[ecrea] 2nd Call for Papers, Media and Elections in Africa Conference

Media and Elections in Africa Conference

Conference
organised by the
Africa
Media Centre, University of Westminster (UK) and Moi
University (Kenya)
in association with the UK-Africa Media
and Democracy Research Network

Date: Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 March 2014
Venue:
University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, London

CONFIRMED KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Professor Kwame Karikari,
Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), a
Ghana-based media advocacy organisation (http://www.mediafound.org/).


This
is the second call for a conference on media and elections in Africa. Elections
are essential for democracy and yet in much of Africa they have become mere
rituals whose conduct and result are most predictable. Voter apathy is a
concern due to persistent problems such as electoral fraud, voter suppression
and the resultant poll violence and loss of lives. New measures and strategies
have done little to change the course of the crisis. African elites, election
observers, scholars and journalists have raised questions about whether
elections are really important for African democracy. Why do Africa’s friends
in the West insist on elections while China and others continue to place less
emphasis on them? Are elections a precondition for protecting civil liberties? From
Egypt to South Africa, citizens have been treated as subjects and bystanders of
the electoral processes, resulting in the coming to power of illegitimate regimes
characterised by tyranny, corruption, nepotism, ethnic hatred and gross human
rights violations. The media are meant to be the eyes and ears of the emerging
democracies in Africa but evidence shows that they are biased, inefficient and
under resourced to the extent of neglecting their educational and informative
roles before, during and after elections. Far from being watchdogs, the media
have become lap dogs that are routinely manipulated by greedy and corrupt
politicians and businessman seeking public office.

There are
serious questions about how elections have become hijacked by local and global
forces that are inimical to African emancipation. Questions to ask include, who
benefits from the elections in Africa? Whose voice is represented? Who speaks
on behalf of whom? What role have the media played in elections? Can the media
rescue the electoral politics in Africa? What sort of media are needed? What
kind of journalists are needed?

This
conference seeks to debate issues of media and elections within the broader
context of democratization in local and global contexts. Issues of, ideology,
power and future of media and democracy in Africa are part of the focus. The
conference welcomes contributions that will debate these issues from different
theoretical and methodological orientations.

Approximately
40 papers will be presented on topics including:

•           Media
and Elections in Africa
•           NGOs
and Activist Media in Africa
•           Protest
Music, Theatre, Drama
•           Political
Party Media in Africa
•           New
Media and Elections in Africa
•           Foreign
Media and African Democracy
•           Rural
and Urban Citizenship in Africa
•           Elections,
Elites and the Media in Africa
•           Human
Rights and the Media
•           Media
Ownership and Access in Africa
•           Media
Freedom in Africa
•           The
‘African’ Public Sphere
•           Media
Controls and Constraints in Africa
•           Media,
Civic Education and Constitution Making in Africa


ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

The extended
deadline for submission of abstracts is the 31st January, 2014.
Successful applicants will be notified by the 6th February, 2014. Abstracts
should not be more than 300 words long. They must include the title of the
conference, presenter's name, affiliation, email and postal address, together
with the title of the paper. Please ensure when saving your abstract that your
name is part of the file name. Please email your abstract to Helen Cohen,
Events Administrator at: ((journalism /at/ westminster.ac.uk)).


PROGRAMME AND REGISTRATION


This two day conference will take place on Saturday 29 and
Sunday 30 March, 2014. The fee for registration (which applies to all
participants, including presenters) will be £175, with a concessionary rate of
£95 for students, to cover all conference documentation, refreshments
lunches and administration costs.  Registration will open in January 2014

Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI)
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
School of Media, Arts and Design
University of Westminster
Harrow Campus
Watford Road
Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 3TP, UK
Tel: +44(0)2079115000 ext 4427
E-mail:(manow /at/ wmin.ac.uk)

Fax:+44(0)2079115942

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