Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom

This is MISA
By Kaitira Kandjii
Kaitira Kandjii is Regional Director,
Media Institute for Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Africa
(MISA). He joined <strong>the</strong> organisation
as an Information Officer in 2000,
having formerly worked in media,
government and academia.
8 | Media in Africa - 2011
Since its formal initiation in 1992, <strong>the</strong>
Media Institute of Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Africa
(MISA) can aver quite a number
of achievements accomplished
through its involvement in <strong>the</strong>
region.
As a non-governmental organisation
with members in 11 of <strong>the</strong> SADC
countries, <strong>the</strong> organisation focuses
on <strong>the</strong> need to promote free,
independent and pluralistic media,
as envisaged in <strong>the</strong> 1991 <strong>Windhoek</strong>
<strong>Declaration</strong>. Through email alerts
and our annual publication “So this is
democracy?”, MISA has consistently
monitored and reported on media
freedom violations over <strong>the</strong> <strong>years</strong>.
Over <strong>the</strong> period, <strong>the</strong>re has also
been progress in ensuring that
media freedom and <strong>the</strong> protection
of <strong>the</strong> rights of media houses and
journalists are achieved. As a result,
some dictatorial governments have
been prevented from infringing
<strong>the</strong> rights of journalists to publish
information freely and impartially.
This has been achieved through <strong>the</strong>
campaigning against legislation
that perpetuates an environment
where <strong>the</strong> media cannot function
independently. The situation, how-
ever, remains problematic in countries
such as Zimbabwe, Swaziland
and Angola where <strong>the</strong> powers-thatbe
ensure that democracy remains a
myth.
“As a result,
some dictatorial
governments have
been prevented from
infringing <strong>the</strong> rights
of journalists to
publish information
freely and
impartially.”
Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, just as criminal
defamation remains on <strong>the</strong> books
in many SADC countries, <strong>the</strong>re is
also <strong>the</strong> criminalisation of ‘insult’
to <strong>the</strong> head of state whose office
is ‘protected’ by national law. The
use of <strong>the</strong>se laws stops a country
from achieving true democracy.
Never<strong>the</strong>less, MISA has pressed
on undiscouraged and has also
managed to offer financial aid
to journalists facing such legal
predicaments.
MISA has also supported media
practitioners in distress as a result of
arrests, and it has given backing to
media houses in litigation or being
shut down. This is through its Legal
Defense Fund (LDF) established in
1996. The MISA National Chapters
in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and
Zimbabwe have since established
national LDFs, modelled on <strong>the</strong>
regional Legal Defense Fund. O<strong>the</strong>r
National Chapters like Lesotho,
Mozambique and Tanzania are in
<strong>the</strong> process of establishing <strong>the</strong>ir
funds, based on <strong>the</strong>ir needs.