The Cape Town Gazette and African Advertiser, a bilingual newspaper and the first to publish news and advertisements, is published for the first time.
Cape Town Gazette, 1802
Date: 16 August, 1800
The Cape Town Gazette and African Advertiser was the first newspaper to be published in Africa. It was started by two slave dealers, Alexander Walker and John Robertson. In its early stages, the newspaper was simply used by the government as a mouth-piece. It was only in 1829, after the owners had been involved in a very a long struggle with the government, and the Colony granted freedom of the press, that the newspaper became free from government censorship. This led to a significant growth in the newspaper industry as more newspapers emerged.
The newspaper was published in both English and Dutch, and changed its name to Dutch Kaapsche Courant in 1803. This could have been influenced by the change in the political scene in the colony at the time. The Dutch had just taken the Colony from the British in 1802. The British reoccupied the Colony in 1806. The Cape Town Gazette and African Advertiser is regarded as the paper that paved the way for the newspapers that Africa boasts today.
References:
- The South African Newspaper Industry, 60th World Newspaper Congress 14th World Editors Info Services Expo 2-6 June 2007 [online] Available at http://www.capetown2007.co.za [Accessed 12 July 2011]
- Simon J., 2010. “World Newspaper Archive – African Newspapers” in Focus On Global Resources, Vol. 29, Num. 4. Available at http://www.crl.edu/focus/article/6694 [Accessed 12 July 2011]
- Wallis, F., 2000. Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar. Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau; Swart: Afrikaanse Kultuuralmanak