Internet and African Media
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Hi all,
Here is a very interesting declaration made by participants of a conference
on Internet and the media in Africa.
For further information contact:
Alymana Bathily
Panos / Senegal
BP 21132
Dakar - Ponty
Tel: +221-22-16-66
Fax: +221-22-17-61
Email:panos@sonatel.senet.net
THE DAKAR DECLARATION ON THE INTERNET AND THE AFRICAN MEDIA
July 10, 1997
We, the participants in the seminar held July 7 - 10, 1997 in Dakar,
Senegal, representing media organisations, non governmental organisations
and educational institutions from 19 countries in West, Central and
Southern Africa, from Europe and the United States of America;
Reflecting on other initiatives promoting information pluralism and freedom
of the press in Africa, such as the African Charter on Human and People's
Rights and the Windhoek Declaration;
Recognising the role that new information and communication technologies
can play in creating pluralistic news sources to foster a climate
favourable towards democracy and development;
Considering the various initiatives of the United Nations agencies and of
the international community to assist in the development of the Internet in
Africa;
Noting that economic, political and legislative constraints still hinder
the use of information technologies in Africa, but mindful of the rapid
speed of connectivity of both media and civil society organisations
throughout the continent;
We, the participants accordingly declare:
1. A culture of online communications should be encouraged and Internet
access and use promoted;
2. Exchanges and co-operation on joint projects between different
organisations of Internet users and regional groupings of such
organisations should be facilitated so as to ensure a significant
African presence and African content on the Internet;
3. Research projects on the developments of information technologies in
Africa should be launched in the perspective of providing information
to media organisations and academic institutions;
4. Training institutions should be encouraged and supported to include
training on information technology in their curricula;
5. Donors from the public sector-agencies of bilateral and multilateral
co-operation - as well as from the private sector, should be sensitized
to the critical impact that the Internet and other new information and
communication technologies can have on the social, economic and
political future of Africa;
6. Donors should be called to support the implementation of projects based
on the use of the Internet and of other information and communication
technologies to promote democracy, social and economic development;
7. African media organisations and non-governmental organisations should
however dedicate their own resources to such projects and be mindful not
to be solely dependent on outside funding;
8. The following projects should be initiated as soon as possible:
a) An electronic directory of African journalists;
b) A guide to Internet use;
c) An Africa focused Internet search tool;
d) A pilot project for exchange of digital audio files;
e) A workshop on digital broadcasting in Africa;
f) An African media web site;
g) Electronic discussion forums on African media issues;
h) Model Internet press centers in two poorly-connected countries;
9. An award to encourage journalists to use the Internet to promote
democratic and progressive ideals;
10. The Panos Institute and the Pan African News Agency (Pana) should
identify funding sources, assist in proposal development and
implementation of the above mentioned projects.
We, the participants call on African Governments to instil an environment
conducive to the rapid development of the Internet and other information
and communication technologies. We consider any absence of connectivity not
related to technical problems as hindrances to the development of
democracy.
We call on the African media, non governmental organisations and all
parties interested in the plurality and freedom of press in Africa as well
as on the democratic development of Africa to lobby African governments on
the critical impact of the Internet and the necessity for supportive
legislation and fiscal policies.
We support and encourage the emergence and development of the Internet in
Africa as a media free of government interference and control in the
context of a pluralistic and independent press.
---
Shady Kanfi
Research Officer
Information & Communication Technologies
International Development Research Centre
Ottawa, Canada
Tel. +1-613-236-6163 Ext. 2056
mailto:skanfi@idrc.ca
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