Speaking engaments: Digital Rights advocacy in times of crisis.
Drawing from the 2 sad experiences of unprecedented internet shut down in Northwest and South West regions of Cameroon, I have the strong urge to engage in discussions and conversations around Internet rights especially in Africa between experts, stakeholders and government actors focused on Africa.
I have firsthand devastating experiences of the 2 internet shutdown as I work and live in one of the English Speaking Regions of Cameroon with ongoing crisis, that has led to the government reducing connectivity and partially shut down in some areas to reduce communication.
During those hurting periods I shared my story on my many platforms including world Pulse. Having my story published an featured on several international platforms has led my to stand out and begin meaningful activism in this domain.
I am presently a leading female digital rights advocate in Cameroon with a developing notable voice for digital rights in Africa,
So far I have have been invited to speak at 2 conferences:
1) The Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum; #DRIF19 Lagos, Nigeria organized by Paradigm Initiative
My topic: Advocating in War Zones and Shrinking Civic Spaces on the 25th April 2019.
Goal: To contribute to open access and internet freedom by motivating digital rights activists to understand working in a difficult setting as to build a stronger advocacy coalition.
During the panel discussion we had the following:
· Sharing our experience about the 2 internet black outs .
· Talking about how we got to create a Digital Rights Coalition in Cameroon sponsored by Internews.
· Sharing about the actions carried out by the coalition and the results obtained so far.
· Discussion about using social media for Peace Building – Digital citizenship.
2) ICT4D Conference #ICT4D2019 Kampala, Uganda organized by a Consortium of Partner organizations, led by Catholic Relief Services.
This high-level annual conference gathers 1,000+ senior development community representatives of regional and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society and community-based organizations, private sector companies, multilateral and governmental agencies, academic and research institutions, development banks and aid and development funding organizations. Participants discuss current initiatives, latest trends and innovations in technology to increase the impact of their development activities.
My topic: Building a United Coalition for Digital Rights Advocacy on May 1,2019 at the Speke Resort Munyonyo.
Expected outcomes: The audience should leave with a strong drive to work towards breaking institutional, technical, and social barriers that limits digital rights and internet freedom. Connecting and strengthening strong voices and actions for a global coalition will protect and defend the positive social, economic and political change in the world that internet and open access brings.
https://drif.paradigmhq.org/speakers/https://ict4dconference2019.pathable.com/users/1568835
