Johannesburg, South Africa - It is the pleasure of the Civic Tech Innovation Network and Jamlab (both Wits University projects), to present the Civic Tech Innovation Forum 2021 (CTIF21) and Jamfest - two joint conferences this September. These week-long conferences will take place virtually between the 13th and 17th of September 2021.

CTIN annual conferences are intended to enable network members to engage face to face, learn about innovations, tools and techniques, share experiences and meet potential collaborators. They present an opportunity to gain an overview of what is going on in the sector in Africa and the world.

Jamfest is an African media and journalism conference directed at a diverse set of African media makers and media publics. The festival will showcase new content styles and approaches, new audiences and great innovations in delivery.

This will be the fifth edition of the CTIF conference. This 5 day long forum will feature an array of African civic tech actors and organisations including both governmental and non-governmental organisation, civic tech organisations, media personnel, academics, researchers, NGO, CSOs, activists, technologists, innovators, and more for the purpose of sharing, learning, inspiring, and overall capacity building.

This year’s theme: #DIYAFRICA

DIY or “Do It Yourself” refers to the practice of doing or fixing things yourself. It is an old, early 20th century concept that has grown through various movements and practices over time (e.g. makers, hackers, craft, etc.). In the age of digitalisation, DIY is challenging the dominant paradigm of the technology user as consumer to the user as creative appropriator, co-designer or co-engineer. For this conference, we hope to attract innovators and civic actors and activists who are doing it themselves. These practitioners/actors/activists will get the opportunity to talk about the work they do and present the challenges and opportunities they face as civic tech practitioners, media practitioners, activists etc.

In the 2021 CTIF / Jamfest we invite African civic tech and media innovators and stakeholders to connect around the ways in which digital innovators, innovations, initiatives and their support structures are playing out across our continent in the spaces of journalism, media, civic activism and public services, particularly in this pandemic era. We are interested in African DIY democracy – how we are co-creating meaning, identity and solutions in and for Africa.

The conference will feature a variety of international, continental and local speakers and presenters from a diverse number of fields practising on the continent and across the world. We will be looking at important topics such as urban civic tech, DIY methods and approaches, financing civic tech innovations, digital rights, anti corruption tools, and much more.

Call for Exhibitors: Showcase your innovative civic tech/media project at #CTIF2021 & Jamfest2021

Are you an African innovator using technology for good?

If so, then the Civic Tech Innovation Forum (CTIF) 2021 and Jamfest are the right place for you to showcase your innovative civic tech/media project/tool.

Another important feature at this conference is the opportunity for innovators to showcase the tools and platforms they have developed to deal with the myriad number of challenges faced by Africans in their respective countries. The aim of the exhibitions would be that of bringing together innovators, developers, funders and potential users to present on and reflect on tools developed, to further develop ideas and possibly get conceptual ideas off the ground. The exhibition is for innovators at all levels of the innovation chain.

For the showcase, we are inviting civic tech innovators who have something exciting to share which may include:

1. Impact Stories - Practical experiences, results and lessons learned
2. Newbies - Starting out stories by innovators
3. Cutting edge - New methods / tools / techniques, experimental projects, etc.
4. DIY Africa - Examples of where people are creatively solving their own problems through data / digital innovation around Africa
5. Ecosystem supports and enablers - Toolkits, training, services, etc. that are enabling civic tech

In the Media space, the following are potential focus areas to guide applicants:

1. Media sustainability & new business models
2. Innovation & Innovators
3. Tools for journalists and journalism
4. Audience engagement
5. Podcasting
6. AI/Machine learning

SUBMISSION:

For more details and for submission please complete this form Enquiries may be emailed to melissa.zisengwe@wits.ac.za

IMPORTANT DATESPublish EOI: 16 July 2021Deadline for exhibition proposals: 30 July 2021 Notification of acceptance: 6 August 2021 Booths should be ready by: 5 September 2021

The forum and festival is supported by various African partners including Corruption Watch, the Bertha Centre, ASToN Network, Media Innovation Centre (Kenya), Wits Radio Academy, South African Media Innovation Program, RadioNow95.3fm, CIPESA, Africa Digital Rights Network (ADRN) and more.

More Details to follow:

More details about registrations and speakers for this week-long conference will be released as we approach the conference. Visit civictech.africa or jamlab.africa to stay updated about the event.