Dear Colleagues,
Registration is now open for the African women in the media symposium at Birmingham City University - tickets
can be purchased via eventbrite. There are a limited number of Early Bird tickets at just £10!
Minna Salami
is our Keynote, followed by three excellent panels including a documentary screening. There will be a Pitch Zone hosted by Dorothy Byrne, the Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4,
and a team of producers from Nigeria’s TVC News, who will
be taking
pitches for story and programme ideas.
See below for full programme:
AFRICAN WOMEN IN THE MEDIA
27TH JULY 2017
Birmingham City University, Curzon Building, 4 Cardigan Street, Birmingham, B4 7RJ
Engaging debates on issues
affecting African women in the media
The symposium aims to bring together African women working in the media, and academics in the field of media and communications concerned
with media, diaspora, race, gender, representation, and African feminism. The objectives are to engage in debates on issues affecting African women in the media, provide an opportunity for the exchange of ideas between academia and industry, and opportunities
for networking.
With a focus on news media, the central questions the symposium will seek to answer are:
·
What challenges do African women working in the media face?
·
How are these challenges being addressed? How might they be?
·
How are African women represented in the media?
The long-term aim is to establish an action-orientated, supportive, and, empowering network that bridges academia and industry
Below is the full programme
1000-1030 Arrival & Registration
1030-1115 Keynote: Minna Salami
Minna Salami is a Nigerian, Finnish and Swedish writer, and the founder of the feminist blog, MsAfropolitan,
through which she is frequently sought as a journalist, keynote speaker, gender specialist, lecturer and consultant. Her work advocates for global feminist awareness while critically exploring the relationship between gender, ethnicity, pop culture and social
criticism from an Africa-centred perspective. Twitter: @MsAfropolitan
1115-1125 Break
1125-1210 Panel 1: Inclusion and diversity in British media organisations Several studies have demonstrated a lack of gender
equality and diversity in the journalism industry in the UK. The IWMF’s Global Report of the Status of Women in News Media found that although female journalists made up 45% of the UK’s news media industry, “women face a glass ceiling that seems fixed at the
junior professional level”. A 2016 report by City University London also found that only 0.2% of journalists in the UK are black.
This fishbowl discussion with African women who work in the British media will offer an insight into their lived experiences and challenges they face
in their career.
1.
Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi, Centre for Human Rights
in Practice, University of Warwick
2.
Yousra Elbagir, Freelance journalist (BBC Africa, CNN, Guardian, Huffington
Post)
3.
Muna Ahmed, Freelance journalist (BBC, National Prison Radio)
4.
Kiri Kankhwende, Media Diversified
1210-1310 Lunch, networking, Pitch Zone with Dorothy Byrne,
Head of News and Current Affairs, Channel 4
Dorothy Byrne, Head of News and Current Affairs at
Channel 4, will be taking pitches for stories and ideas for Channel 4. If you would like to pitch an idea to Dorothy, click here to book your slot.
A team of producers from Nigeria’s TVC News will be accepting pitches.
Click here to book your slot.
1310-1440 Panel 2: Voices of African women in diaspora and online media Panelists will discuss the role, and current practices, of
diaspora and ethnic media in their representation and empowerment of African women. Panelists speaking on online media will look both at African feminism, representation and cultural exchange between the UK, USA, Nigeria and Ghana.
1.
Dr Olayinka Esan,
Reader in Media and Film, University of Winchester: Defining Women’s Voices: Across Borders and Over the Years
2.
Dr Pauline Long, Founder of BEFFTA: Role of ethnic media in improving the representation of African
women in the British media
3.
Krys Osei, PhD Candidate, University of London: Representation of African
women in the web series An African City, across the triangular diasporic metropolitan routes of Accra, London and Washington D.C.
4.
Diretnan Bot, PhD Candidate, University of Leicester:
Redistribution and cultural exchange in the blog discourses of Nigerian women
1440-1455 Break
1455-1630 Panel 3: African women in the media: A Trans-African outlook The final panel for the day will focus on issues around the
representation of African women in media in African countries. Speakers will also discuss the experiences of African women working in the media in African countries.
1.
Prof. Florence Ayisi, Professor of international documentary, University
of South Wales: ‘Can the African Woman Speak? Shifting the Cinematic gaze to affirm African Women’s Agency.’ (includes screening)
2.
Dr Motilola Akinfemisoye, University of Botswana: “We’re only assigned to
cover ‘soft’ beats”: Perspectives of women working in the Botswana media
3.
Sally Osei-Appiah, PhD Candidate, University of Leeds: Representation of
West African female politicians in the media
4.
Nancy Brian Mbaya, PhD Candidate, University of Chester: Representation of African women in conflict,
a case study of Boko Haram
5.
Kodwo Boateng, Senior Lecturer and PhD Candidate, University of Jyvaskyla,
Finland: Digging for Gender in Journalism studies: A Review of Publications on Women in the Journalism Profession in Africa
1630-1650 Business meeting and Networking
16.50-17.00 Closing remarks
Cost: £10 Early Bird (limited availability), £30 Standard
ticket, Free for PhD students (limited availability). Includes refreshments and lunch.
Please contact Dr Yemisi Akinbobola at
[log in to unmask] with any questions.
Click here to book: http://bit.ly/awimUK17
African women working in the media anywhere in the world can join
our Facebook group here: http://bit.ly/AWIMFB
This is a Women’s Network Event Funded by MeCCSA Women's Media Studies Network and Birmingham Centre for Media
and Culture Research (BCMCR), Birmingham City University
Dr Yemisi Akinbobola
Distance learning doctoral programme coordinator
Award leader, Global Media Management
Birmingham School of Media
Birmingham City University
Parkside Campus
Cardigan Street
Birmingham B4 7BD
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, IQ4News
Twitter:
@yemisiogunleye and @IQ4News