'Africa's Voices' project seminar

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• Dr Sharath Srinivasan (CGHR) and Dr Claudia Abreu Lopes (CGHR)
• Wednesday 16 October 2013, 13:00-14:00
• Room S1, Alison Richard Building, Sidgwick Site, 7 West Rd, CB3 9DT.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Gabriela Martinez.

Abstract:

Two decades ago, state broadcasters and foreign news services monopolised African airwaves. Today, many countries count scores of local radio stations – commercial, community, religious – often in rural settings and broadcasting in local languages. Moreover, mobile phones are enabling a multitude of African voices to be heard on interactive shows. Such interactions are reshaping relationships and identities – audience and journalist, constituent and representative, citizen and state, media and government – as well as reshaping processes that enact contestations over political accountability and legitimacy. The development of new, more inclusive and expansive, public spheres for debate and discussion presents an important juncture in African political development.

Africa’s Voices is an applied research project at Cambridge’s Centre of Governance and Human Rights (CGHR), and part of a wider research programme on ‘African politics and the digitally-mediated public sphere’. During its pilot year, Africa’s Voices worked with 9 radio stations in eight African countries, gathering and analysing SMS texts on interactive shows on agreed topics. Drawing on pilot insights, we are exploring ways to innovate technologically and methodologically to reconceptualise and analyse ‘public opinion’ in ways that value voices in their natural forms of expression. With industry collaborations (IBM Research Lab Africa, FrontlineSMS, Internews), we are developing an innovative new social research platform that can be used by practitioners, policymakers and researchers.

Seminar programme:

Beyond ‘Big Data’: Valuing New Voices in African Public Spheres Dr Sharath Srinivasan (CGHR)

The ‘Africa’s Voices’ Project: Fostering Public Debate and Public Opinion Gathering in Africa Dr Claudia Abreu Lopes (CGHR)

A Short Film: ‘Africa’s Voices’ by Dr Dominique Chadwick

Please join us for coffee, tea and further discussion after the session.

This talk is part of the Centre of Governance and Human Rights Events series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Africa Research Forum
• All POLIS Department Seminars and Events
• Cambridge talks
• Centre of African Studies Lent Seminar Series
• Centre of African Studies Michaelmas Seminars
• Centre of African Studies Occasional Talks
• Centre of Governance and Human Rights Events
• Economics and Philosophy
• Gem's List
• Room S1, Alison Richard Building, Sidgwick Site, 7 West Rd, CB3 9DT
• The Audrey Richards Annual Lecture in African Studies
• The Smuts Memorial Fund Lecture
• Trust & Technology Initiative - interesting events
• hc446
• jer64's list
• mas270

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