| Summary: | This study examines broadcasting in Cameroon within the framework of nation-building, and against the background of failure by post-colonial Africa to make culture and polity congruent and to attain socio-economic development following the Western example. Applying the Centre-Periphery framework as an alternative to the conceptual inadequacies of the Modernisation perspective, the study investigates the internal and external factors affecting nation-building and the role of broadcasting in this connection. It argues that political centralism and inadequate participation for rural and traditional Cameroon; the marginalisation of ethnic Cameroonian cultural values by the powerful Westernised few; and the failure to attain 'balanced', 'self-reliant', 'participative' and 'just' socio-economic development; have made the pursuit of the 'modern nation-state' more of an 'ideology' and 'illusion' than a reality. The state's policy of using broadcasting to foster 'nation-building' as defined by the government, is affected by the same factors. Excessive government involvement and interference, the centralisation of decision-making and broadcast facilities, the inadequate cultural and linguistic participation for 80% or more of the population that is rural, the excessive dependence on foreign technology and expertise, the failure to contextualise or free local professional training of Western perspectives, and the heavy presence of foreign programmes and attitudes, have greatly impaired broadcasting for nation-building. This study questions the relevance of the Western 'nation-state' in Cameroon, and argues that in a plural society genuine 'unity' and 'integration' cannot be imposed from above. It agrees with the suggestion by researchers on nation-building and communication, that only a broadcast system which guarantees cultural continuity for the masses, ensures popular participation and horizontal communication, and is ready to mobilise the populations for autocentric socio-economic development, in a state that is politically democratic, popular and participative, can contribute positively towards nation-building.
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