The power of digital media to make the world a better place is a strong theme when media practitioners from all corners of the globe meet for the Highway Africa Conference in Grahamstown on 7 and 8 September.
The power of digital media to make the world a better place is a strong theme when media practitioners from all corners of the globe meet for the Highway Africa Conference in Grahamstown on 7 and 8 September.
The keynote speaker at Africa's largest gathering of journalists and journalism lecturers is Dan Gillmor from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
He is expected to talk about the potential of the internet to positively transform society. Gillmor lectures on digital media literacy and is involved in a number of media projects and media related advisory boards.
Yemi Adamolekum, executive director of Enough is Enough, a youth-led organization in Nigeria committed to instituting a culture of good governance and public accountability through advocacy, activism and the mobilization of the youth population. She will discuss social media's contribution to campaigns around instilling a culture of accountability.
Adamolekum is also the leader of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, which received worldwide attention after the kidnapping of close to 300 girls in Northern Nigeria by Boko Haram in April.
Business Day Editor Songezo Zibi will be launching his book, Raising the Bar–Hope and Renewal in South Africa. He is expected to discuss challenges faced by South Africans, especially during the Marikana miners uprising.
The African Editors Forum TAEF and the South African Editors Forum SANEF will meet Saturday 6 September. Leading media outlets such as MTN, Telkom and Memeburn will also be part of the panel discussions during the two-day event.
