Issue no 106 9 June 2011
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The ITU deadline agreed by most African countries for the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting is only four years away. Elsewhere in the world, the transition has taken between 3 to 14 years to complete so time is running out. Knowing the difficulties of rolling out terrestrial digital (DTT) broadcast equipment, the satellite companies are putting forward DTH satellite as an alternative. Thus far no Government has yet taken up the idea but as the deadline nears it’s worth thinking about. Balancing Act’s Sylvain Béletre talks to Christoph Limmer, Senior Director, Market Development Africa, SES about what satellite can do.
According to Christoph Limmer, requests for information on satellite TV are flooding in. “Quite often we get asked if satellite can really reach more homes than other infrastructures like cable or terrestrial. The answer simply, is yes. Unlike DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) or cable which are ground based infrastructures and normally roll-out in certain areas only; satellite has no limitations in achieving 100% population reach.” Digging cable is costly and time consuming and rolling out DTT network infrastructure is facing similar challenges.
A growing issue with terrestrial infrastructure is cable theft. There continues to be frequent reports of stolen cables, both of power, TV and telecoms equipment globally; Cables are being stolen for the scrap value of their metal content, especially copper. Though cable theft has existed for several years, it has become a much more serious problem as a result of the rise in metal prices. This disease is widespread including on the African continent. Building construction sites in South Africa have been the targets of raids by well-organised armed gangs, so that cable is stolen even before it can be installed. Cable theft is not only a cost burden for operators and end-users, but can affect their strategic decisions: in some African countries, such as Kenya, telecom operators have decided to invest more heavily in wireless networks due to the persistent problem of cable theft. However, even these “wireless” systems are not immune to cable theft, as cables used within wireless base stations are also targeted by thieves. More recently, fibre optic cable is the new target for thieves. Therefore, the satellite companies are arguing that satellite should be considered as primary infrastructure that can feed other distribution networks if architecture is aligned. This reduces both the set-up time and cost, and increases the reach of connectivity.
Among players preparing for this fresh wave of satellite connectivity demands is SES. With 7 satellites over Africa and five more to be launched in the next four years, SES is dedicated to providing services to customers in Africa. Already additional staff and new local offices are providing on the ground business, technical and marketing support to clients that include broadcasters, telecoms operators and government departments.“The new generation of our broadcaster customers and pay TV operators like TopTV in South Africa, Zuku TV in Eastern Africa or Multi TV in Ghana are looking at their market audiences and working out how best to deliver content and target the various levels of affordability”, says Limmer. MultiTV in Ghana says it has 300,000 DTH subscribers. (See an interview with Kenneth Ashigby of Multimedia Group here:)
“In Kenya for example, the huge middle class has been largely under-serviced which provides huge growth opportunities. Operators can no longer look at just the urban populations at the top of the social pyramid but need to consider semi-urban and rural access, as well as take a different approach to customers when it comes to the costs of hardware installation and monthly subscription rates. In the future, packages in Africa will be priced between US$ 10-20 showing attractive local and international content with payment options on offer such as via mobile phones, scratch cards and pay per view.” Distribution is a key issue given Africa’s unique geographical challenges and the most cost effective and efficient method to reach the rural market is to use existing infrastructure. “Many new generation pay TV operators are partnering with established players using existing distribution vehicles rather than creating their own distribution network from scratch”, comments Limmer.
DTH has three ways in which it might contribute to the digital transit
1. The big one: A country would sign up to the idea that a satellite distributor would carry all their television signals and junk their existing terrestrial infrastructure. This lowers the immediate CAPEX but means you will then need to pay a regular OPEX to a satellite provider. The key question then for Government and broadcasters is whether this OPEX would be higher than through terrestrial infrastructure. But the junking of an entire existing terrestrial infrastructure seems unlikely as the masts currently used for analogue can be redeployed. At last week’s WATRA workshop on the digital transition for regulators, an NCA representative made the point in another context that it wished to see the television distribution infrastructure in Ghanaian hands. Rightly or wrongly, these “national” arguments will be decisive in a number of African countries.
2. In support or round the edges: Television in most African countries is largely an urban phenomenon. In even in countries with wider coverage areas, there are still areas where television does not go. The market research data from places like Ghana show that where radio and TV are equally available, they are equally used: (see interview with Seyram Mankra, Media Manager and Synovate here: ) Therefore, if in terms of Government policy, one objective of the digital transition is to increase the coverage area of television, one way of doing this is to supplement the terrestrial signal with satellite signal coverage for un-served areas thus giving potentially 100% coverage. Then the very real obstacles of lack of power in many areas will need to be addressed. But getting television coverage to a larger percentage of the population should be a universal service objective in Government policy: Sierra Leone provides an example of where such a policy already exists. Satellite is ideal for reaching a population that is widely scattered across a geographic area.
3. Commercial opportunities: In commercial terms, satellite is ideal for reaching large numbers of people relatively easily. Pay TV operator Wananchi launched a DTT platform because it is hard to run cable and fibre outside of densely populated urban areas. DTH is also relevant to commercial Free-To-Air operations: the example of MultiTV above shows that with the right marketing and programme bouquets, customers are more than willing to pay for a one-off Set-Top-Box.
There is also the tantalising possibility of a pan-African Free-To-Air bouquet, the idea that the ill-fated Free2View was trying to get off the ground. The idea being that with somewhere between 250,000-500,000 subscribers, the proposition would achieve sufficient “critical mass” to be of interest to pan-African advertisers. The concept may have failed first time around but it has not gone away. The key to successful satellite implementation as part of the digital transition process will be that wherever DTH boxes are deployed, they contain the majority of the Free-To-Air channels that are available in a country and that the DTH Set-Top Boxes will have to be sold at a price point between US$50-100. However, the reality of un-served areas will mean that this price point would need to be nearer to US$30-50, comparable to a low-end mobile handset. If everyone in the process can address these issues, then satellite is likely to play a significant role in the digital transition process.To contact SES, go to: www.ses.com
Videos on Balancing Act’s Web TV Channel that need watching to understand where the broadcast and film industry in Africa is going:
Seyram Mankra, Media Insights Manager, Synovate, the main market research company for media, on the changes in the media landscape in Ghana and respective merits of radio and television for advertisers:In a new series, Seyram Mankra, Media Insights Manager, Synovate looks at What Ghanaians Watch on TV, drawing contrasts between male and female viewing. He also talks about his own viewing patterns as someone who is a professional in the industry:
L'Institut Francais, Dept Cinéma et sa cinémathèque Afrique
Dans cette vidéo, deux responsables du dept. Cinéma - Valérie Mouroux, et Véronique Joo Aisenberg - au sein de l'Institut Français à Paris présentent pour la chaîne 'Balancing Act' les activités audiovisuelles de l'établissement, et en particulier par rapport à l'Afrique:Balancing Act's Twitter feed provides a combination of breaking news for telecoms, Internet and broadcast in Africa, direct tweets from countries visited and access to the occasional rumours circulating. You can follow us on:
@BalancingActAfr__________________________________________________________
Erratum: A title is our last broadcast e-letter edition, Issue no. 105, 26 May 2011 "Nigeria: StarTimes Hits 4,000 Subscriber Base" was wrong. Our source, “the Daily Champion Nigeria” made an error which we relayed and then corrected it. The StarTimes current subscriber base is at 400,000 and not 4,000. The company says it is registering an average subscription of 30,000 per month.
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Playing at Cannes in the Director’s Fortnight sidebar, Blue Bird has certainly been a film that’s been widely promoted within the festival market, regularly gracing the cover of the daily market screening program – and deservedly so, according to film blogger MsWOO.
“Watching this film proved one of the most charm-filled moments of my Cannes experience. The blue-tinged infusion of images throughout the film, rather than detract, adds to the beautiful simplicity of the cinematography, and to the magical journey that real-life brother and sister, Bafiokadie and Tene, embark on. Devoid of any special effects or fancy camera work, the story nonetheless unfolds as a magical mystery – a spiritual road journey.
I have to admit that on first learning about this film, although delightfully intrigued, I was a little wary of what a white man would do with a story about two African children journeying through spiritual realms as they go in search of a lost bird. Spirituality, particularly African spirituality, is often viewed, particularly in the west, as superstition – but not everyday superstition like walking under a ladder bringing bad luck, or throwing a pinch of salt over your should for good luck, but the kind of superstition that’s rife with evil, demonic forces and the need for blood sacrifices.
Belgian director Gust Van den Berghe, however, has taken what could have been an “ethnic” “tribal” or “ritualistic” tale of African other-worldliness and made a delightfully enjoyable film based on a story by Belgian Nobel Laureate, Maurice Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 - 5 May 1949). I’m unfamiliar with Maeterlinck’s work, but apparently he used a lot of symbolism and anti-realism. The original story was set in Russia, not Africa – hardly surprising at that time period, although I’d like to think (or at least hope) that Maeterlinck was not of a similar persuasion to King Leopold II who felt justified in setting about collecting the severed hands of the people of the then Congo Free State (basically his privately owned African colony, now the Democratic Republic of Congo) if they had not fulfilled their quota of rubber production, leaving swathes of the population in a state of despair leading to slow death and starvation.
Although the setting is not named, Blue Bird was filmed in the rural, savanna landscape of Tamberma in Togo, West Africa. In the official Director’s Fortnight brochure for the film, Van den Berghe says of Blue Bird:”...I wanted to distance myself as much as possible from the stereotypical Africa, the ever-suffering Africa, but without necessarily falling into the trap of “exoticization”. I researched the authenticity of the Tamberma beliefs and traditions and these were a source of inspiration for Blue Bird”.
Seemingly concurring with my view of the universality of this story in my initial preview of this film prior to Cannes (…), the director goes on to say that:
Blue Bird is a universal story and I told it with little or no financial backing. Working in this way is not without risk, but I benefited from an extraordinary freedom. This freedom is intrinsic to the project: it is freedom for the director to interpret the text as he chooses, but also the freedom the audience has vis-a-vis the film. This is what I want to offer to the public: neither truths nor answers that are ready made, but a chance to participate in the construction of the film. A good story cannot bear fruit until after it has been told. It’s the same for a film. Just as we cannot judge a man’s journey until he’s taken his final bow.
Read the full story here:
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From 18 - 26 June, 2011, Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) now in its 14th year, taking place in Zanzibar, Tanzania is East Africa's largest film and arts festival, showcasing a broad spectrum of African films.
Things are now starting to take shape with 71 films - feature lengths, shorts & documentaries - selected for the festival and to be shown at The Old Fort and various other venues.
World Premieres will include the hilarious Taka Takata (SouthAfrica) and Kenyan film The Rugged Priest by Bob Nyanja (Malooned).
The 'Festival of Festivals' exchange welcomes Trinidad & Tobago. Thanks to the continued support of the Commonwealth Foundation, this exchange program will see films from Trinidad & Tobago showcased at ZIFF for the second year running.
"We are pleased to again be part of this wonderful initiative," said Jonathan
Ali, Editorial Director of TIFF. "I especially look forward to showcasing these films at ZIFF, confident that the universal language of cinema will speak to the audiences there and reflect the beautiful diversity that characterises us as Caribbean people."Two short films and two feature length form Trinidad and Tobago will be screened at ZIFF 2011. The feature length films are Children of God, a poignant drama out of the Bahamas, winner of both the jury and audience prizes for best film at the ttff/11, and Caribbean Skin, African Identity, an engaging documentary from Trinidad and Tobago about the politics of racial and ethnic identity.
The Commonwealth Foundation has been inexistence for almost 50 years, working on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth nations to make a stronger, healthier society. Dr Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah Director of the Commonwealth Foundation is hugely supportive of this film exchange program; “Increasing exposure to films across continents is an effective way to share ideas and dreams, For the second year the Commonwealth Foundation is supporting this innovative partnership between Zanzibar and Trinidad and we believe it is important that we do so not just from a cultural perspective but from a social one too.”
The first phase of the exchange will happen at ZIFF while the TTFF will take place from 21 September - 4 October 2011. For details visit here: and here:ZIFF may be an international festival, but it is also a local festival representative of the rich cultural heritage of the Dhow countries. To honour this, a substantial part of the program is devoted to East African cinema, including many Swahili language films. The Mambo Club will be showing Swahili films every second day throughout the festival and Friday 24th June will be a devotedly Swahili & Bongo Film Day at all the festival venues. ZIFF will showcase two East African film World Premieres to look forward–“Glamour” and “Ray of Hope”. Keep an eye on the website for scheduling updates.
ZIFF 2011 is introducing the Documentary Pitching Tree Contest as an extension to its Soko Filam Program. Filmmakers from East Africa are invited to submit their projects to be included in our Pitching Contest. The sessions will be open only to East African documentary filmmakers. Nick Broomfield will be running a Documentary Workshop at ZIFF 2011.British Documentary film maker Nick Broomfield talked to ZIFF about his interest
in East Africa. Nick said that East Africa is “a part of the world that I'm fascinated with - I'm kind of in love with East Africa. I was last year filming in Tanzania as Executive Producer in a film called Albino United about a football team in Dar Es Salaam, so I got to know it quite well. The film I’m working on at the moment is actually being shot down in Mwanza but I had the opportunity to meet with the President of Tanzania and also spend a bit of time in Zanzibar. This part of the world has become part of my life”…Tell us a bit more about that project! “Ronan Bennet, an Irishman wrote a book called The Catastrophist and it's set in the Belgian Congo at a time of Patrice Lumumba in 1960.I spent quite a lot of time visiting different countries to find locations and really felt that Mwanza had the best location. I've gotten great co-operation from the Tanzanian military and of course from the President and the Mayor and the town council in Mwanza, so I will be coming to the festival from there with my line-Producer Donall McCusker and my Producer Paul Miller. They are both doing workshops at the festival as well.”
Why do you think documentary is important, and what kind of knowledge do you
think you can pass on at the ZIFF workshop? “Well documentary is immediate, I
think with modern technology it's become very accessible to a lot more people. Documentaries are stories on people’s doorsteps and I am sure that there are a lot of amazing stories in Zanzibar and East Africa. I like to encourage making documentaries as cheaply and as simply as possible. Documenting ones own life and ones own situation. I've never felt I've had any expertise. A lot of it seems to be kind of common sense and story telling. To tell the story in such a way that people want to see the story you're telling.“
Your advice to filmmakers? “The hardest thing would be to you know just believe in yourself, we all have that side in us that says it’s too hard, no ones going to want to watch it etc. I think it's very important to stick with your convictions and go with them even when it gets very hard. (…) You need to promise yourself that you'll make it through to the end. And that's easier said than done. The actual making of the film is hard. And I think that's very important to realize when you're starting as a filmmaker because not only will you have lots of self doubt, and probably will have lots of financial problems too, but there are also problems that you never imagined and it takes many times longer that you thought. Some people can be defeated before they finish the film and they will probably never do it again because it was a bad experience, so I think that's the hardest thing to keep on putting one foot in front of the other really”.For more information visit ZIFF here:
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Mozambique's National Union of Journalists (SNJ) and the mobile phone company Vodacom on Tuesday launched the fourth annual edition of the journalism prizes sponsored by Vodacom.
There are eight categories in which prizes can be awarded, with total prize money of 31,000 US dollars. The most prestigious is the "Aquino de Braganca" prize for investigative journalism, named after an outstanding journalist, researcher and intellectual who died with the country's first President, Samora Machel, in a 1986 plane crash.
There are also prizes for reporting, photo-reporting, sports journalism, economic journalism, and radio and television programmes.
At the launch ceremony, SNJ general secretary Eduardo Constantino said the agreement between the SNJ and Vodacom initially covered just two years, and then been extended to four years.
"After this, there will be a joint assessment to see whether it's worth continuing or not", he said. "The SNJ thinks that it is - the prizes encourage journalists, and reward good journalism".
In 2010, there were 60 entries, and Constantino hoped for more this year. He regretted that last year the great majority of entries had come from journalists living in Maputo and the neighbouring city of Matola. Constantino was sure that good journalists are also working in the other provinces.
Work published or broadcast in any of the Mozambican media between 24 November 2010 and 30 August this year may be submitted. No competitor may submit more than two pieces of work.
The prizes are awarded by an independent jury, and there is no appeal against its decisions. The prizes will be awarded to the winners by 24 November.
Click here for the full article.
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Mothers Day (2nd May) is an annual holiday that celebrates mothers, the women in our lives, and their contributions to society. This is in great contrast to the International day of innocent children victims of aggression (June 4) that acknowledges the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse.
Throughout history, women have suffered acts of violence from society. They have been raped, beaten and exploited. Innocent children have also undergone these same acts of aggression.
A24 media commemorates the women and children by educating society on their plight.Videos on offer:
Healing power of words:
In the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, women and children are constantly the subject of physical abuse, psychological torture and domestic violence. Many of them, rape victims, suffer in silence. Meet Mariette Paluku Nzaira, or Mama Mariette, a woman who has dedicated her life to listening to fellow women who have faced the brutality of war and girls who have been raped and eventually become mothers at tender age. Mariette’s “listening house” is where the victims whose hearts have been tired can talk without the fear of being rejected by the community, and a house where the women’s internal wounds are healed, and where they are set on a road to recover their former lives and also continue living and taking care of their families.
Cote d’lvoire sexual violence:
While Cote d'Ivoire is steadily working towards sustainable peace, many children continue to be victims of rape and other forms of gender-based violence. UNICEF says that twenty-five percent of girls and women between ten and 49 years have been victims of sexual violence at least once in their lifetime.
Swaziland sexual abuse:
UNICEF is supporting the government of Swaziland to protect the rights of girls after a survey revealed an alarmingly high level of sexual and physical abuse.Walk to womanhood:
In the rural parts of Kenya it is unknown by many about what young girls go through. In uria, girls are circumcised as a part of their culture. Those who do not go through circumcision must face the dreadfulness of being bullied in school or abused by their husbands.
Let me live again:
They are young and sick, they are lonely and desperate. Women suffering from fistula had no chance at survival until now.Sex tourism:
Along the world-renowned coast of Mombasa, the pristine waters and the sandy beaches are hiding a dark reality; that of child sex tourism.
The plight of Somali children:
With the worsening political situation in Somalia, women and children have been worst hit and are the common victims of circumstance and as this story illustrates, Children in Mogadishu are now the laborers and are always out on the streets seeking to make a livelihood out of petty jobs which are often rewarded meagerly and come with suffering and exploitation....
Somalia child health days:
For the first time, children in Central and Southern Somalia are receiving life-saving vaccines and health services as part of a nation-wide Child Health Days Campaign. In a country where routine immunization coverage is low, and basic health care services are scarce, UNICEF, together with WHO, local authorities, communities and NGO partners is implementing this large-scale health outreach.
Chad child soldiers:
For teenager Dowa Samna, working at a garage in the Chadian capital, N'Djamena, is a far cry from a former life in the armed forces. Decades of conflict in Chad has left children vulnerable to recruitment by armed rebel groups and forces. There are an estimated 7,000-10,000 child soldiers in Chad.
Child abuse in Kenya:
The UN Children’s Charter has been ratified by more countries than any other human rights convention – and yet children rights continue to be violated. On the Kenya coast, local activists say that children as young as 12 are married for financial reasons, and that some sell their bodies for less than 70 US cents in order to buy provisions for their families. Now, both local and international organizations have banded together to try and change this.Special features available for broadcast at $200 each and/or select any still image for as little as $150 each
Contact: A24 Media - No. 3, Mzima Springs Road Lavington P.O. Box 45048 Nairobi, 00100 Kenya, Tel: +254 20 4349274/5, Email: info(@)a24media.com, or visit the website here: -
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" Talfazti " (“my TV” in English), a bouquet of television channels, radios and a portal to services delivered on a platform of digital terrestrial and IP television (DTT / IP), was presented as a preview on Friday, 13 May 2011, to the media.
Initiated by Virtual Networks (VNET) as the first Tunisian company specialized in Media and Telecommunications Technology led by the iconic Mrs. Chafika Chamas, this digital service combines television, internet and mobile. Consequence: this is not a digital TV but a platform, a foretaste of a new audiovisual industry generating thousands of jobs.
More simply, all Tunisians equipped with a television set and a decoder can, wherever they are in Tunisia, access all Talfazti content, for a fee ranging between 10 and 25 dinars per month, regardless of telecommunications networks coverage.
As for content, Talfazti opted for diversity. Entertainment, useful information and educational programs are united under one platform and on three screens, TV, PC and mobile using the latest generation of hybrid HD terminals. These terminals will be available in Tunisia by the end of 2011.Among these contents, the Talfazti portal provides access to more information and a host of interactive TV applications including job ads, airplanes arrivals and departures, real estate, shopping, weather, topical news, sports, horoscopes, programming schedules of no less than 120 TV channels and many more.
Then comes an application of interactive educational television. This portal allows homes and schools to access modern educational content. There is a great opportunity to create a level playing field for all students across the country, reduce the digital divide between rural and urban and reduce costly remedial support classes.
For sports enthusiasts, the 7th art and documentaries, Talfazti bouquet offers premium channels and thematic Talfazti VOD offering movies, series, documentaries, concerts, cartoons ... unlimited for subscribers.
Services are charged according to the number of queries or transactions. You can pay via mobile payment, credit card, phone card and e-dinar.
Chamas said that Talfazti, should enter into operations by end 2011. She said her company has been working on this project since 2005 but the procrastination of the administration and the many manoeuvres undertaken by predators close to the ex- president did not facilitate its start on time.
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Announced back in July 2010, Blueline, the telecoms service provider, has finally launched, on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 at “l'hôtel du Louvre” in Antaninarenina, “blueline TV” which does not require subscription to other services supplied by the telco. Small budgets can now benefit from various features such as high definition digital television, the ability to record shows or movies and to watch pictures and listen to music on a TV set.
BluelineTV beats prices currently on offer for TV channels bouquets in Madagascar. For only ariary (Ar) 10 000 (about Euros 3.50 or USD 4.95) or even without any subscription, TV viewers can get several international and national (RTA, TVM, VIVA and Record) channels. Options available are so far: 15 channels for Ar 10 000 per month, 25 channels for Ar 30 000. Other offers may be available later on suggested Mihaja Rakotonirina, responsible for public sale at Blueline TV. Over the launch, international channels TV5 Monde, France 24, Fashion TV, TV Clubbing, AB Motor, Cartoon Network, Ciné FX, CCTV, and Pet Encyclopedia will be free until July 31, 2011.
In parallel, blueline also launched triple play with 4G/ internet, phone and TV for Ar 79000/month with up to 40 channels.
This is a great innovation in the field of television. "The purchase of a set up box allows to watch, without further commitment, national as well as four international TV channels," says Mathieu Mertian, sales and marketing director of Blueline. The TV box is priced at Ar 199000 and can be plugged to a hard drive – starting from a USB drive - for film recording and picture watching.
BluelineTV does not require any particular installation. A simple, traditional TV antenna connected to the box are the only requirements. Its technology allows it to get a great image quality. For now, this offer is only available in Antananarivo.
Capturing TV for free: It is the announcement you can read everywhere in appliance stores. These shops offer satellite dishes and decoders to capture dozens of international Francophone, Anglophone, Lusophone, Arabic, etc television stations. Some emit FTA, others are still encrypted.
"We have packages with either 15 channels or 24 channels depending on customer needs. It is also possible to capture TV5 and France 24 on FTA. The number of channels varies depending on the diameter of the dish, "says a vendor Behoririka.
In this shop, the package in question is priced at Ar 160,000. This varies from one vendor to another. The customer has the choice to either pay the cost of installation, or to simply just follow the instructions supplied in the installation guide.
BluelineTV offers a bouquet which includes national and international channels for Ar 10,000 per month. Before, everyone was dreaming of capturing international television channels at home. However, the low purchasing power was a blocking factor. But since the beginning of the year, things have changed.
In Madagascar Canal Plus has led the way with its “Découverte” (Discovery in English) offer. This allows subscribers to enjoy 28 TV and radio channels for Ar 19,900 per month. The offer has been a success.
"Decouverte meets everyone's expectations in terms of price, while providing quality digital image," said Jean Testemale, CEO of Canal Plus Madagacar at the launch of the offer back in February 2011.
A few months later Parabole Madagascar launched the Pika offer, allowing interested parties to get 38 radio and television channels for Ar 19,900 and now the Blueline offer.
In a separate note, Blueline has launched its website. The MD of the company, Damien Lamberterie noted that this site will allow visitors to learn more about products and services from Blueline: Visit the site here:
Contact: blueline - Tana 2000 Ankorondrano - 101 Antananarivo - Madagascar - Tel: (0203) 082 000.
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In June 2015, states will shift from analog to digital broadcasting to meet the ITU’s 2015 deadline it agreed back in 2006. An awareness seminar was opened on the subject in Dakar. Senegal wants to successfully achieve its transition to terrestrial digital broadcasting in which the process has begun since last year.
All television sets in the trash? No, in 2015, people will just equip their analog TV sets with Set-Top-Boxes to go digital Digital Terrestrial Television allows a greater ability to offer television programs and better image quality. As for the African continent, Morocco, South Africa, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritius, Ghana, Tanzania were among the first countries to begin the process of transition to digital terrestrial television (DTT). In Senegal, it was in May 2010 that the Communications Minister, Moustapha Guirassy chaired the first meeting to prepare the establishment of a National Committee for the switch of the country's system towards DTT.
And last August, during the signing of an agreement between officials of the Radio Broadcast television in Senegal and Chinese society Startime, Babacar Diagne, stated that "RTS will complete the digital switchover in three years’ time throughout the country." Like national television, private television stations are also preparing for the digital age. If viewers are already familiar with decoders from Canal + Horizons and from Rdv Dunyaa, their homes will soon have the opportunity to get other boxes offered by new groups of television entering the Senegalese media landscape.
Télévision futurs Médias (TFM), launched by Youssou N'Dour in September, will provide, soon, a STB. Touba TV, a satellite TV station set up in November 2009, has announced the launch of its hybrid decoder accessible from a TV set but also on iPhone and iPad. The country’s officials are all working to meet the challenge of all-digital within 2015. Meanwhile, the state is responsible for defining the rules and laws relating to the process.
"The advent of digital technology in Senegal will be a revolution. A challenge, a commitment that we must win. The era of digital television will go through a gradual process done region by region" said Moustapha Guirassy. Last October, the Communications Minister chaired the first meeting of the National Committee of the passage of our country to digital TV. This national committee is made of national experts, established by order of the Prime Minister since August 26, 2010. Composed of members from the Ministry of Communication and Telecommunication, the ICT Ministry, the CNRA, the ARTP, it is chaired by Minister Moustapha Guirassy and coordinated by Malick Ndiaye, ICT and media management specialist/
For helpful materials on the digital transition, including a case study of Senegal in French and case studies of Ghana and Nigeria in English, click here:
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On Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 21:00 (Paris time), a live African music concert will be broadcast on the continent by TV5Monde Africa and its partner channel France O.
For the first time, the best of African music comes to the “Stade de France” (France’s stadium in Paris)! The most popular African artists are at the Parisian stadium for a concert featuring the largest ever African music family ever assembled, combining music, dance and percussion.
All rhythms and all the colors of Francophone Africa will meet to celebrate African culture. Altogether, 5 hours of entertainment and celebration with 17 artists and over 150 dancers and musicians will be on stage. All the colours of the African musical creativity will be honoured, coming from the following countries: Cameroon, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Mauritius, Mali, Senegal and more.
Artists announced are: Sekouba Bambino, Alpha Blondy, Patience Dabany, Manu Dibango, Zandi Gawlo, Fally Fally, Mory Kante, Baaba Maal, Magic System, Jessy Matador Meiway, Mokobé, Negro Pou La vi, Passi, Petit Pays, Oumou Sangare and Werrason, and many more.
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The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in partnership with Nollywood and the Nigeria High Commission in Kenya are to embark on a road show to promote the Nigerian movies industry in Kenya, it was announced at the end of May 2011.
NEPC's Executive Director, David Adulugba told journalists in Abuja that the planned Kenya Nollywood road show was geared towards enhancing the nation’s foreign earnings through non-oil export, especially in services.
Artists who have confirmed their participation at the event are Sam Loco, Francis Duru, Patience Uzokwor, Desmond Eliot, Monilisa Chinda, Uche Jumbo and John Okafor.
“The road show is part of the council’s strategy in sustaining the unprecedented growth in the movies industry. The rave of review in international media on Nigerian movies lays credence to the fact that the industry boost of massive potentials and growth,” he said.
“The road show is primarily intended to promote our fast growing movie industry. The programme will also promote and sensitize the industry by exposing the potentials of Nigerian artists whose services will generate foreign exchange earnings,” he said.
“The road show which comes up between 25th to 30th May, will feature participants from Kenya Film Commission, Censorship Board, Actors Guild of Kenya, Media, scholars, workshop at US International University which has about 100 Nigerian students.”
One of the artists, Francis Duru thanked NEPC for giving them the opportunity to showcase themselves, adding that they will put in their best in order to achieve the objectives of the programme.
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British Documentary maker Nick Broomfield talks to ZIFF bout Zanzibar’s Majestic Cinema.
Q: You are a supporter of ZIFF’s campaign to re-open the Majestic Cinema, why is it important to have a cinema for any community?
A: Well I think that it's a natural gathering point for people. Even though there is no roof on the cinema at the moment, locals often set up the projector of their own and show things even if it rains on their heads. They are doing it because it's a place where they can all get together for a shared experience and have a chat about it afterwards. Cinemas can be very much part of a neighbourhood and part of the community.
The campaign to re-open the Majestic is kind of a way of affirming ones belief in Zanzibar and Stone town – that there will be big events where we will need a cinema, we can have an audience, we can have a film society.
It's an investment a statement for the future, which is very healthy. It is happening in a good time, in that one doesn't need to get very expensive 35mm equipment, you can get modern digital equipment. It's something that the University in Zanzibar could use, the community could use. It would put Zanzibar on the map.
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Since Monday, 9th May 2011, seven Mobicine scooters take cinema across Dakar, and 7 more are in Bamako since start of June. While (almost) all legal cinemas have closed in West Africa, Mobicine motorcycle take movies to the people. Coming soon are films from Henry Duparc, Faro, Ezra, Benda Bilili, Kirikou, Matches, Oceans, etc. Each week, the Mobicine 14 mobile units provide 200 to 300 screenings in municipal districts and school associations. Viewers pay 300 FCFA (0.45 €) or for free when screenings are sponsored by companies or NGOs. More than 200 feature films, cartoons and documentaries from Africa and Europe were selected and organiser IDmage has given priority to young people: 400 school sessions have been planned from May to June, in partnership with the city of Dakar. Each scooter is equipped with a "black box" (box housing a projector 1300 lumens + a laptop), self-amplified speaker system, a screen of 2.40 m and a generator. Mobicine is being developed together with new web portal www.AfricaFilms.tv and developed by ACP Films, the Ministry of Culture and Embassies of France, the Swiss Cooopération in Mali, Doen Foundations, Jan Vrijman and Lettera 27 / WikiAfrica, TV5Monde, the City of Bamako, Dakar City, CNC Mali. It is also assisted by the African festivals of Tarifa and Verona, the Goethe Institute, the “Institut Français”, the Spanish embassies, etc.
See previous story here:
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Kenya's broadcast and film industry is set to get a major boost through a government initiative to promote the country's underutilised creative content economy to earn the country more jobs and create wealth. The Creative Content Task Force, an initiative of the Kenya ICT Board, has been formed to spearhead the promotion of the residual capacity and economic potential of the sector.
Coinciding with the forthcoming AITEC Broadcast & Film Africa conference in Nairobi, the task force's first initiative is the launch of an awareness campaign - Mzuka - aimed at sensitising sector players, business prospects and investors on the residual capacity and the economic potential of the sector.
"Mzuka's main objective is to create a framework for formal recognition of the industry and its sub-sectors", said Michael Onyango, the Vice-Chairman of the Creative Content Task Force, who is set to present the campaign at AITEC's Broadcast & Film Africa conference in Nairobi on July 6 and 7.
The creative content economy, which includes the broadcast, film, music, art, publishing, advertising, animation and gaming industries, contributed an estimated Sh25 billion to the economy last year.
But this amounted to just one percent of the economy, compared to 5.1 percent in Jamaica, 11.2 percent in the US and four percent in Latvia, according to Zimele Asset Management Company. "Creative content has the potential for wealth and job creation through generation and exploitation of intellectual property," says Sammy Muvelah of Zimele.
According to Onyango, it is this underlying potential that the task force is seeking to expose on the global arena. It aims to make Kenya the continental hub of creative content within two years. As a first step, it is in creating a database of players, investors and stakeholders within the creative content economy over the next six months.
Confirming the immense capacity of the creative arts, the Creative Economy Report 2010, published by UNCTAD, shows the sector expanded in the face of a global recession. While global trade in manufacturing and industry shrunk by 12 percent, the knowledge-based creative sectors continued to expand, reaching $592 billion and achieving an annual growth rate of 14 percent from 2002 to 2008.
However, Africa's total contribution in the creative economy is almost negligible. Only one in 10 African countries have established performing and recording industries. Yet Nigeria's film industry, commonly known as Nollywood, is now worth $250 million to $300 million, while Kenya's film industry is contributing Sh65 million, according to a Kenya Film Commission study done in 2008.
The Creative Content Task Force was formed at the behest of the Permanent Secretary of Information and Communications Bitange Ndemo after a visit by Yvonne Mwende, one of the creators of the blockbuster movie the Avatar. The movie made $2.9 billion in sales.
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Indian culture is becoming increasingly popular in Africa. Films from "Bollywood" are on this continent particularly popular. A festival has been established in Ethiopia to meet this demand.
India seeks to establish its presence in Africa. Indian cinema, Bollywood is a massive industry that gets a very positive response worldwide, and particularly in Africa, at the expense of local production. Festival organizers believe that the delegates are here to fulfil large contracts and that India has the opportunity to show its strengths in Ethiopia.
Navdeep Suri, Indian Ministry of Finance said:"While governments talk about the best ways to improve bilateral relations between countries, we believe that the festival is an opportunity not only to create opportunities for exchange, but also offer something Addis Ababa people enjoy. " The Indian film industry has established itself as an industry generating millions of turnovers and many believe that these skills can benefit Africa.
Bience Gawanas, Commissioner, African Union said: "I am very impressed by their mastery of Indian languages. You know, in Africa, we are promoting African languages, but many films are produced in Africa in French or English or in Portuguese, no subtitles."
Abdulkadir Amin, Ethiopian Minister of Culture, welcomed the event, saying that Indian filmmakers will encourage young filmmakers in Ethiopia through a transfer of skills, knowledge and technologies that are important for the development of the local film industry.
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The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) called for applications for two commercial radio licenses in an advert in the state run Herald newspaper. A number of media groups described it as nothing more than a political ploy by the Mugabe regime, who wants to deflect criticism at next month's SADC summit on Zimbabwe. The SADC approved election roadmap states that a new board should be appointed for the Broadcasting Authority and new broadcasters should be licensed. But the media groups said the radio license offer also disregards a section of the GPA and agreements made by negotiating teams from the 3 political parties.
The licenses offered would run for 10 years and there is an application fee of $2500. There are also annual fees of $15,000 plus 1 percent of the gross annual turnover and $7500 in public consultation fees. Other miscellaneous fees will also be charged and the application deadline is June 30th.
The composition of the BAZ board, headed by former Media, Information and Communication Minister Tafataona Mahoso, has been a contentious issue for years now. Stalwart ZANU PF supporters were appointed to the board, without consultation, in 2009.
Patience Zirima, coordinator of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, welcomed the potential addition of two new "radio players" but said the group had serious concerns. "The BAZ board is still under dispute and we are not sure under what legal basis they are offering licenses. We need this clarified," Zirima said.
She added: "What we want is a total liberation of the airwaves as is required by section 19 of the GPA, which says the unity government would free the airwaves so citizens can enjoy the right to freedom of speech."
Zirima also criticized the state run ZBC radio for increasing the percentage of ZANU PF jingles and hate speech being broadcast. She said no other political party has been given the same space to broadcast their views.
Loughty Dube, director of the Media Institute of Southern Africa- Zimbabwe (MISA), dismissed the call for applications for licenses as just a ZANU PF ploy. He said they want to appear as though they are meeting the demands of the GPA, ahead of the regional summit next month.
"The issue of media reforms is on the GPA agenda and ZANU PF wants to look like they have made progress", Dube said, adding: "But Mahoso's views on freedom of speech are well known. He is against opening up the media."
Dube explained that it would have been "prudent" to license community radio stations first because they are less expensive to establish and some are ready to start broadcasting in Zimbabwe. He said commercial radio should be the last level to receive licenses and the first thing that should happen is to transform the ZBC into a true public broadcaster. "ZANU PF jingles still dominate ZBC," said Dube.
SW Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa said BAZ chairman Mahoso appeared on the state run ZTV offering the licenses and the issue has caused much debate in the capital. "The talk is that the fees are exorbitant and the government knows no-one can raise that amount by June 30. They also know that radio would reach the majority of Zimbabweans and they don't want that," Muchemwa said.
Muchema said there is no media freedom in a country where newspaper vendors still get attacked and journalists are harassed by the authorities over their stories.
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25 May 2011, Reporters Without Borders is shocked to learn that Sylvain Gagnetaud, a journalist who openly supported former President Laurent Gbagbo's Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), was killed two weeks ago in Yopougon, a suburb of Abidjan, which has seen frequent post-election violence and clashes in recent months between pro-Gbagbo militiamen and forces loyal to President Alassane Ouattara.
Deputy editor and presenter at Radio Yopougon and a leading member of the Organization of Côte d'Ivoire Professional Journalists, Gagnetaud was arrested during a sweep by pro-Ouattara forces through the Yopougon neighbourhood of Koweït on or around 8 May and was executed soon afterwards along with youths suspected of being militiamen, several different sources say.
This devastating development has fuelled concern about the future of the media in Côte d'Ivoire. Despite the encouraging reappearance of opposition newspapers, journalists and media that remained loyal to Gbagbo throughout the post-election violence continue to be hounded by the country's new authorities.
Nina Bolou, one of the directors of Cyclone, the company that publishes the opposition daily Le Temps, was arrested by armed men at the newspaper yesterday. She had gone there with a lawyer and a court official to survey the damage from an attack on its premises several weeks ago. Le Temps was due to resume publishing in the next few days.
"We are very disappointed to see that the situation continues to be very tense and delicate for many journalists and that reprisals are becoming more frequent," Reporters Without Borders said. "The ability of the security forces to shed light on Gagnetaud's murder will be a test for the newly-installed authorities. We urge the judicial system to identify and try those who were behind this journalist's murder in order to end the impunity. We also call on President Ouattara's government to keep its promises and to create the conditions for a free and independent press."
After Gbagbo's ouster, Radio Yopougon was attacked and set on fire on the night of 13 April and Gagnetaud had tried to flee Yopougon, where fierce fight was taking place. Precise information about the circumstances of his arrest and death is not available.
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Launched May 25, 2010 (Africa Day), TV5Monde + Africa, a WebTV channel dedicated to the continent and the African audiovisual creation announced excellent performancs. In less than a year (June 2010-March 2011), its audience has increased two-fold, and in March 2011 it reached a monthly record of more than 200,000 visits. Since its launch, over 1.1 million videos were viewed by users. A quarter of the WebTV audience comes from the United States, followed by France, Canada, Germany and Senegal.
African fiction topped the most watched programs, such as the Ivorian series "Class A", "Dr. Boris" and "Ma Famille". All types of programs offered on the WebTV channel have also found their audience: films, short films, documentaries, sports, magazines and current affaires.
Building on top of the resources already deployed by TV5Monde on its linear signal, TV5Monde + Africa was instrumental last year in the exhibition of Francophone African audiovisual production and exhibition, including: 10 sets of series (more than 400 episodes) 14 ‘cinema’ long feature films, 20 short films and 5 fictions.
TV5Monde + Africa is the first generalist WebTV channel dedicated to the continent, completely free and in French, accessible worldwide. It is available directly from its “Africa portal” on TV5Monde’s website here:
Given the success obtained with TV5Monde + Africa, the channel is now studying new methods of distribution for its WebTV (Facebook, connected television sets, etc.)
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Communications Minister Roy Padayachie delivered his budget vote speech in parliament today, shedding light in the Department of Communications’ plans in the telecoms and broadcasting space. One of the department’s focus areas is the migration from analogue to digital TV broadcasting.
In December 2010 cabinet reaffirmed its decision to adopt the DVB-T standard for the process of digital migration, said Padayachie. “Accordingly, Cabinet adopted the preferred standard of DVB-T2, an upgrade of DVB-T, and agreed to December 2013 as the new switch-off date, with a view to allow the period between 2013 and 2015 to address any challenge that may arise towards the ITU deadline (of 2015),” the minister said.
According to Padayachie the Department of Communications (DoC) will implement interventions to ensure that South Africa migrates to digital broadcasting by 2013. “Significant progress has already been made in implementing the Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy for South Africa.”
“A successful trial conducted by broadcasters and the signal distributor has demonstrated that South Africa is ready with the process of migrating from analogue terrestrial television to digital terrestrial television using the adopted DVB-T2 standard,” said Padayachie. The minister added that substantial work has been done by Sentech in upgrading its broadcasting infrastruture from the existing DVB-T to DVB-T2.
Last year former communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda said that Sentech’s target was to reach 60% population coverage by the end of the financial year 2010/11 (hence March 2011).
Padayachie today confirmed that this target was reached. “By March 2011, Sentech achieved 60% population coverage on the DVB-T2 standard,” the communications minister said.
Padayachie said that the uptake of digital broadcasting technology will expand the public bouquet in content viewing, for example, increase the number of channels from the current 3 SABC channels to over 10. “These additional channels will provide an opportunity for the growth and transformation of the local content development industry,” said Padayachie.
“We expect the South African Bureau of Standards to finalise the second generation DVB-T2 standard during the last quarter of 2011,” said Padayachie. “The set-top box (STB) manufacturing strategy and the scheme for the framework for ownership support will be submitted to Cabinet in August 2011. We are consulting widely with industry and relevant stakeholders towards finalising this process. ”
According to the minister this will pave the way for the DoC to select the preferred STB manufacturers for the subsidised market by November 2011 and deploying the necessary infrastructure for the distribution of the subsidised STBs.
“The manufacturing of subsidised STBs will commence following Cabinet approval. With regard to the unsubsidised STB market, manufacturing will begin once the SABS standards process is concluded. We anticipate that the digital terrestrial television public launch will take place in April 2012,” said Padayachie.
Sentech will, in June 2011, switch-on the first DVB-T2 test transmission at the Brixton tower in Johannesburg, targeting townships and informal settlements around the Johannesburg metropolitan area.
“By end 2012, Sentech will have upgraded the existing infrastructure to DVB-T2, to cover 80% of the population. We intend to achieve 100% population coverage by the end of 2013 to enable analogue signal switch-off,” said Padayachie.
“Working together with all broadcasters and signal distributors, an integrated DTT project implementation plan has been developed and will seek Cabinet approval in August 2011. Due to the complexity and the magnitude of the digital migration process, we have decided to establish a dedicated Digital Migration Project Office to be located within the Department to drive the DTT implementation plan,” the minster concluded.
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9 - 26 June 2011
Encounters
Venue: Cape Town, South Africa
Tel: [+ 27] 21 465 46 86
Fax: [+ 27] 21 461 69 64
distribution@encounters.co.za
For more information click here:11 - 19 June, 2011
The 8th African Film Festival of Tarifa, Spain
Venue: Tarifa, Spain
For more information click here:18 - 26 June, 2011
Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF)
Venue: Zanzibar, Tanzania
East Africa's largest film and arts festival, showcasing a broad spectrum of African films.
For more information click here:28-29 June 2011
Connected Home World Summit
Venue, Grand Connaught Rooms, London
Deploying managed home services to drive loyalty, revenue & growth
Informa Telecoms & Media announces details of the Connected Home World Summit. Sponsored by Motorola, Jungo, Lea and Twonky, the Connected Home World Summit aims to bring industry players together to listen to thought leadership, network with key players and increase Connected Home’s potential financial reward for all concerned.
For a full list of speakers, to download the brochure and to register to attend, please click here:
5 - 6 July 2011
Broadcast, Interactive, Internet and Hybrid TV in Africa
Venue: Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
The objectives of this event are to bring together the global TV and Telecom industries with a specific focus on the unique African market to understand how the digital and interactive TV revolution will create both growth and new opportunities.
Pre-Course Workshop will be held on 4th July 2011, the conference will run from 5th - 6th July 2011 and the post-course workshop will take place on 7th July 2011.
For more information click here:6-7 July 2011
Broadcast & Film Africa 2011
Venue: Oshwal Centre Nairobi, Kenya
Africa’s broadcast and film industries are entering the new decade full of dynamism and potential as a result of last liberalisation in broadcasting and unprecedented entrepreneurial drive in film-making over the past decade. The 3rd African Broadcast and Film Conference will provide a stock-taking opportunity for players in both industries, and empower them with the knowledge and business contacts they need to build effectively on the gains so far.
For more information please click here:20 - 22 July 2011
Mediatech Africa 2011 Exhibition
Venue: The Coca-Cola Dome - Northgate - Johannesburg (South Africa)
Mediatech Africa SA's only all-inclusive broadcast, media, entertainment and AV trade. It showcases cutting edge technologies and services from industry leaders in television and broadcast, sound and audio, lighting and staging, animation, communication and related fields.
For more information click here:21 - 24 July 2011
Festival du Monde Arabe du Court-métrage Azrou-13 edition
Venue: Ifrane
Arab short film festival. Subscription closes on 15 March 2011. Call for short films closes on 15 May 2011. Two training workshops will take place on the side. Results will be announced on 1 June 2011.
For more information click here:21 - 31 July 2011
DIFF - 32nd Durban International Film Festival
Venue: Durban (South Africa)
Contact: Durban Film Office –
For more information click here:
22 - 25 July 2011
The 2nd Durban FilmMart
Venue: Durban (South Africa)
Contact: Durban Film Office –
For more information click here:
31 July 2011
The African Audio-Visual Awards (TAVA)
Lagos, Nigeria
TAVA Awards
Venue: Lagos, Nigeria.
Tel.: 01-8936601
Email: okey@tava-awards.com
TAVA Awards is a platform created to celebrate the finest Africans behind great films, television productions, advertisements and music videos. All those who employ sound a picture to tell their stories in order to create entertainment. Entries to the awards closes on June 15th.
For more information click here: http://www.tava-awards.com/July - Sept. 2011 (final dates tba)
African film festival (AFF) in NYC
Venue: NYC, USA
Outdoor Summer Screenings in NYC Parks. Featuring dance, music, food and of course films. AFF programs year-round; therefore, AFF organisers accept submissions on an ongoing basis.
For more information click here:21 – 24 August 2011
The 13th PAMRO meeting and All Africa Media Research Conference
Venue: Dakar, Senegal at the Le Méridien President Hotel.
For more information click here:
27 August - 4 September 2011 (final date tba)
Zimbabwe International Film Festival
Competitive for features, shorts, documentary with 12 ‘Mweya Awards’ in different categories.
zimfilmfest@zol.co.zw9 - 14 August 2011 (tbc)
Lola Kenya Screen
Venue: Nairobi, Kenya
Tel:[+254] 20 315 258, 221 3 318
For more information click here:
director@lolakenyascreen.org31 August - 10 September 2011
Venue: Mostra de Venise
Tel: [+39] 041 5218706
Fax: [+39] 041 5218879
For more information click here:
indoffice@labiennale.org11 - 14 Septembre 2011
HighwayAfrica 2011
Venue: Rhodes Uni., Grahamstown, SA.
A show focused on journalism and new multimedia. For fourteen years the Highway Africa conference has been at the centre of Africa’s debates on journalism and new media. The conference has over the years become the largest annual gathering of African journalists in the world. For more information click here:3 - 8 Octobre 2011
« Festival du Court Métrage Méditerranéen de Tanger »
Venue: Tangier, Morocco
A festival focused on short films.
E-mail : ccm@menara.ma5 - 9 October 2011
Africa in the Picture
Venue: Bioscoop het Ketelhuis in Amsterdam, NL
Tel:[+31] 20 622 7 151
Fax:[+31] 20 627 15 44
For more information click here:
info@aitp.nl
20 - 22 October 2011
ZAFAA 2011 - The Zulu African Film Academy Awards
Venue: London, UK
Closing Date for Entries is Friday May 20th 2011.
African Film Festival & Academy Awards
For more information click here:21 - 29 October 2011
Cinemed (« le Festival du cinéma méditerranéen »)
Venue: 78, av. du Pirée - 34000 Montpellier - France
Tel. +33 (0) 499 13 73 73
Fax +33 (0) 499 13 73 74
info@cinemed.tm.fr
Deadline: 8 July 2011
For more information click here:21 - 30 October 2011 (tbc)
Kenya International Film Festival (KIFF)
Venue: Nairobi, Kenya
Tel:[+254] 2 201 05 26
Fax:[+254] 722 897 216
For more information click here:25-28 October 2011
CDN WORLD SUMMIT 2011
Venue, Hilton Paddington Hotel, London
The 3rd annual CDN World Summit promises to be the largest and most comprehensive CDN event ever. In partnership with BT Wholesale as the host operator and those already confirmed to the stellar line up which will include over 80 speakers.The full value chain is represented including content providers, broadcast operators, traditional and telco CDNs, represented by industry leaders such as; FilmFlex Movies, BT Wholesale and AT&T.
For details please click here
26 - 31 October 2011
Annual Tricontinental Human Rights Film Festival
27 Palmer Road, Muizenberg, Cape Town, 7945 – South Africa
Tel: [+27] 21 788 5462 - Fax: [+27] 21 788 5469
For more information click here:27 October – 6 November 2011
Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival
Venue: Edinburgh's Filmhouse cinema
The UK's largest African Film Festival
29 October - 6 November 2011
Festival Amakula Kampala
Venue: Uganda, Kampala
Tel: [+256] 41 427 35 32
For more information click here:
info@amakula.com
31 October - 7 November 2011
Out In Africa
South African Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Venue: various, see website
For more information click here:25 November - 4- December of 2011
International Film Schools Festival - 34es « Rencontres Henri Langlois »
Venue: TAP,Poitiers, France
The Festival organiser invites African film students to join is. The Festival gathers about 15000 participants and about 100 professionals. A trade market is held on the side (includes CineSud).
For more information click here:30 November - 3 December 2011
MYCONTENT, 4th Dubai International Character & Licensing Fair and 4th Dubai World Game Expo.
Venue: Dubai
MYCONTENT - (exhibition & conference) in dedicated to the Middle East & North Africa. It is MENA region’s 2nd entertainment content marketplace which will be held in conjunction with 4th Dubai International Character & Licensing Fair and 4th Dubai World Game Expo.
For more information click here: -
MDDA CEO morns the death of this father
Johannesburg May 23rd 2011: The MDDA - The Media Development and Diversity Agency of South Africa supporting local media - is sad to announce the passing away of Rev. Dalindyebo A.B Mtimde at his home in Mvenyane village in the Eastern Cape. Rev. Dalindyebo Mtimde is the father of Lumko Mtimde the CEO of the MDDA. Rev.Mtimde was 76 years old when he met his untimely death on the 18th of May 2011 after a short illness. He will be laid to rest at his home on Saturday the 04th June 2011 at 09h00 sharp in Mvenyane, near Cedarville, Matatiele, Alfred Nzo District, Eastern Cape.
Lumko Mtimde says “My farther was my stalwart, my pillar of strength, and he was a man loved and respected by many people in the community of Mvenyane and the surrounding villages, as a family we will miss him and we know that he is resting in peace”. Rev. Dalindyebo Mtimde was a selfless citizen, who served the nation as an HR manager, a teacher, a principal and a priest. He served in many community projects, a leader and (amongst others) a former committee member of Mvenyane Creche, Mvenyane Post Office and a founder member of Tyiweni Clinic (Ntlola).
Click here to read more.At the Cannes Film Festival this year, Marie-Christine Saragosse, Director of TV5Monde and Etienne Fiatte, Director of CFI (Canal France International) signed on Friday 13th. May 2011 a partnership allowing both companies’ staff to focus on supporting interventions abroad. TV5Monde and CFI share the same office building in Paris 17, France.
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African Media Initiative seeks Director of Communications & Knowledge Management, and more executive positions
The African Media Initiative (AMI) seeks to strengthen the media sector, from an owner and operator perspective, so that it can play its full role in promoting social development, economic growth and in empowering citizens to hold governments and other institutions to account.
AMI is incorporated in the Republic of Kenya as a non-profit, nongovernmental organization and enjoys the benefits of a Host Country Agreement with the Government. To strengthen its institutional building, AMI is looking to employ a Director of Communication & Knowledge management. The incumbent will report to the CEO.
Duties and Responsibilities:
This position is responsible for the overall coordination of AMI's content production destined to improve the knowledge and capacity of its members; organize and implement AMI's corporate communication towards its members, supporters, stakeholders and other civil society and government entities. Specific duties and responsibilities include:
•Identify and provide relevant content to help improve media owners' knowledge Conduct AMI and AMLF press relations Lead AMI, AMLF and associated project websites content management and act as liaison with websites contractor
•Prepare AMI materials and publications and ensure efficient distribution
•Coordinate AMLF and other events planning including C level seminars and media owners' voice leverage Participate actively in coordinating the process of defining the Leadership & Guiding Principles Code
Qualifications:The ideal candidate should possess a minimum of 10 years experience in a similar position in Africa working with media owners and operators from around the continent. The incumbent must have a strong Knowledge and experience in media development on the continent and a clear understanding of the challenges facing the industry. He/she must demonstrate a solid track record in delivering pilot projects in view to scale them.
Application Process:
Interested candidates should submit electronic applications, consisting of a letter of interest (two pages or fewer) and complete curriculum vitae, in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDFFormat, to the following AMI email address by close of business on Wednesday, 1 June 2011: jobs@africanmediainitiative.org - please include "AMI Director of Communications & Knowledge Management Search" in the subject line.