[hr-media] Highway Africa New Media Conference (Grahamstown, 8-10 September 2003)

Essential conference opens highway to new media development

The Highway Africa conference is a major continental event centered on new 
media issues for journalists. The 2003 conference theme being 
"Mainstreaming Media in the Information Society" aims to bring African 
media into the centre of debates about the Global Information Society.  The 
seventh year of this annual meeting of the African journalism community is 
organised by the Rhodes University Department of Journalism and Media 
Studies in Grahamstown, South Africa and co-hosted by the SABC.  The 
conference will be held in the historic town of Grahamstown, South Africa 
from the 8 to 10 September 2003.

The conference has developed a reputation as a serious forum, which engages 
with all the journalistic, technological and political issues crucial to 
the development of new media in Africa. It is aimed at the continent's 
professional journalists, academics, government officials, media and ICT 
policy makers and business people from around the world with a special 
interest in Africa. Highway Africa's programme includes a unique mix of 
plenary and keynote presentations, panel discussions and hands-on workshops 
where delegates acquire practical skills and expertise.  The event is 
simultaneously an arena for academic discussion and research, a venue for 
presenting corporate and government strategy, a forum for networking and an 
occasion for skills transfer.

The Awards for the Innovative use of New Media in Africa are presented at 
the conference and aim to recognise the creative, innovative and 
appropriate use of new media technology in Africa. Judges are looking for 
innovative applications of new media in African journalism. Awards are 
given in three categories: individual/student, non-profit and corporate. 
Ultimately the awards strive to highlight innovations that result in 
African media benefiting from new ideas and developments in communications 
technology.

For more information on the conference, registration and award nominations 
please visit www.highwayafrica.org.za or email <highwayafrica@ru.ac.za>.

Camilla Perks
Marketing and Events Officer
Journalism and Media Studies Department
Rhodes University
P.O. Box 94
Grahamstown 6140
South Africa
Direct Line: (046) 622-8456 Fax: (046) 622-8447