The University of Cape Town (UCT) Center for Film and Media Studies (CFMS) has been selected as one of the 11 regional hubs of the next International Communication Association (ICA) Conference. Cape Town will be one of four regional hubs in Africa – the others are Cairo, Nairobi and Port Harcourt. The ICA annual conference is scheduled to take place May 21-26, 2022 in Paris, France, and is one of two major events attracting the world’s leading media and communications experts.
The other major annual conference is organized by the International Media and Communication Research Association (IAMCR). The ICA has its roots in 1950 when it was established as the National Society for the Study of Communication. This year will see the 72nd edition of the ICA annual conference.
World Scene
After being selected to host the regional hub, CFMS Associate Professor Tanja Bosch and current President of the South African Communications Association (SACOMM) said: “This will certainly raise the profile of CFMS. It certainly makes us and our work much more visible on the world stage.
Associate Professor Bosch will personally attend the conference in Paris. She will be accompanied by two of her CFMS colleagues – Professor Herman Wasserman and Dr Liani Maasdorp. All three will present papers that have been accepted for the conference.
“This will give local media and communications specialists a fantastic opportunity to be part of the energy and atmosphere of the ICA conference.”
The concept of regional hubs was born out of the realization that not everyone may be able to attend the conference in person due to travel restrictions resulting from the COVID19 pandemic. Selection as host of the regional hub followed a competitive process, which began with a response to an ICA call for proposals.
Opportunity for local media and communications specialists
The CFMS will host the regional center for the ICA annual conference in collaboration with SACOMM. The regional hub will host face-to-face local events, virtual socials and a virtual panel. The local organizing committee now has their work cut out to develop the program and finalize the list of participants by the end of April.
“Given the prestigious nature of ICA’s work, it is very important that we have been selected to host the regional hub, as it will offer local media and communications specialists a fantastic opportunity to be part of the energy and the atmosphere of the ICA conference in Paris, even if they are not physically able to be there,” said Bosch.