“Dismantling communication hierarchies in displacement settings”
Hannah Murphy;
Session
Since the launch of the Participation Revolution and Grand Bargain at the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016, progress has been slow to democratise communication tools and channels for forcibly displaced people, a pressing and growing global crisis. However, media in its broadest sense is dismantling communication and information hierarchies in humanitarian contexts and disrupting traditional roles of communicator and audience, speaker and listener. Under the operational restrictions imposed by the pandemic, community groups, local media and community members were thrust into the spotlight as frontline information providers and defenders against misinformation. What stands out from the response is that media can and should play a bigger role in enabling people affected by displacement to be seen and heard and have an active role in decisions that affect their lives.
“Ghana has no camp for its internally displaced persons. But each year people are displaced due to bad weather conditions eg floods. Where do they move to?”
Maxwell Suuk;
Session
Ghana has no camp for its internally displaced persons. But each year people are displaced due to bad weather conditions eg floods. Where do they move to?
“Inclusive migration and identities: an intersectional lens”
Peter Narh;
Session
Migration discourse identifies women, youth, less educated etc as vulnerable groups who collectively hardly benefit from their movements. This proposal offers an intersectional lens to viewing how migration shapes people's lives, rather than the broad categorisation of a group of people as vulnerable..
“Information Needs Assessments in Refugee Settings”
Aarni Kuoppamäki;
Session
DW Akademie conducted three information needs assessments in 2019 to inform our work in Kakuma (Kenya), Gambella (Ethiopia) and Kigoma (Tanzania). It really helped us in designing projects to have an evidence base. I'll gladly tell you more and would like to hear about your experiences.
“Interview with Barnabas Samuel, CDC: Local media promoting peaceful local elections in refugee camps”
Johnny Fisher;
Session
-
“Managing Misinformation and Rumours in Humanitarian context”
Taphine Otieno;
Session
The March, 2021 sudden call by the Kenyan Government to shut down the Kakuma and Daadab camps prompted a discussion regarding their closure, most importantly by those who will be directly impacted by it. Kakuma refugee camp, particularly is a rife with misinformation and rumours about the uncertainities surrounding the closure of the camp. How best can we handle such misinformation and rumours without causing further harm to the refugees?
“Rights-based approaches in refugee camps and settlements: A case study of Kenya”
Mordecai Odera;
Session
The talk will explore the following issues: Brief introduction of how accountability has evolved In refugee settings in the last eleven years; Is the understanding of accountability/ rights-based approaches among aid agencies and affected populations unified? What is missing? Where does the power lie? Are refugees empowered enough to demand accountability from duty bearers? Is the environment supportive?; The role of human rights defenders and activism from among refugees. Movement building is possible in a refugee setting, i.e., the LGBTQI protest in Kakuma understanding if they were successful because they had a channel of resources and enjoyed greater awareness of their rights. What can be learned from this movement?; The nexus between economically empowerment persons, activism, human rights defense, and accountability; and Online movement-building, social media activism, community media as champions of human rights, and its relevance in refugee settings.
“Rights-based approaches in refugee camps and settlements: A case study of Kenya”
Mordecai Odera;
Session
The talk will explore the following issues: Brief introduction of how accountability has evolved In refugee settings in the last eleven years; Is the understanding of accountability/ rights-based approaches among aid agencies and affected populations unified? What is missing? Where does the power lie? Are refugees empowered enough to demand accountability from duty bearers? Is the environment supportive?; The role of human rights defenders and activism from among refugees. Movement building is possible in a refugee setting, i.e., the LGBTQI protest in Kakuma understanding if they were successful because they had a channel of resources and enjoyed greater awareness of their rights. What can be learned from this movement?; The nexus between economically empowerment persons, activism, human rights defense, and accountability; and Online movement-building, social media activism, community media as champions of human rights, and its relevance in refugee settings.
“Social messaging apps: GPS for the displaced, amplifier of disinformation?”
Ruona Meyer;
Session
Used by billions worldwide, social media (particularly messaging apps) is emerging as a tool of evasion, exclusion and news consumption, helping refugees and other migrants manoeuvre across increasingly restrictive borders.
While the latter means messaging apps may help refugee populations safely manoeuvre dangerous borders, escape surveillance and foster community away from home, the reality is that these apps are also a fulcrum for disinformation, which splinters displaced populations.
This weaponization of social media apps has most recently resulted in a redirection of migratory flows from Haiti to the US, with intending migrants falling victim to disinformation. On the other end of the spectrum is the reality of social media also becoming a tool for disinformation that fuels outrage-based xenophobia, whereby the migrants who “made it” become targets; an ongoing example is the fake “Lerato Pillay” and her #PutSouthAfricaFirst in South Africa. Completing the trifecta is the European Union, noted as hacking data to track migrant movement across Africa and the Middle East.
This panel will examine these two pillars from an African perspective, with a view to proffering solutions on what interventions can be made to ensure the present challenge of displacement is not compounded by the twin evil of disinformation.