Dear Wilna-
Thank you for your hard work for OM! I will not be able to join this year, I
am very sorry to say!
Just wanted to let you know I held up ourmedia conference organizing as an
example of 'what can be done' in a message to IAMCR, an academic
organization I'm involved with (and who are doing a particularily poor job
this year at organizing their own conference)!
http://iamcr.org/pipermail/announcements_iamcr.org/2008-April/000803.html
I hope you can give us an update soon on this list about the organizing
progress. As I will not be able to join this year, this list is especially
important for me! Looking forward to it.
Best,
G
On 2/18/08 6:09 PM, "Wilna Quarmyne" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Greetings, All, once more from the OM7 Ghana Co-ordinating Committee.
>
> The OM7 e-mail address - [log in to unmask] - received a quick
> response to our last e-mail, indicating that it would be useful to re-send the
> CfP, which includes the proposal form.
>
> Here it is - both as an attachment and a paste-on.
>
> We shall send the Spanish, French and Portuguese versions in separate
> transmissions.
>
> PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY.
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> OURMedia 7: Identity, Inclusion, Innovation 〝
> Alternative Communication in a Globalized World
> 11-15 August 2008, Accra, Ghana
>
> CALL FOR PROPOSALS
>
>
> OURMedia 7: Identity, Inclusion, Innovation 〝
> Alternative Communication in a Globalized World
> will be held in Accra, the capital of Ghana, from 11-15 August 2008.
>
>
>
> What OURMedia is about
>
> Founded in 2001, OURMedia/NUESTROSMedios is a global network with the goal of
> facilitating a long-term dialogue between academics, activists, practitioners
> and policy experts around citizens' media initiatives. [www. ourmedia’..]
>
> OURMedia is about building an alternative world, rooted in local knowledge,
> anchored in strong identities but also connected to global networks, open to
> ＆otherness＊, diversity and inclusion.
>
> Alternative communication for an alternative world
>
> OURMedia 7 is built on the assumption that alternative communication 〝 a
> diversity of actors, voices, themes and discourses - needs to flourish and
> take hold to create alternative worlds. It sees equity, community and
> cultural identity as the hallmarks of an alternative world.
>
> Our Media 7 - In Africa, and in the world
>
> OURMedia is coming to Africa for the first time through OM7. The previous six
> conferences (OM1-OM6) were held in Washington, D.C., USA; Barcelona, Spain;
> Barranquilla, Colombia; Porto Alegre, Brazil; Bangalore, India; and Sydney,
> Australia.
>
> Like the other conferences, OM7 will be shaped by the living experience of its
> host country and region. For Ghana and much of Africa, that experience has
> tended to be portrayed by the world media in terms of deprivation and
> destruction, or as curiosities. Yet, this vast, diverse and vibrant continent
> nourishes many of the values, traditions and practices that can enrich
> communication in an alternative world.
>
> Like previous OURMedia conferences, OM7 is an opportunity to dialogue and
> strengthen initiatives around common causes with the rest of the world. In
> the case of OM7, the conference is also an invitation to better understand the
> complex and dynamic reality of Africa that informs and potentially deepens
> such dialogue and initiatives.
>
>
> AKWAABA (Welcome), OURMedia,
> to Ghana and through Ghana, to Africa and the world!!!
>
>
>
>
> The 3 Sub-themes of OURMedia 7
>
> OM7 has selected three sub-themes 〝 Identity, Inclusion and Innovation - that
> are key dimensions of alternative communication in, for and towards an
> alternative world. These may be regarded as different faces of marginalization
> in a world where expression is becoming increasingly uniform, majorities are
> being excluded (and even exploited), and certain kinds of knowledge and
> experience are presented as having more value than others. At the same time,
> the assertion of identity, inclusion and innovation are the very sources of
> strength to overcome homogenization, exclusion and relegation.
>
> Identity If identity is rooted in culture, the confluence of shared
> understanding, practice and communication, how can and does cultural diversity
> 〝 and a multiplicity of media - contribute to an alternative world? This
> sub-theme speaks to the multiplicity of world-views - imaginaries - waiting to
> be spoken out loud. In Africa in particular, but also worldwide, the
> knowledge and experience embedded in oral tradition and held by indigenous
> peoples remain powerful yet relatively unexplored and underutilized in global
> and national mainstream media. Whether in the global North or South,
> displacements of various kinds have left many grappling with, and grasping
> for, their sense of themselves and their values.
>
> Inclusion How can and does communication contribute to the development of an
> alternative world that is inclusive, provides "platforms of equality" and
> connects and bridges different cultural and communication societies. In
> today's world, exclusion rather than inclusion is often the dominant
> experience. There are many faces to exclusion. Some of the most familiar are
> given generic names - poverty, gender, youth, indigenous people, minorities.
> Whatever the form it may take or the level at which it occurs, exclusion
> always reflects an imbalance in relationships. The imbalance is often
> maintained with force, whether overt (ranging from legislation to physical
> violence or armed conflict) or less immediately palpable (including, for
> example, traditional attitudes and beliefs). Not incidentally, fundamental to
> exclusion are the strictures on the Right to Communicate itself 〝 ranging from
> forms of expression to the content of discourse to access to the organization
> of technological media. Thus, people creating their own media is core to
> inclusion. Often, the process requires the development of vibrant,
> rights-aware communities and people-centred policies and regulation.
>
> Innovation How can and does communication enable innovation and the renewal of
> the diversity of human experience that is vital to an alternative world?
> Innovation happens everyday everywhere, as people try to make sense of and
> relate to their world. Whether identified with day-to-day or modern
> technology, the creative impulse is key in transforming the processes and
> institutions needed to create an alternative world. Transformation can only
> happen if communication itself - those who speak or otherwise express, those
> who process and the ways and platforms in which this happens - is transformed.
> For example, where do the new communication technologies and practices lie:
> will they simply be about new-ness or will they be innovative in a social
> sense, both promoting and embodying genuine transformation?
>
>
> Exploring alternative dimensions and challenging dominant patterns
>
> Against the backdrop of the three sub-themes of Identity, Inclusion and
> Innovation, OM7 will seek to articulate dimensions of alternative
> communication that privilege diversity and equity, while challenging and
> critiquing dominant communication patterns based on hegemonies and
> hierarchies. Below are some dimensions of alternative communication and
> dominant patterns of communication. Of particular interest to OM7 are the
> relationships 〝 or more precisely, the imbalances in the relationships 〝
> between them. OM7 also recognizes that the seeds of one are often in the
> other. For example, communication may be alternative in form but hegemonic in
> content. On the other hand, apparently oppressive systems of communication
> may be subverted by creative interventions.
>
> Dimensions of alternative communication ^ oral, aural, pictorial, visual
> and other symbolic communication (e.g. the language of symbols) 〝 traditional
> and contemporary ^ diversity of languages and other forms of expression
> ^ experience-based knowledge-generation and technologies ^
> marginalized voices, people-centred discourse and social relationships in
> negotiation ^ communal values, resources, systems and media of
> communication and interaction ^ ascendance of civil society and social
> networks and movements of communication and engagement Current dominant
> patterns of communication 身 primacy accorded to the written word and a
> few languages 身 corporate systems of production and transmission 身
> technology bias in development and application of new information and
> communication technologies 身 media-centric conventions, representation
> and ethics 身 commodification, appropriation and corporate ownership of
> communication and other key resources 身 dominant policy discourses and
> institutions that embed hierarchical communication
>
> 6 Emerging Focal Areas
>
> Based on the sub-themes, OM7 proposes to develop six focal areas:
> ^ oral and symbolic communication
> ^ diversity of expression
> ^ knowledge-generation-and-transmission
> ^ marginalized voices, groups and cultures
> ^ communal systems of communication
> ^ social communication networks.
>
> Globally critical challenges
>
> Given the urgency, pervasiveness and persistence of the challenges they pose,
> it is expected that OM7 will offer new perspectives and highlight effective
> experiences with respect to Communication in relation to Development,
> Education, Human Rights, and Peace-building and Conflict-resolution. Many of
> these perspectives and experiences are expected to be in the Focal Areas.
>
>
>
>
> Continuing the OURMedia thread
>
> Through its sub-themes, by exploring the relationship between the dimensions
> of alternative communication and dominant patterns of communication, and by
> sharpening its focal areas, OM7 will build on the wealth of experience shared
> and knowledge generated in previous OURMedia conferences. In particular, the
> Call for Proposals wishes to recall the topics addressed in OM6 under the
> following headings: Community Media Research; Participation and Social
> Change,
> Community Media and Policy; Media Activism, Civil Society and Social
> Movements;
> Local Culture and Media Diversity; New Technologies and Media Convergence;
> Community and Public Access Broadcasting; Indigenous Media; and Young People
> and Grass-Roots Communication. [For a full list of the topics, see the
> OURMedia website.]
>
> The design of OURMedia 7
>
> OM7 will have three main parts: the "Conference proper", a Community Radio
> Symposium, and a Festival.
>
> The Conference will include plenary sessions featuring a keynote speaker and a
> keynote performance on each of the sub-themes - Identity, Inclusion,
> Innovation - followed by thematic panels and parallel sessions across various
> media and issues.
>
> Coinciding with the 10th year on-air of Radio Ada, a pioneer Community Radio
> station in Ghana, OM7 will integrate a Community Radio Symposium that will
> reflect on, critique and celebrate the role of Community Radio worldwide in
> relation to identity, inclusion and innovation.
>
> The Festival will feature exhibitions that express the OURMedia 7 themes
> through various media and experiences. Open to the public, the Festival will
> be a means of connecting OURMedia 7 with the outside world and ensuring that
> it re-invigorates the theme and leaves an imprint among people outside of and
> beyond the Conference.
>
> The organizing committee
>
> The event in Ghana is being organized by the Ghana Coordinating Committee
> (GCC), a group that has gathered around OURMedia 7 and that brings together
> community radio practitioners, academicians, artists and civil society and
> media advocates. These include, among others, the Ghana Community Radio
> Network (GCRN), the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the School of
> Communication Studies and the Institute of African Studies at the University
> of Ghana, and Participatory Development Associates. This core group is being
> expanded with other partners from the African region and elsewhere and works
> with the OURMedia 7 International Working Group.
>
> The GCC see themselves as facilitators and are desirous that the very process
> of organizing OURMedia 7 should, in keeping with the theme, be as inclusive as
> possible.
>
>
>
>
>
> Invitation to submit proposals
>
> OM7 invites proposals that develop the exposition of its sub-themes and
> emerging focal areas.
>
> As the proposal form below shows, presentations may take different forms.
>
> Proposals from groups combining different disciplines, experiences and
> creative expressions are encouraged.
>
> The richness and diversity of the proposals will give final shape to the OM7
> programme.
>
> Language of submission
>
> It is regretted that proposals will need to be submitted in English, French,
> Portuguese or Spanish. Only translation between these four languages can be
> guaranteed at this stage. (English and Spanish are the initial working
> languages of OURMedia. French and Portuguese are, in addition to English, the
> two main working languages in sub-Saharan Africa.)
>
> However, the proposal form allows for the possibility that a presentation may
> be made in a language other than the four named. Presentations in indigenous
> languages are also encouraged, but proponents are kindly asked to prepare to
> provide their own translations.
>
> Deadline for submission
>
> The deadline for submission is 29 February 2008.
>
> How to submit your proposal
>
> Proposals may be submitted in one of two ways:
>
> ﹞ Online, or
>
> ﹞ By post to: The Secretariat, OURMedia7, P O Box KA9492, Accra, Ghana.
>
> In either case, the proposal should have been received by the deadline.
>
> OURMedia 7 CONFERENCE
> 11-15 August 2008, Accra, Ghana,
> Theme: Identity, Inclusion, Innovation 〝
> Alternative Communication in a Globalized World
>
> Name of individual/group/organization making proposal:
>
> What is the working title of your proposal?
>
> Which sub-theme/s will your presentation focus on? Please tick as
> appropriate. /____/ Identity /____/ Inclusion /____/
> Innovation
>
> What is the nature of your presentation? Please tick as appropriate. /____/
> Creative writing /____/ Performance /____/ Research paper
> /____/ Theoretical paper /____/ Symbolic media (e.g., indigenous symbols)
> /____/ Visual or other media presentation (video, film, cartoons, street art,
> electronic art, etc)
>
> Where do you see your proposal featuring at OM7? /____/ Conference
> /____/ Community Radio Symposium /____/ Festival
>
> What format would you prefer to use for your presentation? /____/ Individual
> paper or performance /____/ Panel or cohort /____/ Workshop
>
> In which spoken language do you propose to make or explain your presentation?
> /____/ English /____/ French /____/ Portuguese /____/ Spanish
> /____/ Other. Please name: _________________________________________ If
> Other, how will you provide for translation?
> ________________________________________________________________
>
> OURMedia 7, 11-15 Aug 2007, Accra, Ghana, 〝 Call for Proposals, p.2 Summary
> of proposal Please summarize your proposal in no more than 250 words. Some
> of the questions that you may wish to explore are offered below. With
> reference to the sub-themes, relationships, emerging focal areas, globally
> critical challenges and issues that are of particular interest to OM7: ﹞
> what issues have you been grappling with? ﹞ what is the context
> (including, as may be relevant, social, political and economic) in which you
> have been carrying out your work? ﹞ what alternative communication
> responses have you been developing or proposing? ﹞ what new questions have
> arisen in the course of your work which you would wish to be part of the
> ongoing dialogue around building an alternative world?
>
> Name of individual, group or organization making proposal
> If proposal is being made by a group, name of contact person
> Street address (physical location)
> Post office mailing address
> E-mail
> Telephone
> Cellphone
> Fax
> Nationality of person/s proposed to make presentation at OM7 [important for
> visa purposes]
>
> Please tell us something about yourself/group/organization (maximum 100
> words):
>
> Date of submission:
>
> IMPORTANT: Please complete the Note on Funding below.
>
>
>
>
> NOTE ON FUNDING OURMedia will secure some funding to help defray the expenses
> of participants who could not otherwise attend OM7. We encourage all
> participants to try to raise at least part of the funds, but if you will
> definitely not be able to attend OM7 unless OURMedia provides funding, please
> let us know. Apart from travel expenses, which will of course differ
> according to the point of origin, we estimate that participation at OM7 will
> cost: ﹞ A minimum of USD 300 for registration (including lunch and morning
> and afternoon refreshments) ﹞ Lodging, breakfast and dinner at an average of
> USD 150 per day. I can raise my own funding to cover my entire participation
> in OM7. /____/ Yes /____/ No If you ticked "No",
> please continue. I can raise my: Registration cost /____/ Yes
> /____/ No Airfare or other transportation cost /____/ Yes
> /____/ No Lodging, breakfast and dinner cost /____/ Yes
> /____/ No
>
>
>
>
>
>
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