This series stems from a master’s course in international communication at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits University), where discussions revolved around the coverage of the African dimension of the COVID-19 pandemic by international and African media. After the completion of the classes, students submitted assignments in the form of essays, choosing one African country and its media or any international media outlet as the focus of analysis. The essays were subjected to a workshop program in which the students made presentations on their essays and received feedback from a group of 10 African journalism and media scholars under the auspices of the African Media Salon. They were published on the Africa Portal during December 2020 – February 2021.
These essays constitute an early contribution of knowledge on the intersection of media and international communication drawing on concepts such as public diplomacy, soft power and the international political economy of communication.
This series is a partnership of the Wits University’s Journalism Department, the African Centre for the Study of the United States and the Africa Portal, a project of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).
