The CBA is to run a workshop in Malawi for local content producers and NGOs, and their counterparts in nearby Zambia and Botswana. The programme aims to help broadcasters and organisations create more gender-balanced TV and radio.

According to the Global Media Monitoring project, in Africa 77 per cent of stories reinforced gender stereotypes, and several studies consistently confirmed that women were grossly under-represented in the media.

The 4-day Women in the Media workshop will work to increase engagement between NGOs working with women and mainstream broadcasters in south-east Africa. By bringing together broadcasters and organisations, they can work collaboratively to forge a new approach to gender in the mainstream media.

Starting on November 12, the event will bring together speakers from a variety of the region’s community-based organisations and broadcasters, with a view to increasing the visibility of women’s voices, gender concerns as well as concerns of the poor, including service delivery issues in broadcasting.

The event will be run in partnership with Unesco and the Commonwealth Foundation, supported by the CBA’s lead member in Malawi, MBC, and Oxfam.

Image top right: Creative Commons/T Samson/CIMMYT