Roll Back Xenophobia Campaign: Media Seminar Series 2001

Background

The Roll Back Xenophobia Campaign was launched in December 1998 in response to the rising levels of xenophobia particularly targeted at African migrants and refugees in South Africa. The campaign is a partnership between the South African Human Rights Commission, the National Consortium on Refugee Affairs and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Part of the campaign has been working with the media in an attempt to facilitate accurate, factual and truthful coverage of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. To this end, workshops with journalists were held in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town in 2000.

To build on the content of that process, the RBX is currently organising a 6-part lunch-time seminar series. The seminars will focus on the nature and causes of the conflicts in some of the countries that are producing refugee movements. The seminars will have three panel members: an academic/knowledgeable person, a refugee from the country under discussion and a journalist. The journalist will raise questions/discuss the implications for and approaches to covering that particular conflict in the media. The countries to be discussed in this series are Rwanda/Burundi, Sudan, DRC, Ethiopia, Somalia, World Refugee Day Overview and a seminar on the World Conference on Racism and Xenophobia.

Lunch will be served and will be prepared by refugees from the country under discussion.

Please confirm your participation by contacting Lydia Wambugu or Paul Phakathi at 011 484 8300.

Media Invite: Roll Back Xenophobia Campaign: Media Seminar Series

The conflict in Ethiopia/Eriteria:

The seminar series aims to equip journalists with a more nuanced understanding of the history and nature of the conflict in Ethiopia/Eriteria and provides a networking opportunity with organisations working in the field and with refugees and asylum seekers from that country.

Date: 26 July 2001, Thursday,
Venue: SAHRC Boardroom, Isle Of Houghton, Boundary Rd, Parktown
Time: 12:30-14:00

Programme:

Speakers:

• Fiona Lorton, Institute for Security Studies
• Ethiopian refugee representative, Co-ordinating Body of Refugee Communities
• Eriterian refugee representative, Co-ordinating Body of Refugee Communities
• Mathata Tsedu, Journalist SABC

Discussion and lunch

Issued by: SAHRC, 24 July 2001