Fesmedia Africa, the Regional media project of the FriedrichEbert-Stiftung in Namibia, together with its partners, will engage experts and stakeholders from the African continent and abroad in dialogue on information and communication rights and digital rights in Africa during a two-and-a-half day conference, to be held from 31 May to 2 June in Windhoek, Namibia.
At the heart of the conference are matters related to Digital Rights, Access to Information (ATI), Freedom of Expression (FOE), Press Freedom, Media Sustainability and Human Rights. The conference will be an opportunity to examine the challenges facing the region, to learn from each other, and to identify opportunities for collaboration and cooperation to strengthen information and communication rights and democracy in Africa.
The conference will cover a range of themes and topics, including rethinking access to Information and Human Rights in the Digital Age; an Open and Inclusive Internet for Africa; Intersectional issues and holistic approaches to ATI, FOE and digital rights; surveillance, capitalism, technology and the right to privacy in Africa; shrinking civic spaces- both physical and online, strengthening investigative journalism in Africa among others.
The conference will feature a variety of formats, including keynote speeches, panel discussions, fishbowl discussions, and interactive focus groups. It will provide an opportunity for participants to network, build relationships, strengthen their understanding of the issues facing the region and jointly look for solutions to the challenges and share ideas on how best to make use of opportunities Fesmedia Africa encourages media practitioners, human rights defenders, information and communication rights advocates, public officials, academics, independent researchers, and the general public to participate via live streaming and social media platforms.
“We are excited to be hosting this conference in Namibia,” said Freya Gruenhagen, Director of Fesmedia Africa.
“It is an important opportunity for us to bring together participants from across Africa and the rest of the world to share their experiences and to learn from each other. We believe that this conference will contribute to the ongoing efforts to promote digital rights, media freedom, access to information and fostering democracy on the continent,” she said.”
Fesmedia Africa is committed to promoting media freedom and access to information in in Sub-Saharan Africa. The organization works to empower citizens to engage with the media, to promote independent journalism, and to advocate for policies that support media freedom, digital spaces and rights, and access to information.