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2020 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

7. Xenophobia, the Media and the West African Integration Agenda

Author : Adeoye O. Akinola

Published in: Mediating Xenophobia in Africa

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

West African postcolonial states have been confronted by peace and security threats that have stunted the region’s quest for regionalism and sustainable security. While conventional conflicts like civil wars, ethnic conflict, electoral violence and, more recently, terrorism are prevalent, violent manifestations of xenophobia have also become a recurrent threat to the peace, security and development of the region. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) initiated the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons to fast-track regional integration and remove all obstacles to socio-economic discrimination against immigrants. Despite this, anti-immigration policies and practices are prevalent in a number of member states. This chapter interrogates ECOWAS’s free movement policy, and xenophobic trends and the influence of the media on rising xenophobia in West Africa. It was found that while the media exacerbate xenophobia, bad governance, political considerations and the non-involvement of the West African people in the ECOWAS integration agenda are the main causes of xenophobia in West Africa.

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Title: Xenophobia, the Media and the West African Integration Agenda
Author: Adeoye O. Akinola
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Book: Mediating Xenophobia in Africa
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-61235-1

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-030-61236-8

Copyright Year: 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61236-8_7