African Women in Media, AWiM and Fojo Media Institute had on Wednesday held a virtual press briefing on the upcoming Seventh Annual Conference.
The AWIM Conference 2023 will be held in Kigali, Rwanda from November 30th – December 1st 2023 as a hybrid conference. The theme is Media and Gender Violence, African Women in Media 2023.
In her opening remarks, AWiM CEO, Yemisi Akinbobola, says “The AWiM23 conference is a key event that brings together voices, ideas, and expertise from across Africa and beyond to address one of the most pressing issues of our time: The intersecting relationship of Media and Gender Violence.
“This conference marks a monumental occasion for gender equality in the media landscape, as it highlights our collective commitment to addressing gender violence and discrimination in and through the industry” stated Akinbobola.
She also highlighted that they are working closely with the Rwandan Convention Bureau to ensure that AWIM23 adheres to all standards for hosting an event in Rwanda. A commitment to excellence which reflects AWiM and FOJO’s dedication to the cause.
“We are also truly grateful for the support from all our partners: Fojo Media Institute, the Rwanda Media Programme, our official media partner, Rwanda Broadcasting Agency, MacArthur Foundation and the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, which has for the last couple of years supported our reporting violence against women and girls programme, Luminate Group, Wan-IFRA Women in News, Africa China Reporting Programme and our official airline partners RwandAir,” She opined.
Dr. Akinbobola also pointed out that the most exciting aspect of the conference is the African Women in Media Declaration on Media and Gender Violence, which will be co-designed with all the conference attendees and speakers.
“We are honoured to have Dr Sarah Macharia as the Declaration Committee Chairperson. Her expertise and dedication to gender issues in media make her the ideal leader for this important initiative.”
On her part, Anki Wood, Programme Manager at Fojo Media Institute stated that the conference is particularly important because gender-based violence is a huge societal problem and news media has an important role in covering the issue to shed light on the problem.
She also said, “AWiM-Fojo’s joint research in 2021 showed to what extent Gender Based Violence
(specifically sexual harassment) affects women media professionals’ work conditions and careers. Some women even leave the profession.
“The report Barriers to women journalists in Rwanda has had a tremendous impact and has led to stronger awareness and understanding with several media houses having developed gender and anti-sexual harassment policies. A national committee for anti-sexual harassment is being formed within the media sector, “she stated.
She concluded that Fojo and the Rwanda Media Programme are very proud to partner with AWiM to organise AWiM23.
African Women in the Media (AWiM) is a network for African women working in media industries globally with the aim to positively impact the way media functions in relation to women.
Fojo is an institute that operates nationally and globally to support the development of sustainable journalism.
Dominica Nwabufo
