The cover of Marissa Moorman's most recent book shows a wire-and-bead-art radio-receiving set she bought in Johannesburg. It illustrates her approach to radio, which she considers to be more than a technology-her study shows that radio is a set of practices that is used to mobilize support for political views. In her study of the history of radio broadcasting in Angola, she discusses different political contexts in which radio was used by different actors to project their respective views on the future of the country, which turned from a Portuguese overseas territory into an independent state in 1974 and from then on was dominated by elites originating in the resistance movement Movimento Popular de Libertacao de Angola (MPLA). This book convincingly shows that radio was a vital instrument for propaganda, used both by those in power and those challenging the political status quo. Crucially, Moorman argues that throughout this period, the political rulers of Angola were "nervous" about the radio broadcasts of their opponents.
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