Africa Brief from IFEX

Check out the December 2021 episode of Africa Brief, our monthly audio discussion between IFEX's Reyhana Masters and Nazarene Njeru about the key issues impacting Africa's free expression landscape.

In this episode, recorded on Thursday 9 December, Reyhana and Nazarene end the year on a high note, discussing positive developments on press freedom, LGBTQI+ rights, and the media environment in Lesotho.

Check out the November 2021 episode of Africa Brief, our monthly audio discussion between IFEX's Reyhana Masters and Nazarene Njeru about the key issues impacting Africa's free expression landscape.

In this episode, recorded on Thursday 11 November, Reyhana and Nazarene look back at how the International Day to End Impunity was marked on the continent, and take a deeper dive into the state of impunity in the region.

28 September is the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), and this year’s theme focuses on the importance of ATI laws for building strong institutions. We invited two leading experts from the IFEX network — Gilbert Sendugwa (Africa Freedom of Information Centre) and Lamin Jahateh (Gambia Press Union) — to join us for a special edition of our Africa Brief podcast, to discuss why ATI laws, and the Right to Information more broadly, are a critical underpinning for human rights worldwide.

Whether it’s on the global, regional, or national stage, IFEX members in Africa are world leaders both in pushing for strong ATI laws and in promoting the Right to Information more broadly. Indeed, today is only the 2nd IDUAI since it was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2019. This proclamation didn’t happen by accident. It was the culmination of years of advocacy, led by IFEX members in Africa and their partners.

Check out the September 2021 episode of Africa Brief, our monthly audio discussion about some of the key issues impacting Africa’s free expression landscape.

In this episode, IFEX’s Regional Editor Reyhana Masters is joined by MISA Zambia Programmes Manager Jane Chirwa to discuss the recent Zambian Elections and their implications for Freedom of Expression in both Zambia and the wider region.

There were some connectivity issues that affected audio quality, so we’re sharing a lightly edited transcript of some of the key points here: https://ifex.org/multimedia/ifex-africa-brief-september-2021-zambia-election-special/

Check out the August 2021 episode of Africa Brief, our monthly audio discussion between IFEX's Reyhana Masters and Nazarene Njeru about some of the key issues impacting Africa's free expression landscape.

In this episode, recorded on Thursday 12 August, Reyhana and Nazarene discuss the deeply concerning findings of the recent Women in News report on sexual harassment in African media organisations. They also report on progress in Nigeria's fight against impunity, and discuss Zambia's election, which was taking place as we recorded.

Check out our Africa Brief Special Edition covering the recent unrest in eSwatini, Africa's last absolute monarchy.

IFEX's Nazarene Njeru & Reyhana Masters interview special guest Dewa Mavhinga, Southern Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, about the worrying situation in eSwatini, the background to the recent protests, and what we can expect looking forward.

Check out the June 2021 episode of Africa Brief, our monthly audio discussion between IFEX's Reyhana Masters and Nazarene Njeru about some of the key issues impacting Africa's free expression landscape.

In this episode, recorded on Thursday 10 June, Reyhana and Nazarene discuss the ongoing challenges facing journalists and media workers on the continent. They also report on some very troubling news in regards to institutionalized homophobic violence, as the continent marked the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, as well as the latest developments on Nigeria's Twitter ban.

Check out our Africa Brief Special Edition in celebration of World Press Freedom Day 2021!

30 years after the signing of the landmark Windhoek Declaration, IFEX's Reyhana Masters & David Christopher interview special guests Tabani Moyo (MISA Zimbabwe) & Zoe Titus (Namibia Media Trust) on the past, present, and future challenges facing press freedom, and freedom of expression more broadly, in #Africa.

Check out the April 2021 episode of Africa Brief, our monthly audio discussion with IFEX Regional Editor Reyhana Masters about some of the key issues impacting Africa's free expression landscape.

In this episode, recorded on Wednesday 14 April, we discuss how International Women's Day was marked across the continent. We also take a look at the prospects for press freedom, and freedom of expression more broadly, in Tanzania under new president Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Check out the March 2021 episode of Africa Brief, our monthly audio discussion with IFEX Regional Editor Reyhana Masters about some of the key issues impacting Africa's free expression landscape.

In this episode, recorded on Wednesday 10 March, we discuss the state of LGBTQI+ rights in the region, as Angola decriminalizes homosexual relations. We also highlight deeply concerning reports from Ethiopia's Tigray region, and touch on how African artists and creators are gaining global recognition.