As the countdown for the 70th anniversary of the historic 1955 Asian-African Conference popularly known as the Bandung Conference starts, various initiatives are being organized by different sectors and groups to examine how this pioneering initiative can be energized.

In the sector of communication and journalism, the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), together with the Universitas Padjadjaran (UNPAD) and Far Eastern University (FEU), are convening the 29th AMIC Annual Conference with the theme, Talk ASAP: The Africa-Asia Pacific Dialogue on Communication Issues.

UNPAD is a well-respected public university founded in 1957 in Bandung in West Java, Indonesia.

Co-hosting the event is FEU, a private, non-sectarian university located in Manila, Philippines, which was founded in 1928. The FEU Institute of Arts and Sciences – Department of Communication, an institutional member of AMIC, represents the country’s communication media scholars, professionals, and practitioners.

AMIC is a 51- year-old international non-government organization (INGO) mandated to spearhead communication media development in the Asia Pacific region.

There is currently no exclusive venue for dialogue and exchange of lessons and experiences between Asia and Africa particularly on the communication and media sectors.

Why an Africa-Asia Pacific Dialogue? AMIC Chairperson Dr. Crispin C. Maslog cited some reasons. First, the majority of the emerging and developing countries are from these two continents. Second, the population of these two continents combined represents 77 percent of the global population. Third, there are many similarities in the socio-political context between Asia and Africa including many common communication and media issues that countries in these two continents are facing.

According to Dr. Dadang Rahmat Hidayat, Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, the conference will jump-start collaborative projects among Africa and Asia Pacific communication media institutions in diverse areas such as research and development, publications, faculty exchange, scholarship, multimedia productions, etc.

Leading thought leaders in communication media from Asia and Africa have confirmed their participation in the conference. Resource persons and participants come from Africa and Asia Pacific.

The Conference Secretariat received and reviewed over 400 abstracts, a record number, according to AMIC Secretary-General Ramon R. Tuazon, which indicates keen interest among communication educators, scholars, and practitioners from the two continents to pursue an inter-continental partnership.

UNESCO is a conference partner. Africa is one of UNESCO’s two global priorities. It has adopted Africa as one of its global priorities. It has recently adopted its Operational Strategy for Priority Africa 2022-2029.

For more details about the conference, please visit https://sites.google.com/amic.asia/29thamicannualconference/home?authuser=0

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