Fesmedia recently undertook the task of teaching
children and young adults about their right to have access to information in
Havana, Windhoek on the 28th of September.
The main aim of the project was to raise public awareness on the vital role that access to information plays in not only their personal lives but also its importance to democracy. This workshop was aimed at children but also sought to make a point on the issue on a larger societal scale and the workshop coincided with the International Right to Information Day.
These complex concepts were communicated to the children through various creative channels to stimulate their creativity and imagination. Especially for children, drawing and painting helped to develop skills such as interpreting, critical thinking, and how to make choices based on visual information.
Fesmedia is a media project by the
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) in Africa and they mandated to seek the
promotion of the development of a free and open media landscape which enables
not only journalist and media practitioners to do their job unimpeded but also
create a society where the constituents of a nation can be active and informed
participants in the economic, social and political processes of their nation.
Additionally, they also seek to promote freedom of expression, freedom of
information and the media’s role of facilitating dialogue in society.
In recent months the talk of regulating social media has come
to the forefront of political and social discourse but is this even feasible at
the current scale of these social media networks.
Social media has created a situation where every individual
on the planet has the ability to connect to, disseminate and consume content
and with that comes various unforeseen consequences as seen by the rise of mass
shootings ,murders ,suicides being disseminated through these platforms and this rightfully has caused many to ponder
as to why these platforms cannot seemingly better control the content being
displayed on their platforms.
On the flip side of this argument due to the scale of people
using these platforms regulating the content on these platforms is a rather
difficult task as currently human moderators cherry-pick content that goes on
these platforms and in some cases there in entirely no moderation. These
companies now have to essentially play catch up to the sheer number of content
being posted onto these platforms.
In more recent times social platforms like Facebook and Whatsapp have been used to disseminate information that was considered fake news to the inhabitants of India that led to various deaths. Platforms like 4chan were used to publish the manifesto’s of suicide bombers and mass shooters. Twitter and YouTube were used as nesting grounds for extremist leftist groups and Neo -Nazi’s which after much outcry led to mass boycotting of these platforms to get rid of people that spew any form of hate speech or content that is considered hateful and harmful.Some are of the opinion that its better to let such groups fester in plain sight rather then relegate them to the darker corners of the internet where oversight isn’t a priority.
This also poses the question would the regulation of social media be good in autocratic governments where these platforms are platforms for discourse that would otherwise not be allowed in the public space examples that come to mind are countries like China where any discourse against the communist government can lead to various things like surveillance or in extreme cases imprisonment.
The question then becomes would the regulation of content on
these platforms not impact freedom of expression an speech? Also the notion of
hate speech is a rather blanket term as what constitutes hate in one country
constitutes nothing in another and to add to that who gets to decide what is
hate speech and can this not then lead to suppressing any form on content that
the masses do not like even if the content differs with the accepted truth
based on facts or just opinion .
The unregulated nature of social media helps both good actors and bad actors in society but one thing is for sure the regulation of social media itself has various implication in various settings and it does not solve all our issues and in many cases it may create new problems.
Standard Bank donated 16 pairs of boots to the football team of the Batubaja Combined School. The school will represent the Zambezi Region in the Copa Coca Cola finals which are scheduled to take place in Rehoboth this weekend. Batubaja is a village 50km outside Katima Mulilo.
What is remarkable about this team is that they not only won the Zambezi regional tournament against 20 other teams, but they did it without boots, prompting Standard Bank to come to their rescue.
The team received their boots today and also had the opportunity to meet the Chief Executive who wished them all the best in the tournament.
Base FM recently attended the launch of the BUY-a-BRICK A MUSIC FEST that is an initiative by Standard Bank to address Namibia’s housing problem that plagues mostly the lower income families of the nation. The event has met with great enthusiasm from all attendees as all at the launch were in agreement that such an initiative was greatly needed in the country. Base FM would like to extend its gratitude to Standard bank and its partners in undertaking an initiative of this nature and implore other corporates to follow in a similar path in order to address the various social and economic ills that plague our Nation.
Thank you for honouring our invitation to the launch of this historic and very important event. (OPENING STATEMENT)
I would also like to thank VMC-6 for joining us as partners in coordinating the A Capella Music Fest By its design, the A Capella Music Festival serves two purposes The one is to provide supporters of A Capella and Gospel music a platform to enjoy the music of their choice in a very friendly atmosphere.
It is not very often that Namibia hosts shows of
the A Capella kind .We hope that the lineup of artists
on the day will give Namibian music lovers a
musical treat of a lifetime.
The second and most important purpose of this A Capella Music Festival is of
course to support the Buy-a-Brick Initiative by
raising funds to address the housing needs of our low-income communities
living in informal settlements.
We know by now that there are more than half a
million of our people live in shacks or other informal
structures and are thus in need of proper housing.
We also know that Government alone cannot
address the housing needs and that is where we as
citizens must play a complementary role to
government.
This A Capella Music Festival and other initiatives
around Buy-a-Brick, afford us as Namibians a chance
to address one of the biggest social challenges in
the country.
All the funds generated through the ticket sales
for the A Capella Music Festival will be distributed to
the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia who are
directly responsible for assisting communities in
building houses they can call home.
May I also take this opportunity to thank all the corporates and individuals who have already made their contributions towards the Buy-a-Brick initiative. Rest assured that you are supporting one of the worthiest causes in our country.
PRESS RELEASE: NAMAS
2019 PRESENTERS BRING FLARE AND WIT
12 August 2019
Start//
Windhoek – With
the biggest night on Namibia’s entertainment calendar heading to Swakopmund
next month, MTC and nbc are excited to announce this year’s presenters for the
Namibian Annual Music Awards.
The NAMAs have grown in leaps and bounds, and year after
year organisers have staged a world class event. Steering towards its 9th
edition, the award show continues to celebrate excellence and creativity in the
local music industry, by awarding musicians who have shown their ability to
break boundaries and reach new ground.
For many people, it is difficult to imagine how much effort
goes into staging an event as glamorous and magical as the Namibia Annual Music
Award, including months of planning and sleepless nights for the production
team, while having to find the perfect hosts.
The search for this year’s host birthed numerous auditions
and training sessions. Now, however, the NAMAs Executive Committee is confident
that this year’s presenters will bring flare and wit, building on the success
of last year’s extravaganza.
The presenters are all young and vibrant, with enchanting
personalities to envelope a live audience, while also offering a mix of
experience and freshness.
Main Stage
Television and radio personalities Tanya Daringo and Paul
Munanjala will hold it down on the main stage. The two University of Namibia
graduates found their feet in front of the camera, as well as in radio studios,
and so they offer experience and tenacity.
Tanya has interviewed some of the biggest names in local
showbiz and crept into Namibian hearts and homes when she became the face of
the popular nbc lifestyle magazine program Tutaleni.
Tanya is known for her bubbly yet professional flair and
has worked with some of the world’s leading brands. She loves the idea of
shaping and redirecting perceptions within the media.
Some of her career highlights include hosting the Namibian
Annual Music Awards in 2018 and 2015 NAMA’s Blue room; Tutaleni; Tupopyeni and
MTC Interact, among others.
On the other hand, Tanya’s main stage counterpart Paul has
gained popularity as NBC’s Whatagwan presenter. The 27-year-old is arguably one
of the most sought-after MCs right now, and has found himself hosting some of
the biggest events in the country. He has been a familiar face on the NAMAs
stage since his debut in 2015 and continues to impress. A highlight of his
young career however has been hosting Supersport’s Homeground alongside Minnie
DlaminiJones and Lungile Radu as a guest presenter last year.
The NAMAs Blue Room
The NAMAs Blue Room offers an exciting combination of two
young Namibians who are moving towards making big stages their playground. They
first worked together on the NAMA’s 2019 nomination show, and the combination
turned out to be golden. They had chemistry and cooperated in ways often only
demonstrated by seasoned television presenters. The first half of the duo is
radio presenter and dancer, Joe Mulisa. Like Tanya and Paul, Joe too is a
former student of the University of Namibia. And while he is carving a name for
himself in the local entertainment industry, few know that he actually
graduated with a law degree.
Joe is the producer and presenter of the new generation
drive time show; ‘The Daily Dose’ on Touch FM. He first introduced himself to
Namibians when he made the NAMAs 2017 presenters cut. His return to the NAMAs
stage speaks to his holistic growth as a presenter. No one trick pony, apart
from his law degree and doing radio and hosting events, Joe is also a
professional dancer and model, He does acting and writing as well. He will be
joined in the NAMAs Blue Room by Elago Shitaatala.
Born and raised in Windhoek, the 24-year old Elago is no
stranger to the behind-the-scenes madness. She offers her artistry and
creativity when it comes to video editing to the nbc as a production officer,
working on news and current affairs. This year she has been on a mission to
prove that she doesn’t only create magic in the editing booth, but that she can
also hold her own on a live stage, as she did at the NAMAs 2019 nomination
show. Elago started her on-air presenting career as a radio presenter at a
community radio station in 2016. She has also been a presenter for 2030 In
focus on nbc and currently, Elago is a daily Sport News anchor on nbc.
The Blue Carpet
The Blue carpet remains one of the most exciting features
of the NAMAs awards night. It’s a
celebration of fashion, grace and style that allows
Namibians at home to get a glimpse of their favorite movers and shakers. This
year’s blue carpet will be hosted by Adrian Visagie and Ndapewa Ambambi. The
youngest among this year’s presenters, Ndapewa is 21 years old and from
Ondangwa. She is a final year Journalism and Media Technology student at the Namibian
University of Science and Technology. She made her debut on front of the camera
when she cohosted the NAMA nomination show blue carpet. Her co-host Adriano has been in the local
entertainment and arts industry for some time now, hacting in a number of
theatre productions, and having an Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Award
nomination under his belt. He has worked with a respectable list of corporates,
and offers a gentle flare to the NAMA’s 2019 blue carpet.
This year’s awards show will be hosted at the Dome in
Swakopmund on the 7th of September 2019.
24
July 2019 – Windhoek
– The Namibian Annual Music Awards announced during the Nominee
Show that the prestigious awards will be hosted at Namibia’s
coastal beauty Swakopmund on 7 September 2019. As of today, tickets
to the awards show are now available
NAMA2019
is thrilled to be back at the coast and encourage the residents from
Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and the entire Erongo region to be part of
Namibia’s biggest night in music entertainment by attending the
event at The Dome in Swakopmund.
Tickets
for NAMA 2019 has gone on sale at WebTickets Namibia and customers
can buy them at any PicknPay stores and stores in the region as well
at Wernhill Park, Auas Valley, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.
Customers
can also buy online via the website at http://www.webtickets.com.na with
their debit card, credit card or EFT payments. You can also book
online and pay at the selected outlets at any cashier in Swakopmund,
Auas Valley, B1 City, Katutura, Mega Centre, Werhnhill Park,
Ongwediva or Katima Mulilo.
Early
Bird Tickets are now available at the unbelievable discounted pricing
of only N$120 for General Seated Tickets and N$350 for VIP tickets.
The special low-price Early Bird tickets will only be available for a
limited period so be sure to go get yours today.
When
the Early Bird period ends, all ticket prices will restore to normal
non-discounted pricing and will thereafter sell at N$250 for General
Seated Tickets and VIP tickets will then sell at the normal price of
N$500.
The
Namibian Annual Music Awards is proudly brought to you by MTC and
NBC, and with generous support and co-sponsors NACN, Endjala
Investments, Standard Bank, Air Namibia, Namibia Statistics
Commission, Coca-Cola and its PowerPlay brand, Metropolitan, NWR,
Tafel Lite, Namibia Film Commission, NDTC, Nascam and The Swakopmund
Municipality.
Swakopmund
is the capital of the Erongo region administrative district and
situated in the Namib desert. The town lies on the B2 road and the
Trans-Namib Railway from Windhoek to Walvis Bay.
The
Dome is heralded as the new Business, Entertainment and Sports Hub of
Namibia, attracting a growing number of business travelers, sports
teams, tourists and holiday makers.
Subscribe
and follow the official digital channels for the Namibian Annual
Music Awards and be ahead of multiple exciting announcements to
follow over the days and weeks ahead including more live
performances, hosts, meet-and-greets with the stars, amazing
competition packages, and much more.
Ever Since Namibia gained its independence on 21
March 1990 from South Africa it has been an uphill battle for the
relatively small populace of the country to secure jobs for themselves
especially the youth.
Unemployment in the country has always been rather high even
now some 28 odd years later from independence. The statistics paint a very
clear picture of how the country has dealt with unemployment since its
liberation.
According to Central Bureau of Statistics Namibia’s historical unemployment rate stands currently at 33.4 % which is historically much higher than 2012-2014 which stood at 27.4% and 27.9% respectively. Upon further analysis, Namibia’s unemployment has always been rather high with slight fluctuates every year or so.
This is shown by the depiction below:
This is rather concerning especially when one notices there seemingly is a trend that unemployment is increasing with the population size on the ground, for example, the unemployment rate stood at 34.4% at 2.48 million registered Namibians living in the country and 34% when the population was 2.44 million.
This shows that the country will suffer if it cannot find
ways of employing its people if the population continues to rise which it will.
Youth unemployment is also an area of concern as it has
largely stayed the same over a ten-year course and has not seen any significant
changes. The World Bank has stated that the Namibian youth are most affected by
Unemployment with 43.4% of them unemployed and unable to find jobs. Woman are
the second-largest group affected by unemployment in the country with 38.3% of
them unemployed.
The World Bank classes Namibia as one of the most unequal
countries in the world with a Gini Consumption of 57.6 in 2015 meaning that
there exists an unequal distribution of purchasing power throughout the economy
per household resulting in high levels of inequality for everyday citizens.
There were however some positive strides made by the country
being the reduction of the poverty line from 69.3% in 1993-1994 to 28.7 in 2009-2010 and a further 17.4% in
2015-2016 which shows that the country is tackling the issue in some capacity.
The main contributors to inequality in the country according to the World Bank is lack of education and adequate
job creation.
The following chart shows the changes in youth unemployment over the years:
The Windhoek cultural festival took place this year between 26-30 June this year at the Dr.Sam Nujoma Stadium. The show this year showcased a large variety of cultures from in and around Windhoek and cultures from the furthest reaches on Namibia.
A diverse amount of cultures were on display during the full
duration of the show and cultural performances were aplenty. The event was not
only to showcase cultures but it also served as a means through which cultural
groups could display and sell various goods and traditional cuisines.
According to organizers the goal of the show was to encourage
the empowerment of communities through culture and also to bring cultures together
to celebrate our cultural diversity.
The event received large amounts of supports from various
public figures and a number of corporates who took the time to make an
appearance in support of the initiative. One of the cultural participants the Doupos
San Cultural group made appearance at the show as they sold traditional
ornaments and performed traditional dances.
Turtu Fernandu Spokesperson for the Doupos cultural group
mentioned that they participate mainly to “bring attention to the San community
which has been marginalized for a long time and also to market their cultural products
to create revenue”.
The show was the first standalone cultural show of this magnitude
and it led to many first among which were the fireworks that lit up the Katutura
skyline for the very first time.
The event was an all-round success and based on this success
the event should become a mainstay in the Namibian events calendar every year.
At a time where Gender Based violence (GBV) is the common norm in Namibia MOBILE Telecommunications Company (MTC) along with some notable celebrities like Kp Illest, Sunnyboy and various other personalities have come together to fight GBV through the Gender-Based Violence Knockout boxing project. The event is slated for the 12th October 2019 at Windhoek Country Club with tickets ranging from N$250 for general tickets to N$10 000 for VIP Tickets.
D-NAFF AND LUIS MUNANA TAKE CENTER STAGE WITH ILKE AKWENYE.
Namibian celebrities will be lending their support to the project by being the main combatants in the boxing bonanza as they will be pit against each other in a series of boxing rounds. All the celebrity combatants will receive 3 months training from various boxing trainers including some house hold names from the boxing circle such as Nestor Tobias a boxing guru by all accounts.
The aim of the project is mainly to bring attention to the GBV issue and it hopes to as their tagline for the initiative suggest to “Knock Out GBV”.The initiative is the first of its kind in the country and Tim Ekandjo of MTC has even encouraged other corporates to support the initiative by branding the boxing gear that will be used by the celebrity boxers.
KING TEE DEE PERFORMING.
Some notable fights that will
take place will be King Tee Dee vs Exit, Paul the Prince vs Kp illest and
Sunnyboy vs Dj Cheese , Jossy Joss vs Amos Shiyuka. All the fights will be at
various weight classes and are expected to last three rounds.
basefm.news.blog 