Although YouTube and Flash animations are “flashier” there’s something to be said for keeping it simple. As I mentioned in a previous post video and audio tend to require a lot of work to implement, they tend to be frivolous, and they are not very useful for mobile media.

So, what are some effective “monomedia” as opposed to “multimedia?”

• Photos: Easy and powerful way to simply communicate a complex message.
• Animated GIFs: Yes, I know they’ve been overused and abused. But with a program like UnFreez anyone can make a mini-PowerPoint.
• Mashups: I’ve been playing with the Face Mash at eclectech. The results as you can see in the image are bizarre but certainly attention-grabbing. I can has cheez burger is probably the most popular online tool for doing this.
• Comics: I love ‘em but they require a lot of talent and quite a few steps to get them uploaded. It would be great to have Zapiros all over Africa doodling away but I think there are some serious entry barriers.

I’ve yet to see these tools effectively used in Africa for advocacy, social activism and marketing. But they’re simple, easy to share and I expect they could make an impact in communicating messages. Note especially the use of photos of politicians. I’ve created an example below of how a tool like I can has cheez burger can facilitate grassroots political discussion.