PROMOTING FREE EXPRESSION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
It is with great sorrow that the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) learned of the passing on November 2, 2016, of Jeanette Minnie. She died at the age of 61, after a bitter battle with cancer. Jeanette will be remembered with great fondness and respect by all who met her and interacted with her. In her work, she was respected for her incisive and...
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The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) demands Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) to immediately release the eight students who have been detained incommunicado without charges. On May 3, 2016, 17 students were expelled from the University of Khartoum following a protest held on April 27, 2016 on the university campus. Two students were reportedly shot dead by agents of the NISS during...
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It is with great sorrow that the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) learned of the passing on June 7, 2016, of Peter Schellschmidt. He died at the age of 71, after a long battle with cancer. Peter witnessed Namibia’s transition to independence during his time as representative of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (from 1989 to 1993) and returned to the country as the coordinator...
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The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX), a network of freedom of expression organizations on the continent, has petitioned Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, calling on him to make a commitment to protect and defend free speech in the face of the deteriorating freedom of expression situation and the abuse of freedom of assembly rights in Uganda. The petition was motivated by the recent wave of...
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The Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) Advocacy Pansy Tlakula arrives in Harare on Monday, 16 May 2016 on a four-day working visit to Zimbabwe. Advocate Tlakula who will be in Harare in her capacity as the ACHPR’s Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information , kick starts her “advocacy visit” with a dinner on Monday hosted...
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Freedom of expression is one of the cornerstones of all democratic systems. Without it ideas about how to protect the common good in our societies would be impoverished. A marketplace of ideas is essential for democracy to thrive. It is for this reason that MISA attaches such importance to political discourse as well as to speech and other forms of expression that may shock and...
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The Media Institute of Southern Africa joins the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the world in marking the fifth annual World Radio on February 13, 2016. This year’s theme for World Radio Day – “The Role of the Radio in Humanitarian Emergency and Disaster Situations” emphasises the essential role this medium plays during a critical period. “Communication and communication technology are...
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Some children at the MISA regional ambassadors and media meeting in Pretoria have called on African governments for their inclusion in the preparation of budgets. Children who spoke in separate interviews expressed concern over the lack of their views in national budget preparations. Natasha Mwansa (14) of Zambia noted that children should be consulted during the national budget preparation. Natasha said the decisions made regarding the...
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A lack of resources is among the reasons that governments are not meeting regional and international standards in child rights protection, cited Gugulethu Ndebele, Executive Director of Save the Children South Africa at the recent Children and Media meeting. Ndebele addressed media professionals, children and civil society representatives from southern Africa who convened in Pretoria on 2 and 3 July 2015, for MISA’s annual Children...
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Since its foundation in 1992, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has been the primary advocate for media freedom and freedom of expression in southern Africa, issuing alerts on media freedom violations, condemnations of killings, assaults, criminal charges and other forms of unjustified attacks on journalists, including restrictions on access to information. Each year, MISA produces So This Is Democracy?: State of media freedom in...
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