THE RADIATOR CONFERENCE
- Challenging the single story
In 2012, SAIH launched the Africa for Norway campaign. Through ironic videos and the The Radiator Awards we wanted to stop the damaging use of stereotypes in aid communication and promote a deeper understanding of poverty and development. The campaign hit a nerve and became a great success.
This year we are pleased to invite you to The Radiator Conference. Together with international guests, we want to discuss some of the key issues raised in the Africa for Norway campaign. Please remember to sign up below.
09.30 Registration
10:00. Welcome session by SAIH.
10:15. Note speakers:
Emily Baughan, historian and lecturer at Bristol University takes us through the history of aid communication.
Nozibele Qamngana, Relations Manager of the Ubuntu Fund, presents how her South African based NGO operates and how they communicate their work.
10:45. The responsibility of the NGO
How to communicate our development aid work? Can aid organizations communicate more nuanced solutions to poverty, and still raise money? Do humanitarian aid organizations and organizations that work with long-term development projects have different responsibilities when communicating their work with partners in the South? Do we face a dilemma in increasing people's knowledge or increasing funds?
- Nozibele Qamngana, Relations Manager, The Ubuntu Education Fund
- Tuva Raanes Bogsnes, Head of Communication, Norwegian Refugee Council
- Eva Bratholm, Head of Department for Communication NORAD
- Ellen Høvik, Senior Communication Advisor, Plan Norway
- Chair: Nicklas Poulsen Viki, President of SAIH
12.00 Lunch
Entertainment by Thomas Prestø's Talawa Dance Crew
12.30. Note speakers:
Christopher White, Ass. Prof. Bjørknes University College about stereotypes, are they really all that bad?
Noon Salih, Senior interview producer at Al Jazeera: How to avoid the single story? From the perspective of a non-stereotypical Muslim Sudanese female journalist
Bjørn Bore, Managing Editor, Dagbladet: How does Norwegian media portray both the great humanitarian crisis’ and the more long-term progress or failure of progress in developing countries?
Zeina Bali, Syrian Peace Action Centre (SPACE) : What is the single story about Syrians and what is the issue of how they are portrayed in the media?
13.10. Only the media to blame?
What responsibility does the media have in delivering more nuanced stories of development and humanitarian crises to the public?
- Bjørn Bore, Managing Editor, Dagbladet (tbc)
- Zeina Bali, Syrian Peace Action Centre (SPACE)
- Mulatu Alemayehu Moges, PhD student in Media Science, University of Oslo
- Caitlin L. Chandler, Inequality Editor, Africa Is A Country
- Tuva Raanes Bogsnes, Head of Communication, Norwegian Refugee Council
Chair: Founder of Interbridge, Nassima Dzair
14.00 Coffee Break
14.10. The consequences of stereotypes
What are the consequences of the one-sided media coverage and how does it affect the willingness to invest in developing countries?
- Zeina Bali, Syrian Peace Action Centre (SPACE)
- Noon Salih, Producer of Up Front, Al Jazeera
- Caitlin L. Chandler, Inequality Editor, Africa Is A Country
- Daniella Woldemichael, Deputy Managing Director, Norwegian African Business Association (NABA)
Chair: Founder of Interbridge, Nassima Dzair
At the conference, we will launch The Radiator Report, developed in collaboration with the blog collective Africa is a country.
Time and place: November 17th at Litteraturhuset, Oslo.
