On July 31, 2024, the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR)  hosted a pivotal webinar titled “Peace and Democracy in Africa: Media Perspectives.” Moderated by Mwanja Ng’anjo, Head of Communications at IJR, the webinar convened a panel of media professionals to explore the crucial role of media in fostering peace and democracy across Africa.

The event highlighted the media’s powerful influence in shaping public opinion, informing citizens, and holding power accountable, especially in regions grappling with political instability and conflict. Ng’anjo opened the session by emphasising the complexities of Africa’s diverse media landscape, touching on challenges like press freedom, media ownership, and misinformation.

Kate Lefko-Everett, Senior Project Leader for the South African Reconciliation Barometer at IJR, underscored media freedom as vital for peace and democracy. She presented survey results on media trust and the role of civil society in South Africa.

The panel featured:

• Adam Alqali, Editor of African Newspage, who spoke on conflict-sensitive reporting in Nigeria, particularly in regions affected by Boko Haram.
• Baboloki Semele, Media Professional from Botswana, who discussed the portrayal of women and youths in media.
• Charles Mangwiro, Senior Editor at Radio Mozambique, who highlighted media freedom issues in covering Cabo Delgado and upcoming elections.
• Nande Mbekela, Communications Intern at IJR, who analyzed media coverage of South Africa’s 2024 elections, noting the lack of diversity in perspectives.

In her presentations Everett highlighted the important role of the media as a backdrop of democracy, “robust, free and independent media plays a critical role in informing the public and its watchdog role contributes to monitoring, accountability and oversight of government.”

Adam Alqali, spoke about conflict sensitive reporting for media which should help support peacebuilding. Alqali emphasised the need for journalists to move away from conventional journalism whereby they focus on reporting violent events but he says they must play a key role in fostering peace in communities.

“As journalists we need to adopt advocacy strategies of civil society in the course of our work and that is the only way we can contribute to peace and sustainable development of the continent,” said Alqali.

His presentation was followed by Baboloki Semele who focused on media coverage and portrayal of women and youths in Botswana in forging peace and democracy.  Semele said,” In order for us to have peace, progress and security we must include women, young people and marginalised communities.”

Charles Mangwiro shared his views on media freedom in covering Cabo Delgado and the upcoming elections in Mozambique. Mangwiro spoke about how journalists face threats from the government and are accused of working with terrorists, “…Most of the threats come from government officials, and accusations that journalist have entered into agreements with terrorists This creates a narrative that the information by journalists is of doubtful origin…”

To close off the panellists discussions was Nande Mbekela who discussed the media coverage of the 2024 elections in South Africa. She was of the view that despite efforts from the South African media to provide fair and balanced coverage some media houses lacked genuine diversity in perspective.

“The narrative during the elections frequently revolved around political interests and party politics rather than the broader social economic realities faced by ordinary South Africans,” said Mbekela.

The discussions underscored the need for responsible journalism and the media’s potential to drive positive change. The webinar concluded with a call for a more collective effort to uphold democratic values and media integrity in Africa, setting the stage for continued dialogue on leveraging media for peace and democracy across the continent.

To watch the full recording of the webinar, click HERE.