The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) is putting together a book of essays in honour of Dele Giwa, who was assassinated on October 19, 1986.
Oladele Sunmonu Giwa was a fiery and courageous Nigerian journalist, Editor-in-Chief and founder of Newswatch, a weekly magazine founded in 1984.
He was assassinated on October 19, 1986, through a letter bomb delivered at his residence in Lagos. He was 39 years old at the time.
Giwa was a journalist of repute and astute writer whose pen was the nemesis of the military ruling class and its collaborators.
Despite his courage, patriotism, commitment to social justice and freedom of expression and the fact that he paid the supreme price in the pursuit of truth, little has been done to immortalize his life and work.
October 19, 2021, marks the 35th anniversary of the murder of Dele Giwa. Thirty-five years after, his family is still waiting for justice to be served; his killers and their accomplices have yet to be brought to book.
Dele Giwa redefined Nigerian journalism because of his courage and his writing. Although there are a few books on Dele Giwa, the first being Born To Run by Dele Olojede, another gifted journalist, who was working with Giwa in Newswatch at the time the heinous crime was committed, not much has been done in concrete terms to promote his legacy.
The Dele Giwa Book of Essays is a key feature of the Dele Giwa Annual Lecture and Awards on Courage and Accountability in Journalism scheduled to hold later in the year.
The book aims
• To honour Dele Giwa and promote the ideals he died for;
• To serve as an opportunity for young journalists to explore and discuss new issues and challenges facing the media and journalists in Nigeria;
• To reflect on the diminishing civic space in Nigeria and what journalists and citizens need to do to assert their rights;
• To examine concerns such as the safety of journalists (both online and
offline), and the best way to push back against a growing climate of
disinformation and threats by the State;
• To recognise journalists and media practitioners that have stood firm despite constant violations and attacks.
AFRICMIL invites young journalists across the country to contribute essays to the book.
Guidelines
• Contributors MUST be journalists under 40 years and affiliated with a recognised media house in Nigeria.
• Essays should be between 1000 and 1200 words (maximum) and submitted in Microsoft word document (Times New Roman – 12 points). They MUST reflect the aims of the book. Essays and other details should be submitted to delegiwa35@gmail.com latest by Sunday, October 10, 2021.
We urge contributors to peer review their essays before submission.
For further enquiries, please contact Ayoola Babalola (babalolaemmanuel16@gmail.com)
