Topics of the final edition address African empowerment of the migration narrative in academic teaching, moving beyond stereotypes, exploring digital narratives, digital storytelling and social change, recommendations and the way forward.
The Uganda Christian University (UCU) in Mukono is hosting a conference for the final phase of the Communicating Migration and Mobility, E-learning Programmes and Newsroom Applications for Sub-Saharan Africa (COMMPASS) project. The project aims to support digital transformation in African higher education by developing an e-learning curriculum on media migration.
The conference brings together experts from six African countries, two European universities, and other partners to discuss African empowerment of migration narratives, digital storytelling, and social change.
The Mukono conference is a follow up of two earlier ones in Kampala in 2023 on the relation between media and migration, and another one in Blantyre, Malawi focusing on innovation and more co-operative forms of engagement between learners and educators.
Six universities from three African countries (Burkina Faso, Malawi and Uganda) are participating in the project together with two European universities (from Germany and Portugal), alongside eight other universities from other African countries including Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya and Nigeria as associated partners.
The project funded by the European Union (EU) and code-named Communicating Migration and Mobility, E-Learning Programmes and Newsroom Applications for Sub-Saharan Africa (COMMPASS) focuses on migration and mobility as one of the key priorities of the AU’s overall strategy.
Topics of the final edition address African empowerment of the migration narrative in academic teaching, moving beyond stereotypes, exploring digital narratives, digital storytelling and social change, recommendations and the way forward.
Outstanding facilitators and panelists included COMMPASS Principal Investigator, Prof. Susanne Fengler, UCU’s Prof. James Kiwanuka Ttondo, COMMPASS Investigator Dr. Michel Leroy, project investigators including Makerere University’s Prof. William Tayebwa, UCU’s Dr. Monica Chibita, UCU Dep. VC in-charge of Academic Affairs Prof. John Kityayimbwa Mulindwa, UCU’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaropn Mushengyezi, Prof. Ralph A. Akinfeleye of Lagos University who made the keynote address, and other dignitaries from the World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) and other universities worldwide.
Prof. Akinfeleye noted that reporting migration is not as glamorous as reporting politics, corruption saga, fraud, sex scandals and other such issues, adding that there is need to go beyond the journalistic inverted pyramid in reporting migration in Africa.
“Many of our clients would feel more touched listening, reading or viewing stories on the above topics than migration, hence the need to make migration more attractive to them; It is the US President Trump’s action that has created new awareness and interest in reporting migration worldwide”, Akinfeleye said.
He also noted that reporting migration may turn into a high-risk adventure to the reporter if not properly handled by the reporter. He cited high interest issues that are attached to migration reporting including, among others, visa issuance, visa overstay, money laundering and other crimes, greener pastures, national security issues, international fraud, refugee problems and a host of others.
UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi was concerned over limitations imposed on journalists which he noted has left out many otherwise relevant issues unexposed to leaders, and in the process denying the leaders a beginning point for addressing shortfalls.
Denying journalists the freedom to freely report, he said, blocks room for creation of avenues for making adjustments to end undue problems and make improvements adequately.
Giving a nutshell outline of the COMPASS project, the Principal Investigator Prof. Susanne Fengler said she was impressed by the collective efforts of all project players which she added is making it a big success story all these years.
She was happy to note that all African countries involved have relentlessly given a head- on approach to the issue of communicating migration and mobility in their countries, especially handling it from the digitalized reporting attitude.
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Alicia Van Den Boom, the head of development cooperation at the Germany Embassy noted that in Uganda, being home to close to two million refugees, the importance of migration reporting using new social media technologies cannot be underestimated.
Alicia gave a special welcome to the Burkina Faso team who she said are going to acquaint themselves with fellow players in migration reporting.
The Dean of the School of Journalism at UCU, Prof. Monica Chibita decried the unconducive working conditions journalists reporting on migration suffer, noting that many are freelancers who are poorly paid and cannot afford equipment and data in addition to electronic gadgets which she said complicates their work.
Chibita noted that because of logistical handicaps, such journalists cannot work within their reach, and urged media house managers to give priority to this area, noting however that many media houses are looking at how commercially viable issues are to their companies.
