Welcome to our first blog post of 2021.
We still find ourselves in rather strange times with no discernable end in sight. When the first lockdown started back in March 2020 we took the necessary steps to keep the dream of a truly independent museum archive and library alive by moving our events online. We wanted to have conversations about the global issues that really matter by focusing on 100+ countries spread across the majority world – they range from Central & South America to Africa, South Asia to South-East Asia – real people, real places, and (probably for the first time) a real event that is affecting us all……an opportunity for documentarians to capture their world, through their eyes, using documentary media – film, photography, audio, and new media.
Conflict shapes the world in which live. From the large global conflagrations of the 20th century, we have become entrenched in localized regional disputes that cause even more damage. And when I say damage, I don’t mean material damage e.g. infrastructure. I’m talking about the systematic targeting of civilians and the state-sponsored acts to drive them out or in some cases, exterminate them. The impact of these conflicts needs to be shared. Not through news outlets or different methods of reportage. But through the education of young people so they get a better understanding of the world they are inheriting. This will be the basis for our new ‘think tank’ project called Conflict Memory and Education.
Please join us for the first 10-day programme as we try to discover the most effective ways to approach this task.
January
Thursday 21st – Saturday 30th
Conflict Reportage Archive – a 10-day programme of interviews covering the theme of conflict memory and how we can discuss this important subject in educational settings – both formal and informal. It will build on the themes covered in the first 24-hour Conflict Reportage Newsroom back in May 2020 throughout World Press Freedom Day.
A blog will be posted each day to support the filmed interview with relevant documentary film, photography, audio, and new media materials.
Click here to visit the www.conflictreportage.wordpress.com site
February
Thursday 11th – Saturday 20th
Parallel Lives – a 10-day programme of interviews covering the theme of social justice across the majority world.
Countries include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Haiti, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Nepal, Pakistan, and Uganda.
A blog will be posted each day with relevant documentary film, photography, audio, and new media materials.
All content will be hosted on this website.
March
Thursday 18th – Saturday 27th
Museum of Community Media – a 10-day programme covering the themes of social movement media, community media, and digital advocacy. I will be joined by issue experts in these areas, Dr. Paul Reilly and Dr. Rob Watson to explore the archiving of the Citizens Eye community news agency (2008-2014). With a collection of 15,000+ images, 1200+ videos, and printed media, the archiving of this slice of Leicester’s social history is supported by the Media Archive of Central England (MACE).
A blog will be posted each day with relevant documentary film, photography, audio, and new media materials.
All content will be hosted on a new website: www.museumofcommunitymedia.wordpress.com
Doc Media Centre 