Dear Clemencia and all,

While each proposal sounds very attractive, I just wanted to point out that conferences/meetings in the U.S. effectively exclude many potential participants, particularly Arabs and Muslims, due to visa issues.

Regards,
Kristin

Kristin Shamas
PhD candidate
Department of Communication
University of Oklahoma

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rodriguez, Clemencia" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2007 10:38 pm
Subject: OURMedia 7 - NuestrosMedios 7
To: [log in to unmask]


> Espannol abajo.
>
> English: At present we have three very attractive proposals for
> OURMedia 7. First, a proposal from Rafael Obregon to organize OM7 in
> Athens, Ohio in the United States. Second, Wilna Quarmyne's proposal
> to bring OM 7 to Ghana. And third, a proposal from Arne Hintz,
> Stefania Milan, and Kate Coyer to hold OM7 in Budapest, Hungary.
> (This order reflects simply the chronological order in which we
> received the proposals: Athens before OM 6, Ghana during OM 6, and
> Budapest right after OM6).
>
>
>
> Each of these proposals has very interesting features: Athens is the
> home of one of the only graduate programs with a focus on
> Communication and Development in the world; it is a small, very
> friendly community nested in the Appalachia Mountains, a place
> cherished by artists, social justice collectives, and counterculture
> communes. Budapest would bring OM to Central/Eastern Europe, a region
> with so much happening around democratic process, post-conflict
> reconstruction, and multicultural co-existence. Ghana would allow us
> to realize an old dream to bring OURMedia to Africa; also, it seems
> that already several local organizations have expressed interest in
> forming a local organizing committee.
>
>
>
> If anyone else has a proposal, please bring it forward here. Below is
> Arne Hintz original message about the Budapest option (in English only
> for now). Rafael Obregon will send a similar proposal by the end of
> this week. Wilna has already told us a little about the Ghana option.
> Let's all have a collective discussion about all the options that come
> to the table. The forum is open ...
>
>
>
> ***
>
>
>
> Español: En este momento tenemos tres propuestas muy atractivas para
> OURMedia/NuestrosMedios 7. Primero, una propuesta de Rafael Obregón
> para realizar OM 7 en Athens, Ohio, en Estados Unidos. Segundo, la
> propuesta de Wilna Quarmyne de llevar OM7 a Gana, en África. Y
> tercero, la propuesta de Arne Hintz, Stefania Milan y Kate Coyer para
> hacer OM7 en Budapest en Hungría. (Este orden refleja unicamente el
> orden cronologico en que llegaron las propuestas: Athens antes de OM6,
> Gana durante OM 6 y Budapest poco despues de OM6).
>
>
>
> Cada una de estas propuestas tiene aspectos muy atractivos: Athens es
> la sede de uno de los únicos programas de postgrado del mundo con
> especialización en Comunicación para el Desarrollo; es una comunidad
> pequeña y muy amigable, escondida en las montañas, un lugar de comunas
> de los años 60, artistas, y colectivos populares de lucha social (un
> Estados Unidos que poco se conoce). Budapest abriría la posibilidad de
> llevar a OURMedia a Europa Central/Este, una región donde tanto está
> ocurriendo en torno a procesos democráticos, reconstrucción de tejidos
> sociales después de tanto conflicto e intentos de co-existencia en la
> multiculturalidad. Gana nos daría la posibilidad de realizar un viejo
> sueño, de llevar OM a África; así mismo, parece existir ya bastante
> entusiasmo por parte de varias organizaciones locales para
> comprometerse a organizar OM 7.
>
>
>
> Si alguien más tiene una propuesta, este el momento de traerla a la
> mesa. Abajo está la propuesta inicial de Arne Hintz acerca de la
> opción de OM 7 en Budapest (por ahora solo en ingles; ya pronto el
> Grupo de Trabajo de OM 7 enviará la traducción). Rafael Obregón se
> comprometió a enviar una propuesta sobre la opción de Athens esta
> semana. Wilna ya ha compartido algo sobre la opción de Gana. La idea
> es abrir ahora la discusión colectiva sobre todas las propuestas que
> lleguen a la mesa. El foro está abierto ...
>
>
>
> Message from Arne Hintz, Stefania Milan and Kate Coyer:
>
>
>
> Dear Clemencia, dear Juan, dear OURMedia working group,
>
> we would like to submit to a proposal for the next OURMedia conference.
> We, that is Stefania Milan, member of the OURMedia organising committee
> and PhD student at the European University Institute in Florence; Kate
> Coyer, OURMedia member since Baranquilla and Post-Doctoral Research
> Fellow at the Central European University, Budapest; and Arne Hintz,
> OURMedia member since Porto Alegre and Project Manager at the Central
> European University.
>
> The proposed location is the Central European University (CEU). There
> is a lot of interest here in issues that OURMedia is concerned with, the
> CEU has already organised conferences on related issues, and we believe
> that it would be a good idea to have OURMedia come to the
> Central/Eastern European region (see below, in more detail).
>
> The main host at the CEU would be the Center for Media and
> Communication Studies (CMCS). The CMCS has a research and teaching
> profile which encompasses media law and policy, media pluralism, freedom
> of expression and hate speech, internet usage by citizens and civil
> society, media reform in Central/Eastern Europe, and, particularly,
> community and activist media. In October 2005, it organised the major
> conference "RE:activism" which dealt with media activism and related
> issues such as blogs, intellectual property rights, free software, etc.
>
> This coming month, it will host a workshop on Community Broadcasting
> Policy in Europe, mainly organised by Kate Coyer, which will bring
> together 30 emerging and high profile community media academics and
> which will coincide with meetings by the civil society networks AMARC
> Europe and Community Media Forum Europe which will meet during the days
> before the workshop and act as co-sponsors of the workshop. Kate, Arne,
> and other people at the CMCS are currently planning further workshops
> and follow-up activities, for example on spectrum policy and challenges
> for community media.
>
> In December 2005, Stefania organised a one-day event on community
> media, to coincide with the previous OURMedia conference in India, at
> the Stanhope Centre in London which is closely related with the CEU.
> Stefania would also be part of a potential OURMedia organising team at
> CMCS.
>
> So, an OURMedia conference in Budapest would be part of a broader range
> of existing activities, and there is experience and expertise to stem
> such a challenging project. Both Viktor Bohm (CEU Vice Chief-Operating
> Officer) and Monroe Price (Chair of CMCS, based at the Annenberg School
> of Communications) support the idea and have said they would offer the
> widest-possible support. The CMCS/CEU has long-established partnerships
> with academic institutions in the region, as well as in the UK and in
> the US, and it has access to the necessary funding channels.
>
> Budapest is situated in a region that has seen deep political changes,
> with the transition to Western social and economic models; wars; and
> ongoing authoritarianism. Former Yugoslavia is just around the corner,
> as are the Ukraine and Belarus. At the same time, there is a vibrant
> community/alternative media scene, artistic networks are experimenting
> with new forms of communication, and Budapest is certainly a hub of this
> activity. Emerging European community media networks such as the
> Community Media Forum Europe and the re-established AMARC Europe are
> developing connections with media groups in the region and have an
> increasingly strong base here.
>
> A disclaimer, however: As much we think that holding OURMedia in the
> Central/Eastern European region would be very interesting at this point
> in time, we also like the idea of meeting in Ghana, and we would
> certainly support Africa as an OURMedia location. Still, as long as
> there is no definite and feasible proposal from Africa, we would like
> to
> propose Budapest as a possible alternative.
>
> It would be great to discuss the idea with the OURMedia organizing
> committee. If there is interest within OURMedia, we would be happy to
> develop a more extensive proposal.
>
> Regards,
> Stefania Milan
> Kate Coyer
> Arne Hintz
>
>
>
> THANKS to all - GRACIAS a toda/os
>
>
>
> clemencia
>
>
> Clemencia Rodriguez
> Associate Professor
> Department of Communication
> University of Oklahoma
> [log in to unmask]
> 405 325 1570
>
>