Dr. Brenda Bukowa is as Lecturer and Researcher in the Department of Media and Communication Studies. She holds a PhD in Communication, Culture and Media Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a Master's degree from the University of Oslo and a Bachelor of Mass Communication from the University of Zambia. Her doctoral research examined how teenagers in Lusaka experience social media and mobile phones; her earlier work explored blogging as a route to freedom of expression in Zambia.
She has written and researched widely on media policy and politics, media freedoms, media and culture, television and radio, media history, human rights, internet freedoms and social media. Since 2015 she has served as Zambia country researcher for Freedom House's Freedom on the Net project.
Her international academic experience includes a research fellowship with the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences in South Africa, a visiting fellowship at Ohio University, and visiting lectureships at the University of Helsinki. She has taught, researched or consulted in the United States, Finland, India, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa and Zambia.
Brenda has served as Head of Department, and beyond the Department, she has held senior communications roles within the University, including Head of Public Relations and University spokesperson, and Acting Head of Communication and Marketing. With over ten years of experience as an internationally recognised communication consultant, she has advised governments, universities and organisations in more than ten countries as a trainer, researcher, advisor, author and mentor. She is a frequent commentator on media issues across Zambian radio, television, print and online platforms.
Education
- PhD, Communication, Culture and Media Studies — University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (2019)
- MPhil, Media and Communication Studies — University of Oslo, Norway (2012)
- Postgraduate qualification — Ohio University, Athens, USA
- Bachelor of Mass Communication — University of Zambia (2009)
Bukowa, B. (2020). News from Africa. In R. Craig (Ed.), Navigating the news: A guide to understanding journalism (Chapter 17). Peter Lang.
Bukowa, B. (2019). Networked participatory cultures in Lusaka, Zambia: How teenagers experience social media and mobile phones [Doctoral dissertation, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College].
Bukowa, B. (2017). Young people and the digital age: An investigation of the 'sociability' of teenagers in Lusaka. Journal of Multidisciplinary Research.
Bukowa, B. (2012). If you can't beat them, blog them: Exploring the internet for freedom of expression in Zambia. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing.