Lively discussion of the Draft of Hate Speech at Media Monitoring Africa workshop

“How can online hate speech be restricted without affecting the right to free speech?“ – Thirty five representatives from government, media and civil society discussed this question at a workshop in the middle of January organized by Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) and supported by KAS Media Africa. Participants compared South African and German solutions to the debate at the one-day event held at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

The politics of the new normal

Young African politicians discuss new campaigning strategies

How does the rise of populism in the US and Europe affect politics and campaigns on the African continent? This question was passionately debated by 16 young politicians from nine African countries at the E-lection Bridge Academy 2016 held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

African Investigative Journalism Conference with more than 250 participants from 28 countries

This year’s African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg brought together journalists from 28 countries with the support of KAS Media Africa. In the welcoming session, Anton Harber, adjunct professor at Wits Journalism, said that with over 250 participants, this was the biggest conference ever held.

#AfricaBlogging Network Expands its Digital Footprint

What does it take to be an influencer in Africa? A group of young online thought leaders who variously define themselves as civic activists, commentators, human rights defenders and political bloggers met in Kampala, Uganda recently to grapple with questions around influence and trust, freedom of expression and the internet as a democratic resource.

Rhodes public lecture

Defending our freedom of expression starts with knowledge of media law

The author of the KAS Media Law Handbook series, Justine Limpitlaw, gave a public lecture this week at Rhodes University in Grahamstown on key media law trends on the sub-continent. On the initiative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and by invitation of the university, the communications law expert visited the Rhodes School of Journalism and Media Studies, one of the leading institutes for journalism training, to talk about the state of media law in Sub-Saharan Africa and the specific threats to freedom of expression facing the region.

Mandela Day 2016

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead,” said Nelson Mandela. In remembrance of his struggle for peace and democracy Nelson Mandela International Day was launched on 18 July, 2009 - Madibas birthday - via a unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly.

#radiowontfall, but it will adapt

Radio Days Africa Conference 2016 in Johannesburg

Radio is not only the oldest medium, but also the most significant and accessible in Africa – more than 30 million listeners tune in daily in South Africa alone. Though it has mass appeal, radio still manages to connect to people in a particularly intimate way. As Franz Kruger, Director of the Wits Radio Academy says, “the essence of radio is not its technical platform or programming formats, it is the way in which it relates to people through the power of sound.”

African election campaign experts learning from each other

Sixth E-lection Bridge Africa in Ghana

Election campaigns in Africa have gone through a rapid process of professionalization. Just a few years ago many parties still structured their campaigns around one “strong man” as the main argument for voting for them. Today, campaigns revolve around a multitude of topics and people.

#AfricaBlogging at re:publica TEN

Study and Dialogue Program explores digital Berlin

Celebrating its tenth consecutive year, re:publica - Europe’s largest conference for bloggers and digital experts – recently welcomed more than 7 000 participants from all over the world to Berlin. A group of 15 bloggers from #AfricaBlogging, a network for political bloggers from sub-Saharan Africa were amongst them. With the support of colleagues from KAS headquarters, who took care of the on-site organization of the DKLB program, and KAS Media Africa, the participants also gained some insights into the historical and digital aspects of Berlin.

Workshop African Economic Journalism in Nairobi

"How to teach Economic Journalism"

Stock prices, corporate balance sheets and inflation – these are the sort of topics that many journalists would prefer to avoid. Perhaps that is why business journalism is regarded as an unpopular specialization in Africa. But it is also due to a lack of appropriate training opportunities in the area. In an effort to address this, KAS Media Africa gathered twelve journalism teachers from eleven African countries for a three-day “train the trainer” workshop at the Aga Khan Graduate School of Media and Communication in Nairobi.