EAST Festival 2022: Local storytelling for global challenges

Global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and climate change demand local action while posing existential challenges to journalism. The hybrid EAST Festival 2022 with the theme "Local change, global impact: Building informed and thriving communities through journalism" puts these topics into focus.

In a creative festival setting in Uganda's largest media hub, EAST Festival will feature workshops and discussions, music, exhibitions and encounters with local artists. The event will focus on new approaches to storytelling, audience development, journalism training, innovative economic models and the newsroom of the future.

Innovative formats for young audiences

The EAST Festival - organized by Aga Khan University and DW Akademie in cooperation with the Media Challenge Initiative Uganda - is taking place for the second time and will bring together media professionals, journalists, innovators and experts from Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. Together, they will explore vital questions: How can news fatigue among young people be overcome?  How can media address young audiences with innovative formats and thus counter major problems, such as disinformation? Other program highlights include discussions on "feminist journalism", debates on decolonizing the media in Africa and a live production of a podcast.

Journalists Nancy Kacuringa (BBC News), Larry Madowo (CNN) will present and contribute their own unique approaches, along with representatives of the program "Innovators in Residence", such as the makers of the first TV show for the hearing impaired in Uganda.

The event will be moderated by Edith Kimani, Deutsche Welle and Ben Mwine.

Participation is free and possible via livestream (Zoom and Youtube).

You can register here.

The EAST Festival is part of the Media Futures East Africa Project of Aga Khan University, the German Development Bank KfW and DW Akademie, in collaboration with the Media Challenge Initiative Uganda. Under the title "Media Viability", the project supports media organizations in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in developing sustainable strategies for quality journalism and innovation in the media and to ensure the future viability of the media in the region.

Click here for more information on the project.

You can find the EAST Festival 2022 website here.