Media freedom - still a battle - 21 Nov 2011

Media freedom in many parts of Africa is still under threat. In Liberia, a criminal court judge has warned proprietors of three local media houses, after it was recently shutdown by government for allegedly broadcasting hate messages and misinformation, not to repeat such acts. In Zimbabwe, two journalists were arrested and charged with theft, unlawful entry and criminal defamation, after an article, allegedly based on leaked documents, was published earlier this month.

In other news, media owners in Africa have pledged their commitment to the development success story of the continent by increasing the coverage of development topics.

The winner of the 2011 Freedom to Create Prize, which celebrates the courage and creativity of artists who use their talents to build social foundations and inspire the human spirit, was announced at an awards ceremony and concert in Cape Town. The main prize was awarded to Sister Fa, a female rap artist from Senegal, who through her talents raised awareness on the dangers of female genital cutting.

The Malawi-Zimbabwe Executive Twinning Programme, a WAN-IFRA project that matches newspaper groups in Malawi with newspaper groups in Zimbabwe for a series of exchanges, launched the Twinning Programme Brain Trust in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The West African Telecom Exhibition, which takes place from 8-10 May 2012 in Lagos, Nigeria, will facilitate business opportunities in the telecom sector, enabling exhibitors to gain access to the Nigerian telecom market that contains over 80 million mobile subscribers.

Here's to a good week!

Evan-Lee Courie (@evan1985)

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