Paper/Proposal Title

African Right to Identity as a Right to Development: A Media Right Agenda

Presenter/Author Information

Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj, University of LagosFollow
Gift Oluwatosin Olalusi, African Center for Media and Intercultural Dialogue, University of LagosFollow
Olawale Olaleye, ThisDay NewspapersFollow

Location

M2380

Start Date

November 2023

End Date

November 2023

Keywords

Identity, Media Agenda, Right, Development, Africa

Abstract

The Right to Development is still a highly contested concept in academic and political circles. However, it is evident that irrespective of the divide of the debate, all known declarations including the United Nations, the UN Millennium Declaration, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights among others are yet to have a lasting impact on the liberation and the overall development of Africa and African descent. Hence, in order to find solutions around the right to development from the African perspective, this paper aims to reconcile the divergent views on the right to development and propose a way forward beyond the present rhetoric. This paper employs content and discourse analysis with in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Major existing declarations will be content analyzed and discourse analysis of relevant literature carried out in order to find a common thread. The initial findings will be subjected to focus group discussions and in-depth interviews of scholars from the Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences, Civil development organizations, and Media practitioners. The paper intends to reflect a need for psychological and cultural regeneration of Africans in order to achieve self-discovery and equal participation in global affairs. This African rebirth would be based on African Media Right Agenda. The proposed agenda will specify Africans’ right to be portrayed as a dignified race (The United Nations Declaration of human rights Article 19, Race and Racial Prejudice Article 5, and Cultural Diversity and Human Rights Article 6). Furthermore, the paper envisaged African Media Right Agenda as a movement to bridge the knowledge gap about Africa and to counter ideological manipulation through the repositioning of African Universities Curricula. This paper is of the opinion that African rights to development can be pursued through a dedicated African Media International Network (AMIN) managed and financed by Africans.

Author/Speaker Biographical Statement(s)

Dr. Olunifesi Adekunle SURAJ is an Associate Professor at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Nigeria. He is a Fellow of Deutsche Welles Akademia (DW), a Fellow, of the Institute of Nigeria-China Development Studies, and a Senior Research Fellow, of the Humbolt Center for Digital Humanities, University of Lagos. Dr. Suraj is the Executive Director of the African Centre for Media and Intercultural Dialogue (ACMID) and one of the leading African scholars and thought leaders on Media and Information Literacy. He is a member of the UNESCO/UN Global Expert Group on addressing hate speech through Education and a UNESCO committee member on disinformation and fake news. Dr. Olunifesi is the UNESCO National Coordinator for Media and Information Literacy’s Curriculum Intervention in Nigerian Universities. He holds a Master's (M.Inf.Sc) and Doctorate (Ph.D.) Degrees in Information Science from the University of Ibadan and a Postgraduate (PGD) Degree in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos. His publications and areas of research interest center on Media and Information Literacy & Intercultural Dialogue, Digital Citizenship Education, social media & extreme narratives, Digital Economy & Knowledge Societies, Safety of Journalists & freedom of expression. He is the convener of “Countdown to Election” and “Democracy UnderWatch” in Nigeria. Gift Oluwatosin Olalusi is a volunteer staff member of the African Center for Media and Intercultural Dialogue (ACMID), where she works to help build a good public image for the organization as well as to facilitate international relations with interested organizations. Gift is a graduate of Mass Communication from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. She is presently a Graduate Assistant at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos where she works under Prof. Olunifesi Suraj on Media and Information Literacy Project. Gift is very passionate about health equity. She believes that everyone irrespective of age, race, gender, or occupation should be able to harness their full health potential. Her research interests include health communication, media psychology, media effects, and gender communication. Mr. Olawale Olaleye is the Deputy Editor at THISDAY Newspapers, one of Nigeria's foremost and leading newspapers with 25 years of active practice in Journalism. Mr. Wale is a graduate of Mass Communication from the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, former Ogun State Polytechnic, Ojere, Abeokuta. He holds a Master’s degree in Communication Studies from Lagos State University.