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Mass call for continental level treaty to protect academic freedom, freedom of expression and media freedom
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
October 2004

http://www.misa.org/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1097598199

The African Union Conference of intellectuals from Africa and the Diaspora has made recommendations to the African Union and member states to repeal all laws and practices that undermine academic freedom, freedom of expression and media freedom in all African countries.

The conference, which was held in Dakar from the 6th to 9th of October, also urged states to realise that these freedoms are prerequisites for the contribution of intellectuals and all citizens to the development of the continent and must be protected through a continental level treaty.

In addition to the conference recommendations, 48 media freedom, freedom of expression, rights organisations and leading intellectuals have called on:

AU member states to revoke these anti-academic freedom, anti-free expression and anti-media laws "within a given time frame".

They also urged "all concerned persons, organisations and institutions (media, academic, rights based, intergovernmental etc) to support and join the campaign for the establishment of a continental level treaty to protect academic freedom, freedom of expression and media freedom in Africa"

The signatories include Noble laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, two of Africa’s leading legal minds and Professors of government and law respectively Mahmood Mandani and Bereket H SELASSIE, Adigun Ade Abiodun Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, Grace Bansa of Encyclopaedia Africana, Professor Atukwei Okai Secretary General of Pan African Writers Association, Thandika Mkandawire Director UN Research Institute for Social Development, Dialo Bagayoko Professor of Physics at the Timbuktu Academy, Mamadou Diouf Professor of AfroAmerican and African Studies, Tukufu Zuberi Professor of Sociology, Dr Obadiah Mailafiah Economist with the African Development Bank and African Development Fund and Adebayo Olukoshi of CODESRIA (Council for Development of Social Science Research in Africa).

Other signatories include distinguished scholars and experts from the sciences, arts and social sciences from universities and institutions in Africa and the Diaspora; and representatives of rights organisations, Rotimi Sankore Coordinator of CREDO for Freedom of Expression & Associated Rights, Gabriel Baglo Director of the Africa office of the International Federation of Journalists, Chidi Odinkalu Africa Legal Adviser for the Justice Initiative, Luckson Chipare Director Media Institute of Southern Africa, Dr Firoze Manji Director of Fahamu and Aime Joof-Cole, of FAMEDEV, Inter-African Network For Women, Media, Gender and Development. [Statement and full list of signatories attached]

Speaking in support of a treaty to protect the said rights professor Soyinka reiterated, "A nation develops through the liberal flow of ideas. Freedom of expression guarantees that flow and thus, the fullest development of the nation"

The signatories commended the "African Union and in particular the Commission of the African Union and its Chairperson for organising the CIAD and call on all relevant institutions and governments to provide adequate resources for the AU and its Commission to continue its good work of accelerating the development of the African continent."

The gala and opening of the Conference was attended by the Heads of State of Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade (host of the conference), Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria (Current Chairperson of the Africa Union), Yuweri Museveni of Uganda, Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Vice president of Gambia Mrs Isatou Njie Saidy and Chair of the Commission of the African Union and former President of Mali Professor Alpha Konare. Libyan President Moumar Khadafi addressed the conference via a live video link.

Nobel laureates Nelson Mandela, Wole Soyinka and Frederick De Klerk also made contributions to the conference supporting the declaration for a decade of peace.

Profiles and contact details
**The Centre for Research Education & Development Of - [CREDO] - Freedom of Expression & Associated Rights is a rights organisation focusing on work in Africa. CREDO believes that freedom of expression and other strongly associated rights are major platforms on which all civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights stand. CREDO's work focuses on themes in Africa related to: freedom of expression, media freedom, rights/access to information and information resources; freedom of opinion, association, assembly, political participation and related rights; and anti-discrimination issues, e.g. discrimination based on gender, race and ethnicity.

**The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the worlds largest organisation of journalists and represents 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries. The IFJ promotes international action to defend press freedom and social justice through strong, free and independent trade unions of journalists. In Africa, the IFJ works with its numerous affiliates and through its Media For Democracy in Africa Programme. It opposes discrimination of all kinds and condemns the use of media as propaganda or to promote intolerance and conflict; believes in freedom of political and cultural expression and defends trade union and other basic human rights; and works to improve conditions for independence of journalists and high standards of journalism in the African media.

**The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) is a dynamic, member-driven network of national chapters coordinated by a professional regional secretariat which seeks - through monitoring, training, capacity building, research and the distribution of information - to foster free independent and diverse media throughout southern Africa in the service of democracy and development, as stated in the Windhoek Declaration and the African Charter on Broadcasting.

**Fahamu is committed to supporting progressive social change in the South through using information and communication technologies. Fahamu believes that civil society organisations have a critical role to play in defending human rights, and that information and communication technologies can and should be harnessed for that cause. We are committed to enabling civil society organisations to use the Internet in the interests of promoting social justice.

More information:
For further information contact CREDO International Office,
73-75 Newington Causeway,
London SE1 6BD, UK,
Tel: +44 20 77875501,
Fax:+ 44 20 77875502,
E-mail: media@credonet.org, info@credonet.org; or

The IFJ, International Federation of Journalists - Africa Office 17,
Boulevard de la RépubliqueBP 21 722 Dakar – Senegal
Tel : 221- 842 01 42,
Fax : 221 842 012 69 ,
Email : fijafrica@sentoo.sn, ifjafrique@sentoo.sn,
Web-Site: www.ifjafrique.org ,

IFJ international IPC-Residence Palace,
Rue de la Loi 155, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium,
Tel: +32 2 235 22 00,
Fax: +32 2 235 22 19,
E-mail: ifj@ifj.org; or

MISA regional office in Namibia,
21 Johann Albrecht Street,
Private Bag 13386,
Windhoek,
Namibia,
Tel. +264 61 232 975,
Fax: +264 61 248 016,
E-mail: director@misa.org, research@misa.org;

FAHAMU, 14 Standingford House, Cave Street,
Oxford OX4 1BA,
UK,
Tel +44 (0)845 456 2442,
Fax +44 (0)845 456 2443,
E-mail: info@fahamu.org

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