by Khaya Thonjeni
The 2008 Africa Media Leadership conference (AMLC) series, staged by Rhodes University’s Sol Plaatje Institute for Media Leadership (SPI) and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) in different African countries, has culminated in the publication of a book, Doing Digital Media in Africa: Prospects, Promises and Problems. Edited by Francis Mdlongwa, the director of the SPI, the book comprises contributions by the speakers who attended the 2008 Uganda conference.
“Some of the book’s writers were selected to make a special contribution because of their expertise in digital media,” says Mdlongwa.
The SPI and KAS launched the AMLC series in 2002 to give African media managers and editors-in-chief a platform where they could network and make decisions at the highest level on some of the more crucial management challenges of our time.
Mdlongwa says the issue of how African media companies are embracing new media channels to improve their audience reach and revenue is one of the most critical questions of this generation.
The series also gave these leaders a rare opportunity to forge new business links among their companies and, where possible, to create economies of scale, scope and geography for their media products.
By publishing some of the key topics of the 2008 conference, the SPI and KAS hope to spread the word to media professionals and educators in Africa and elsewhere on what is really happening in Africa.
The book is also an important record and tracking tool of Africa's fledgling steps in adopting and experimenting with digital media platforms.
The book is not for sale. SPI and KAS will shortly have an online edition that will be available on their websites. Other copies will be distributed to media leaders and educators worldwide.