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Call for Papers
AWiM 2021 Conference
The Future of Media in Africa: Building Resilience in a COVID19 World
Conference Date: 2-3 November 2021, online
Submission Deadline: 01 September 2021
African Women in Media (AWiM) welcomes submissions for the 2021 virtual conference, ‘The Future of Media in Africa: Building Resilience in a COVID19 World’.
Building Resilience
In this year’s virtual conference, we invite presentations on the impact of COVID19 on media in Africa, the gaps it revealed for media industries, women in media, and forward-looking solutions to address these.
COVID-19 has no doubt changed media industries. Our research into the impact of COVID-19 on East African women journalists found that a staggering 63% of respondents said their jobs had been affected during the pandemic. 52% of respondents were placed on unpaid leave. The industry also saw many organisational casualties, with some newsrooms shutting down completely. Alongside these impacts were changes in how we work and gather news. Sexual harassment also increased on the digital platforms which respondents were now using to engage with colleagues. According to a 2021 UNESCO report on online violence against women journalists, 73% of survey respondents said they had experienced online violence.
Therefore, the theme for AWiM21 takes a look forward into the future of media in Africa in a COVID-19 world. It invites speakers to reflect on their research and experiences during the pandemic as the starting point to consider the longer-term impacts on the industry. It specifically seeks to identify new practices and solutions that academia, media organisations, practitioners, and policy actors might employ.
We look forward to presentations that engage critically with the notion of building back better in the context of the intersection of media and women’s rights and empowerment. The looming question is what did the pandemic reveal about the true status of women’s rights and gender equality in Africa and the media.
We are delighted that a selection of papers presented at the conference will be published in special issues of international peer-reviewed journals or as part of an edited book.
Guiding Questions
How might we build back better?
In exploring these areas, the conference welcomes papers, panel proposals and workshops from researchers, practitioners, CSOs and policy professionals in the following topics and related areas:
Conference format
AWiM21 conference will take place entirely online from 2-3 November 2021. There is no registration fee and no honorariums. Plenary sessions, individual panels and the Hodan Nalayeh Changing Narratives Pitch Zone and Awards will be open for registration via the conference website. Each session will run for no more than 2 hours.
Following the conference, papers will be selected for an academic publication.
Abstract submission instructions
Please send a 250-word abstract with your name, e-mail address, a brief bio and affiliation to yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com by Wednesday, 1 September 2021. Innovative formats, panel proposals and (digital) roundtable discussions are also welcome. Panel or roundtable discussion proposals should include a short rationale and brief bios of participants.
Key Dates
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