Africa is a geo-culturally multifaceted continent and not a cultural homogeny. Reporting Africa should reflect the cultural diversity, which both African and non-African media often ignore. The syllabus is, therefore, an attempt to address the paucity of teaching and learning materials on reporting Africa. It is meant to provide a conceptually relevant and practically sophisticated basis for reporting a culturally diverse continent in continual flux.

The syllabus, once developed, will be subject to wide-ranging consultation and validation through such tools as the African Journalism Schools online platform and the World Journalism Education Congress panel on reporting Africa, before it is finally published and disseminated throughout the world. During this intellectual process, it is important for African journalism and media experts and scholars to reclaim the epistemological and ontological ground in articulating a vision of journalistic practice that is rooted in their lived experiences.

Spearheaded by Prof. Fackson Banda, from Rhodes University’s SAB Ltd-UNESCO Chair of Media and Democracy, in cooperation with the UNESCO Windhoek Office, the project will involve all media practitioners, trainers and experts who have a keen interest in indigenising journalism education. To this end, both institutions call upon and invite all interested parties to actively take part in the development and inception of the syllabus. An online discussion has been set up in order to review the project document. To participate in the discussion please register on the African Journalism Schools platform at: http://journalismschools.unesco-ci.org