More than 400 delegates from 36 African countries, the United States, Bolivia, the Netherlands and Germany are expected to converge in Grahamstown from 7 to 8 September for the18th annual Highway Africa conference at Rhodes University.
More than 400 delegates from 36 African countries, the United States, Bolivia, the Netherlands and Germany are expected to converge in Grahamstown from 7 to 8 September for the18th annual Highway Africa conference at Rhodes University.
The theme of the conference is Social Media–from the margins to the mainstream, and the keynote speaker will be Dan Gillmor, who wrote the seminal book on citizen journalism, We the Media, in 2004.
Gillmor, who teaches digital media literacy at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, is expected to revisit his initial optimism on the potential of the Internet.
The conference will have a mix of panel discussions, training workshops, book launches and networking dinners.
There are four distinct tracks in the programme that seek to cater for the different participants, who range from mainstream journalists, academics and community media activists to journalism students.
The conference will be preceded by council meetings of The African Editors Forum (TAEF) and the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF).
Highway Africa is an annual conference run by Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies in partnership with corporate South Africa, donor partners and journalistic associations.
Founded in 1997, the conference focuses on the issues arising from the interface of journalism, media and technology (Internet and mobile-related).
For more information contact: Katlego Gabashane at 046 603 7187 or k.gabashane@ru.ac.za, or visit the website: http://www.highwayafrica.com
