For the sixth times I was again lucky to be amongst the more that 500 journalists from over 40 countries who converged in Grahamstown for the annual Highway Africa conference.
This year the world’s largest gathering of African journalist was temporarily moved from its traditional September calendar to coincide with the FIFA World Cup event in South Africa.
From 4th to 7th July delegates met to discuss "African Voices in the Global Media Space". Speakers included the retired Ghanaian President John Kufuor Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
The conference was an opportunity to explore how the internet and mobile technology are transforming Africa’s media and society. Coming from one of Africa’s smallest state, I had the opportunity to discuss with my counterparts, how Africa’s media is framing the continent’s role in the global development agenda.
Other topics of particular interest to me were Seychelles relationship and partnership with China like the rest of the continent, how the business of the media is changing in light of the rapid uptake of internet and mobile technology and the propagation of underground radio on the continent.
Being based on a small island state, one thousand miles from anywhere, it is imperative that I make this pilgrimage on an annual basis. This is where the African media trends, developments and more challenging issues facing the African media in the realm of globalization are addressed.
As the new millennium ages on, African journalists need more exposure to these media trends and challenges, not only to get in touch with the vast global phenomenon, but to change the dynamics of telling the African story
