Hivos East Africa is organizing a summit on the rise of a new generation of content makers and their role in propelling alternative spaces that bolster free expression.
This inaugural event which will take place on December 4 and 5, 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya will provide an opportunity for content creators to discuss the challenges and opportunities around content creation in the continent and come up with innovative solutions that would shape the agenda for the Africa context and its subsequent growth.
With the theme: ‘Redefining the Africa Context Online’, the summit aims to counter Africa’s online narrative that has been greatly influenced by the Western world through dominance on the digital spaces. Topics of discussion will revolve around: Influences of the African context online; Innovating for African content online; sustainability of content and diversity and inclusion online.
While the role of critical voices in the shrinking civic space continues to grow dimmer globally, Africa has not been left out of this margin. Threats and intimidation to avenues of freedom of expression such as the mainstream media, bloggers, artivists, activists and human rights have been on the rise in recent times. But even with these harsh realities characterized with regimes that have become intolerant to criticism, there is a new crop of content makers that have begun to bud. These content makers: artists, filmmakers, gamers and musicians are igniting social debate using online platforms.
It is within this context that Hivos East Africa is bringing together content creators from Africa who uses digital platforms to create and distribute their work.
The summit will execute an innovation competition that will award the three most innovative ideas with up to Euros 5000 seed funding for innovations that address sustainability of online content in Africa.
Interested applicants should contact Hivos East Africa Project Officer, Sylvia Musalagani for further information: +254 254 725 451 729 or summit@hivos.org Please note registration to the summit is by invitation only through http://bit.ly/AfriCCS18.
Registrations close by 9 November 2018.
