitor, has systematically been added to the baseline HAART therapy at least 30 days before transplantation. Immunosuppression comprised basiliximab as induction therapy, tacrolimus, sodium mycophenolate and steroids. After a mean time of six months, all the patients are alive with a mean serum creatinine of 1.425±0.263mg/dl, and a mean proteinuria of 0.55±0.29 g/d. We present these results in full, and discuss them according to data retrieved from the literature. The conditions of access of human immunodeficiency virus positive patients to renal transplantation, the immunosuppression and the antiretroviral regimen, graft and patient survival have all been discussed accordingly.

Evaluation of the practicability and virological performance of finger-stick whole-blood HIV self-testing in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.

BackgroundOpportunities for HIV testing could be enhanced by offering HIV self-testing (HIVST) in populations that fear stigma and discrimination when accessing conventional HIV counselling and testing in health care facilities. Field experience with HIVST has not yet been reported in French-speaking African countries.MethodsThe practicability of HIVST was assessed using the prototype the Exacto® Test HIV (Biosynex, Strasbourg, France) self-test in 322 adults living in Kisangani and Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to World Health Organization’s recommendations. Simplified and easy-to-read leaflet was translated in French, Lingala and Swahili.ResultsForty-nine percent of participants read the instructions for use in French, while 17.1% and 33.9% read the instructions in Lingala and Swahili, respectively. The instructions for use were correctly understood in 79.5% of cases. The majority (98.4%) correctly performed the HIV self-test; however, 20.8% asked for oral assistance. Most of the participants (95.3%) found that performing the self-test was easy, while 4.7% found it difficult. Overall, the results were correctly interpreted in 90.2% of cases. Among the positive, negative, and invalid self-tests, misinterpretation occurred in 6.5%, 11.2%, and 16.0% of cases, respectively (P<0.0001). The Cohen’s κ coefficient was 0.84. The main obstacle for HIVST was educational level, with execution and interpretation difficulties occurring among poorly educated people. The Exacto® Test HIV self-test showed 100.0% (95% CI; 98.8–100.0) sensitivity and 99.2% (95% CI; 97.5–99.8) specificity.ConclusionsOur field observations demonstrate: (i) the need to adapt the instructions for use to the Congolese general public, including adding educational pictograms as well as instructions for use in the local vernacular language(s); (ii) frequent difficulties understanding the instructions for use in addition to frequent misinterpretation of test results; and (iii) the generally good practicability of the HIV self-test despite some limitations. Supervised use of HIVST is recommended among poorly-educated people.

Beyond Fate and Hopelessness: The Need for a Contextual Approach to HIV/AIDS Prevention Programmes in the Evangelical Christian Community of French-Speaking Africa

Awareness, care and preventative action regarding HIV/AIDS, and those affected by it, is growing in the evangelical Christian Community in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, even though the issues seem to be addressed through teaching and preaching in the churches, the real issues, questions and struggles of the people are not discussed. This article describes some of the most important outcomes of a qualitative research in this people group, looking at the values and beliefs around sexuality and community and what impact they have on current HIV/AIDS prevention practices and strategies. This description highlights the seeming discrepancy between people’s values and their daily lives, the role community can play – as both a community of grace and a countercultural yet contextually relevant community, and the role of leaders, grass-root communities and partnership processes in strategy development. This article argues for a contextual relevant approach in which the specific evangelical worldview is encountered as a possible strength, rather than a problem.

Visibility of Nutrition Research and Dissemination Challenges in French Speaking Sub-Saharan Africa: A Bibliometric Analysis

Although sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is one of the regions in the world that is most affected by malnutrition and hunger, food science and nutrition related-publications by in-country-based authors from this region are rare. The objective of this paper is to analyze scientific production in French speaking SSA countries in the area of nutrition and food sciences (NFS). A bibliometric analysis was performed using the ISI Web of Knowledge database. We explored data for quantity and quality of publications between 1990 and 2009. Among the 21 sub-Saharan African countries with French as the official language, only 11 had more than 20 publications on NFS. This represents 4.7% of the total publications of these countries. The vast majority of the publications were in English (76.7%) despite the official and primary academic language is French in all eleven countries. The average number of citations of articles in French was 0.9 per paper compared to 6.7 per paper published in English. France was the main collaborating country with France-based researchers co-authoring 31.8% of the papers. Collaboration with other African countries was low and usually limited to neighbouring countries. In absolute numbers, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and Benin were the most productive countries. When adjusted for population size, Mauritius, Gabon and Cameroon were the most productive countries per capita and when adjusted for average GDP, Cameroon, Burkina-Faso and Benin were the most productive. French speaking countries in Africa had a very low publication record in NFS and papers published in French were barely cited as compared to those published in English.

Childhood trauma, personality disorders symptoms and current major depressive disorder in Togo

Childhood trauma (CT) has been found to be associated with major depressive disorder (MDD) and personality disorders (PD) in adulthood in Western countries, but little is known about the relationship between CT, PD and MDD in sub-Saharan Africa. The present study aims to examine: (1) the frequency of the CT, (2) the association between CT, PD symptoms and MDD and (3) the mediating role of PD between CT and MDD in Togo. One hundred and eighty-one participants (91 individuals with current MDD and 90 healthy controls without psychiatric history) completed the 28-item CT Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ-4+). Participants in the MDD group reported more frequently emotional, sexual and physical abuse and emotional and physical neglect than controls (p<0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between the total abuse and the PDQ-4+score (r=0.48, p<0.01) in the total sample. Emotional and sexual abuses were associated with current MDD and the number of PD criteria endorsed. Furthermore, PD symptoms mediated partially the relationship between CT and current MDD. Our results suggest an association between CT and current MDD in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa, and that this relationship may be explained by PD symptoms. Prospective studies to confirm these results are warranted.

Perspectives on the media in ‘another Africa’

A dual journal project was launched in 2010 to build bridges between French and English media research spheres through the translation and reciprocal publication of a series of essays from each linguistic sphere. In 2012, a special issue of Afrique contemporaine (‘Les Afriques médiatiques’) was published, with six essays in French by authors working on media from the English-language zone. The present issue of Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies, volume 33 issue 3, makes articles originating from French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa available to English-speaking readers in translated form. This introduction sketches the background to the project.