Article 19 has called on the government of Somalia to amend the media law based on proposals by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and recommendations made by ARTICLE 19 in a legal analysis released on 13 September. Somalia’s 2007 adoption of the Media Law raised serious concerns for media freedom. The law subjects all media to a largely government-controlled regulatory regime.

Reporters Without Borders has expressed shock at the death of Alberto Chakusanga, the host of a programme on a radio station critical of the government. The first journalist to be murdered in Angola since 2001, he was found dead in the kitchen of his home in the Luanda district of Viana at dawn on 5 September.

La Via Campesina (www.viacampesina.org), a global peasant movement representing small farmers, landless workers, fisherfolk, rural women, youth and indigenous peoples, with 150 member organizations from 70 countries on five continents, has denounced the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust’s recent acquisition of Monsanto Company shares.

IkamvaYouth has been working on IkamvaYouth-in-a-box which aims to translate the experiences that many Ikamvanites have collected over the years into an information pack. This super high tech system will enable information to be stored in a central database that will make all the information accessible to those who need it.

From 14-16 February 2011 the Right to Know, Right to Education project will host a regional conference to address the issues of quality basic education for all.

The potential of mobile telephony to transform Africa will only be achieved if the development of other infrastructure keeps pace, says a study. The number of mobile phone subscribers in Africa soared from 16 million in 2000 to 376 million in 2008, with 60 per cent of the population using them in 2008 compared with 10 per cent in 1999.

The impact of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the economic, social, cultural, political and individual spheres of life is widely accepted and recognised world over. ICTs give the young generation a whole range of opportunities; socializing and exposure, employment, getting information, doing research etc. It is widely accepted that the use of ICT can have a major influence on how learners approach learning, now and in the future.

Google held a very well attended G-Kenya event for developers. But this has been just one of several things that have been happening on the continent that show a renewed focus on services and apps development. There is fertile ground for African tech innovators but they need to decide what prize they will be seeking, writes Russell Southwood.

Almost a million South Africans are already on lifelong antiretroviral treatment and this number is supposed to triple in the next decade if government keeps to its implementation plan. But the prospect of the South African government being able to meet its target of treating 80 percent of those who need it by 2011 is being threatened by a lack of funds.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the unwarranted assault of New Vision Photographer, Arthur Kintu, by a businessman and prominent religious leader, Hassan Basajjabalaba which occurred on September, 6th at Namboole while he was covering the elections in Kampala, Uganda.

A three-day, capacity-building training on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) for 30 media practitioners across the Gambia got underway in Banjul. Organized by The Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices affecting The Health of Women and Children ((Gamcotrap), with the support of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) joint programme to accelerate the stoppage of FGM, the training is meant to build the capacity of the participants for effective and progressive reporting on the harmful traditional practices and domestic violence.

Fahamu seeks a suitable, passionate individual to fill the position of ICT officer, based in Nairobi, Kenya. A competitive salary and benefit package will be provided. The salary will be dependent on the experience, educational background and salary history of the successful candidate. Deadline for application is 24 September 2010. Applications received after this date will not be considered. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Fahamu has a vision of the world where people organise to emancipate themselves from all forms of oppression, recognise their social responsibilities, respect each other’s differences, and realise their full potential. Fahamu is looking for a qualified and passionate ICT Officer.

Job Description

The ICT officer will report to the Programme manager and be responsible for:

1. Providing ICT technical support for Fahamu offices.

2. Provide design support for Fahamu’s programs.

3. Create, update and manage the Fahamu website and associated program sites, including but not limited to the AU Monitor and the Emerging Powers in Africa sites, including, where appropriate, the migration of these sites to appropriate content management systems.

4. Create, update and manage partner and associated websites where support is required.

5. Provide advice and support to Fahamu’s program staff and partners to implement new media strategies in human rights and social justice protection and advocacy including where appropriate, through trainings and workshops and development of curricula.

6. Assist in the setting up and maintenance of the Pambazuka platform

7. Assist in the implementation of ICTs for learning including support for Fahamu’s distance learning courses and other online training platforms.

8. Assist in the development and update of Fahamu and partners’ online presence on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking platforms

9. Provide advice on Fahamu’s database management system.

10. Maintain Fahamu and partners’ listserves and online newsletters.

PERSON SPECIFICATIONS

Essential

• Competence with the following software: Macromedia technologies: Authorware, Flash, ActionScript, LINGO, Adobe Photoshop/PaintShop Pro, and Illustrator, HTML/Scripting languages
• Familiarity with video/sound editing: Adobe Premier, QuickTime Pro, Sound Edit 16/Cool Edit Pro
• Experience of Web development and issues of bandwidth and compatibility
• At least two years experience of developing CDROM and/or web base learning materials
• Experience with Win 98/2000/NT and Mac OS, and general computer hardware
• Competence in developing in Drupal, PHP5, XML and web 2.0 technologies.
• Comfortable with both PC and Mac platforms
• A degree in ICT from a recognized University or equivalent work experience
• Good understanding of design and layout
• Self-motivated/self-starter
• Experience in database management
• A keen interest and experience in innovating new and exciting ways of using ICT for social justice

Desirable

• Qualification in multimedia technologies
• Ability to nurture young activists in using ICTs for social justice
• Ability to provide ICT support to staff and partners with limited ICT knowledge and experience
• Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
• Commitment to the mission and values of the Fahamu
• Background in publishing

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

A competitive salary and benefit package will be provided. The salary will be dependent on experience, educational background and salary history of the successful candidate.

If interested submit your application letter and curriculum vitae by email to [email][email protected] Please include “ICT Officer application” in the subject line.

Deadline for application is 24th September 2010. Applications received after this date will not be considered. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Fahamu is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) condemns the brutal murder of journalist Abdullahi Omar Gedi of Radio Daljir, who was stabbed to death in Galkayo District of Mudug region around 8pm of Tuesday 31 August 2010.

The Conference of the Democratic Left (CoDL) condemns government and ANC (African National Congress) attempts to curb media freedom in South Africa, made manifest in the Protection of Information Bill and the proposal to establish a statutory Media Appeals Tribunal. We also note that these measures come in the wake of attempts to increase government control of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), through the Icasa Amendment Bill and the Public Services Broadcasting Bill. Taken together, if this battery of legal reform is passed, the sum effect will ensure greater ANC influence and control of the media in general. Freedom of expression as a basic human right will be narrowed to ANC propaganda.

Farmers and civil society organisations around the world are outraged by the recent discovery of further connections between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and agribusiness titan Monsanto, writes AGRA Watch. Given Monsanto’s history of disregard for the interests and well-being of small farmers around the world, the foundation’s connections to the company 'cast serious doubt' on its funding of agricultural development in Africa, as well as representing 'an enormous conflict of interests'.

With South African Sunday Times reporter Mzilikazi wa Afrika arrested on Wednesday 4 August following complaints from Mpumalanga province premier David Mabuza, Jane Duncan writes about the alarming questions developing around freedom of expression in the country. But wa Afrika’s experience, Duncan stresses, will be far from alien to many local activists, who will be all too familiar with small-town repression, even if such stories prove to be routinely ignored by the mainstream media.

Offering a bold example for the possibilities for press freedom, the Liberian government has passed a freedom of information law, report the Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP) and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA). The House of Representatives of Liberia unanimously voted to pass the Liberia Freedom of Information Law on 22 July, thereby making information accessible to all Liberians. The law has been forwarded to the Senate and is expected to be signed into law by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf by the end of August.

A Ugandan journalist has been accused of sedition after writing two articles that speculated whether the Ugandan government was involved in July bomb attacks in Kampala, report the Human Rights Network of Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The sedition law is routinely used against dissident journalists. More than a dozen Ugandan journalists are currently being prosecuted under the law.

Google Uganda has launched two local language operations enabling about five million people access services in native languages. The launch of the Runyakitara and Luo languages at Makerere University in Kampala brings to five the number of local languages available on the Google Uganda domain.