Africa is getting there - 26 Mar 2012[Evan-Lee Courie @evan1985] Over the weekend I got into a discussion on the topic of living in Africa. The person who I had this discussion with was from South Africa, the same place where I'm from. read more For the better... - 19 Mar 2012[Evan-Lee Courie @evan1985] Last week I mentioned that media freedom in parts of Africa is still an ongoing battle. Following MISA-Malawi's response on recent incidents, the chairman of the Malawi Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, Anthony Kasunda, has since received threats over the chapter's stance on the Malawi government's repeated attacks on the media. read more Media freedom - the battle continues - 12 Mar 2012[Evan-Lee Courie @evan1985] Media freedom in some parts of Africa is still an ongoing battle. In Malawi, information and civic education minister, Patricia Kaliati is reported to have verbally assaulted journalist, Gregory Gondwe, following an article in which Gondwe reports on the annual assessment of the presidential cabinet. read more Going mobile in Africa - 5 Mar 2012[Evan-Lee Courie] Towards the end of 2011 I made the statement that the African continent wasn't showing any sign of slowing down, especially in the mobile sector. We are now approaching the end of the first quarter of the year and things are still looking bright. With that said, Airtel Africa has announced that it will continue its existing partnership with Google, with the aim to make internet products more accessible to consumers across Africa. read more Time for Design Indaba 2012 - 27 Feb 2012[Evan-Lee Courie] It's that time again when thousands of the world's brightest talents from across various creative industries descend on Cape Town, South Africa, for the annual Design Indaba Conference and Expo. The conference takes place from Wednesday 29 February until Friday 2 March 2012 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and the expo (which is open to the general public) takes place 2-4 March. read more A world without knowing - 20 Feb 2012[Evan-Lee Courie] Could you ever imagine a world without having access to information? A world in which we didn't know what was happening around the world? For the life of me, I can't for one second imagine just how it would be. News sites, newspapers, radio, television, social networks - just how they have become part of our very existence is beyond amazing. There isn't one day where I go about my everyday doings without having to check social networks to see what's happening in the world. read more How credible is the news on social networks? - 13 Feb 2012[Evan-Lee Courie] During this past week, the credibility of news reported on social media networks is what caught my eye. It has become way to easy for news, with or without confirmed facts, to be spread to the rest of the world by a simple click of a button. read more The good news and the sad news - 6 Feb 2012[Evan-Lee Courie] Like in any industry, there's always the good news and then there's the bad news. Well in this case, some sad news Firstly, the sad news is that the acting executive director of the Media Council of Malawi, George 'Sly' Dambula, passed away on Thursday, after succumbing to Malaria and lung infection. read more Sowing the seeds of the mobile community - 30 Jan 2012[Evan-Lee Courie] With the growth of mobile users on the continent, users in Morocco continued their upward push through 2011, with the number of users rising to 36.55 million. YoungAfricaLive, the mobile community that entertains and educates young people on topics of love, sexual health, gender and relationships affecting the youth has now also launched in Kenya and is available through the SafaricomLIVE! portal. read more New year, new beginnings... - 23 Jan 2012[Evan-Lee Courie] We're heading to the end of January 2012 already and almost everybody should be back at work by now. With a new year, comes new beginnings. read more The hashtag generation - 16 Jan 2012[Evan-Lee Courie] I recently got very annoyed reading my news feed on my Facebook page when I saw a number of people using hashtags in their status updates, it wasn't just one or two people but it was more than I expected to see. It may say something about the Facebook friends I have or the people I know, but let me tell you that is not the case. read more Happy 2012! - 9 Jan 2012[Evan-Lee Courie] 2012 has arrived! It feels like just yesterday I was writing my last editorial column of the year wishing you a safe and wonderful festive season. I do trust that you had just that! So it's back to the grind as many of us return to our respective workplaces in drips and drabs. read more Bring on 2012! - 12 Dec 2011[Evan-Lee Courie] It is with great pleasure that I bring you the last newsletter for 2011. What a year it has been! In August I was appointed to bring you industry related news from across Africa and I can say it's been a fairly smooth couple of months in the driver's seat. Highlights of the year included the celebration of 10 years since our very first newsletter was sent out in 2001. read more The year of the mobile - 5 Dec 2011[Evan-Lee Courie] As the end of yet another year draws to a close, the African continent isn't showing any sign of slowing down, especially in the mobile sector. This past week, telecommunications services provider, Airtel Limited celebrated a milestone when it acquired its 50 millionth mobile customer in Africa. Global telecommunications operator, France Telecom-Orange signed a deal with the African Press Organisation who will distribute press releases, issued by the Orange group, to all its operating countries in Africa. YoungAfricaLive, a mobile community that focusses on issues of the youth launched in Tanzania. Michael de Souza, vice president of media at BuzzCity, shares his wishes for the mobile industry in 2012. The minister of information and communication technology in Uganda, Ruhakana Rugunda officially launched the local edition of YouTube, (www.youtube.co.ug). read more Cheers to 2011, well almost... - 28 Nov 2011[Evan-Lee Courie] Can you believe its almost 2012? The year has just about come to an end and with that we have several more daily newsletters still to be delivered to you. In Malawi, journalists were threatened at a 'press rally' following the return of the president from a trip to Hong Kong. read more |
