The Media and Terrorism ─ Editorial Cartoons, Framing and Legitimacy in the Kenyan Press, 1998-2008

The editorial cartoon, perhaps one the most enduring feature of the African newspaper, carries perception of a less cerebral form of journalism consigned to laughter and flippancy. However, editorial cartoons' effectiveness goes beyond laughter. Indeed, this book not only responds to the call for a broader debate on media and terrorism, but also examines how editorial cartoons in Kenya, majorly between 1998 and 2008, contributed to the discursive construction of terrorism and the so called war on terror. Drawing from events surrounding major terror attacks at the high noon of 'al-Qaida terrorism', this book highlights how editorial cartoons in Kenya provided insights into the vicissitudes that characterized terrorism and its war. Duncan Omanga is the head of the Department of Publishing and Media Studies at Moi University, Kenya. His research interests are on mediatisation of African social and political spaces; print cultures and popular culture in Africa, and the link between digital publics and democracy in Africa. He is also a columnist with East Africa's leading daily, The Daily Nation.