Proceedings of the Media&Makers: Juba Open Knowledge and Sustainable Media Forum (South Sudan, December 2012).

1. MEDIA&MAKERS:
JUBA 2012
OPEN KNOWLEDGE
&SUSTAINABLE MEDIA
FORUM
documentation

2. Editor: Julian Kücklich
Managing editor: Philipp Hochleichter
Copyeditor: Cathrin Schaer
Fact-checking: Roman Deckert, Nik Lehnert
Design and layout: Gunnar Bauer
Illustrations: Julian Kücklich
Photo: Anke Fiedler
The Media & Makers: Juba 2012 Open Knowledge and Sustainable
Media Forum was organized by MICT - Media in Cooperation and
Transition and r0g_media with financial support from the German
Federal Foreign Office and UNESCO (Juba office), in collabora-
tion with UNICEF. Official Partners: Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting, Republic of South Sudan, and Association for Media
Development in South Sudan.
Contact:
MICT - Media in Cooperation and Transition
Brunnenstraße 9, 10119 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 484 93 02-0
www.mict-international.org
kuecklich@mict-international.org
This work and all the materials it contains are licensed under
a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0
Unported License.

3. dear reader,
MICT has been active in what was then Northern and Southern Sudan since 2008. Our work there began
with the collaborative production of an interactive online tool for voter education, the Electionnaire. The
following year MICT and its local partners initiated a continuous program for training young journalists
from both parts of the country. This was done with support from the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.
This project, Sudan Votes, brought together more than 50 media practitioners as well as musicians to
bridge political, cultural and linguistic barriers. After the peaceful secession of South Sudan on 9th July
2011, the project changed its name to The Niles, an homage to the Nile rivers, an essential link between
the two countries, Sudan and South Sudan.
It is obvious that professional journalism training is still necessary here in order to decrease stereotypical
and biased reporting. But over the years that MICT has been operating here, it has also become clear that
the economic conditions, in which Sudanese and South Sudanese journalists work, are equally important.
In both countries, publishing houses and their employees are hampered not just by political pressure but
also by financial constraints.
On the one hand, they are dealing with economic crises that have plagued the two countries after separa-
tion. On the other, they must cope with the same structural issues that are challenging traditional media
all over the world right now. This is particularly pertinent in the fledgling state of South Sudan where, daily,
newspapers as well as radio and TV stations have to overcome a series of obstacles just to publish or broad-
cast. At the same time their conventional revenue streams are being threatened by the digital revolution.
This is why MICT and r0g_media teamed up with UNICEF South Sudan, the South Sudanese Ministry
of Information and Broadcasting, and the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS)
to organize MEDIA & MAKERS: JUBA 2012. The conference, held in Mid-December, was funded by the
Federal Foreign Office of Germany and UNESCO South Sudan.
It consisted of two streams. One focussed on media and sustainability, the other on open data and open
knowledge models. Rather than just holding lectures, the event saw working groups come together to
discuss both themes. Three days of debate and discussion were attended by around 70 people from all over
South Sudan, including senior editors and young journalists, representatives from civil society organisa-
tions as well as government officials and members of parliament, diplomats and experts.
This paper documents the theme of media and sustainability. The following six chapters summarize the
lively discussions between international guests – mostly Africans who presented innovative solutions from
Africa, for Africa – and the local participants. The results of those discussions may contribute to creating
a more sustainable media sector in the newest nation of the world.
Truly independent media may be a long way off in South Sudan, but a more diverse multi-dependency
seems an achievable goal in the foreseeable future. After all, nascent South Sudan still has the chance to
avoid the mistakes that have damaged the plurality of expression in more developed countries. The attend-
ees demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to overcoming those challenges.
MICT would like to express particular thanks to South Sudan’s Deputy Minister of Information, the truly
Honorable Atem Yak Atem. By emphasizing the positive role that media can play in the pursuit of peace,
he reinforced hopes for a better understanding between the two neighbouring countries, Sudan and South
Sudan.
MEDIA & MAKERS: JUBA 2012 has not been a one-off. It is to be followed up by MEDIA & MAKERS:
KHARTOUM 2013 in May. Indeed, one of the most rewarding experiences of the Juba event was to be able
to witness Sudanese journalists being very welcomed by their South Sudanese counterparts - regardless
of the tensions between the two governments.
Roman Deckert
Sudan and South Sudan desk, MICT

4. 4
he world’s youngest country turned one on July 9, 2012, and although
the celebrations were clouded by the ongoing spat with Khartoum
over oil, pipelines and territories, one does not need to look far to find
evidence of South Sudan’s resurgent national pride and self-confi-
dence. The numerous posters and banners that are hung across the
streets of South Sudan’s capital, Juba, convey the spirit of state and
nation building with catchy slogans.
“Thank you, people of South Sudan, for choosing freedom.”
“Congratulations SPLM for the first anniversary of independence.”
“Thank you for peace, security, stability.”
It is no secret, however, that attaining independence was not the panacea
some expected it to be. It’s clear that many issues remain unresolved –
and that long list starts with infrastructure, national security, legislation
and a functioning medical and educational system.
South Sudan’s media doesn’t remain unaffected either. On the contrary.
But before assessing it any further, it’s important to remember that this
is a work in progress, as is the building of this new nation-state. Al-
though some media in the south in pre-secession Sudan have a strong
history – and in particular, a couple of radio stations there – in many
areas the country has had to start from scratch.
“The Western world
needs to be more patient
with us.”
As Atem Yaak Atem, South Sudan’s Deputy Minister for Information
and Broadcasting and founder of The Pioneer newspaper, put it at the
Media & Makers: Juba conference in December 2012, “the Western
world needs to be more patient with us”.
When it comes to the reform of media legislation that has been being
discussed since 2006, pressure on the South Sudanese government is
increasing and it’s coming from the international community as well
as from South Sudanese advocacy groups. One of the key local players
that has been tracking the drafting of this law from the beginning is
the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (or AMDISS),
founded in 2003 by editors and owners of leading South Sudanese
media outlets.
In March 2012, three bills for media legislation were introduced
to the Cabinet, then submitted to the National Legislative Assembly.
But they are still awaiting final approval and enactment. These laws
are the Right to Access to Information Bill (no. 54), the Broadcasting
Corporation Bill (no. 53) which plans to transform the state-run South
Sudan Radio and South Sudan Television into national public service
broadcasters and the Media Authority Bill (no. 52) which aims to
establish an independent regulatory body for media.
And media professionals in South Sudan are accusing the govern-
ment of deliberately withholding approval of these laws. The existing
legal vacuum makes it impossible for journalists and publishers to
invoke their rights to freedom of expression and media freedoms, they
say, as well as to access official information.
“We are journalists,
we don’t fear anything.
It’s the politicians that
fear us.”
This lack of trust is especially apparent in the media’s relationship
with local security forces. In recent months, most of the media outlets
in South Sudan have been threatened with censorship, repression
or detention and generally harassed. The date of December 5, 2012,
marked a low point in this young country’s history: this was the day
that unidentified gunmen shot dead the writer and journalist, Isaiah
Ding Abraham Chan Awuol, who was well known for his critical
online columns.
Even though this brutal murder is definitely not representative of most
of the threats and obstacles faced by South Sudanese journalists, it cer-
tainly made an impact. Yet the will to continue remains strong.
“We are journalists, we don’t fear anything. It is the politicians that
fear us,” Wadalla Peter, the head of community radio station, Maridi
FM, says. The station was closed for a short time by authorities in
Western Equatoria because of criticism of the government.
However it is also worthwhile pointing out that the problem does not
lie only with politicians. “Our major problem is that journalists lack
professionalism,” the Deputy Minister for Information and Broadcast-
ing has said. “Often they hold the government accountable for things
without checking the facts and without objective information.”
The poor quality of journalism education in South Sudan remains a
problem. A lot of media professionals, especially among the young-
er generation, have never had any training beyond the occasional
workshop offered by non-governmental institutions or other institu-
tions. The College of Mass Communication at Juba University cannot
maintain international standards. And those journalists who did get
the chance to study usually gained their qualification from somewhere
the media
landscape
in South Sudan
today
Anke Fiedler
T

5. 5the media
landscape
in South Sudan
today
outside South Sudan, from the University of Khartoum or the Omdur-
man Islamic University, for example – or from universities elsewhere
in Africa or in the west.
AMDISS is a strong advocate for quality journalism in the country
and has been looking for funding with which to establish a training
centre. The fact that they’re seeking these funds indicates just how
much South Sudanese media institutions are dependent on interna-
tional funding.
For example, The New Nation newspaper is completely funded by the
Belgian government. The radio station, Miraya FM, was created and is
sustained by the United Nations and the Swiss-based media organi-
zation, Fondation Hirondelle. These media outlets also compete with
independent newspapers and radio stations for advertising and sales
on the local media market.
Due to the high rate of illiteracy in South Sudan - an estimated 70 to
80 percent cannot read - news is often disseminated by community
leaders in rural areas. Increasingly mobile phones also provide infor-
mation.
Of mass media, radio is the most popular and simultaneously the
cheapest source of information in South Sudan. At the moment, around
30 FM stations are spread across the country, often supported by evan-
gelical churches. In order to reflect the new nation’s ethnic pluralism,
many programmes are broadcast in local languages like Dinka, Nuer,
Didinga or Bari as well as English and the local Arabic.
Miraya FM offers the widest national coverage. The state-run South
Sudan Radio and the Catholic Radio Network operate via a network of
nine local radio stations each and cover the most populated areas of the
country, such as Juba, Malakal and Wau. On the occasion of the first an-
niversary of independence, the Sudan Radio Service changed its name
to Eye Radio. The station is funded by USAID and broadcasts from the
capital but plans to expand its services to the other nine states in South
Sudan. Additionally international radio broadcasts, like the BBC World
Service English, the Voice of America and Radio Omdurman, are also
widely heard. There are also a number of more local, community-based
radio stations such as Maridi FM in Western Equatoria, Grace FM in
Central Equatoria and Radio Jonglei; although generally these stations
are not heard much beyond the range of their transmitters.
Newspapers are less common in South Sudan. The majority of the
printed press is in Juba and is read mainly by South Sudanese politicians,
opinion leaders and intellectuals. Hardcopies are sold by mobile vendors;
there are no kiosks or shops. The price of a newspaper varies between one
and three South Sudanese pounds and the circulation figures oscillate
between around 1,000 and 7,000 copies per edition.
One of the best known newspapers is the daily, The Citizen, the only
paper in South Sudan that owns its own printing press outside of
government owned presses. This is a major asset, especially considering
that other newspapers either have to print in Khartoum - as the bi-weekly
Juba Post does- or in Nairobi, Kenya or Kampala, Uganda; the bi-weekly
Sudan Mirror and the weekly Southern Eye do this.
It is also difficult to know exactly how many titles are currently
available on the newspaper market. In late 2012, at least a dozen
newspapers were sold on the street. This included The Christian
Times, The Juba Monitor (known as Khartoum Monitor pre-secession)
and Al Maseer, the first Arabic language newspaper in the country.
Apart from that, three glossy magazines are available in some local
supermarkets: She magazine with a female focus, the lifestyle
publication Yam Life and Gurtong Focus, which concentrates
on political issues.
“Journalists often
hold the government
accountable for things
without checking
the facts.”
As for online news, although some media outlets update their web-
sites with news – for example, Radio Miraya and The Citizen - internet
penetration is still very low in South Sudan. This is due to high in-
stallation costs, low transfer rates and, once more, illiteracy. Frequent
power outages are also a problem.
The power outages also impact television broadcasts which means
that these are also in a fairly early stage of development. If South Su-
danese want local TV, they have the following options. The state-run
South Sudan Television, which, according to programme director You-
sif Michael Dafalla, is still very poorly developed. Or they can switch
to Citizen Television, the country’s first private TV station, which
started broadcasting in November 2012.
All of this indicates that South Sudan’s media landscape is still in motion.
“Radio is a very traditional medium in South Sudan. But in the long term,
we need television, the internet and other modern means of communi-
cation,” states Nhial Bol, editor-in-chief of The Citizen and the director
of Citizen Television. Bol is convinced that these new forms of media are
on the rise in South Sudan. However, whether the politicians running the
world’s youngest country keep their word and turn South Sudan into a
beacon of democracy in the region, complete with a free and professional
press, still remains to be seen.
“In the long term,
we need television,
internet and other
modern means
of communication.”

7. 7
1. the media sector
in South Sudan
1.1 infrastructure
“We have very great hopes for the media in South Sudan, because
we believe that the media are the fourth estate. Accountability of
the government to the public can only be achieved through the
media.” This is how Joy Kwaje, an MP for the ruling Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Chairwoman of the Information
and Culture Committee in the Legislative Assembly of the Republic
of South Sudan, characterized expectations for the budding media
sector in South Sudan. Kwaje was speaking as part of an interview
conducted during the Media & Makers: Juba conference late in 2012.
However, the South Sudanese media still have to overcome many
obstacles before they can fulfil these expectations. Widespread
illiteracy, lack of a skilled workforce and lack of resources, an
inadequate energy and transport infrastructure and one of the
world’s weakest economies are just some of the challenges media
outlets in South Sudan face currently. So it’s hardly surprising that
economic sustainability is of paramount interest to the executives
helming the country’s newspapers, magazines and radio and televi-
sion stations.
As Alfred Taban, editor-in-chief of The Juba Monitor put it: “In Khar-
toum, our main problem was government interference but in Juba
there are no printing presses”.
The fact that most South Sudanese newspapers, apart from The Cit-
izen, are printed in Khartoum in Sudan, Kenya or Uganda and then
brought to Juba by air or road speaks volumes about the malaise of the
South Sudanese print sector. And the situation is made worse by the
lack of coordination between newspapers in Juba, which leaves The
Citizen’s own printing press underutilized.
For radio stations it’s far easier to reach an audience, especially as
many of South Sudan’s radio stations broadcast in local languages
such as Dinka, Nuer, Bari, and Acholi in addition to English and Juba
Arabic. Nonetheless operating the stations is costly and attracting
advertisers is difficult, especially in rural areas. Successful stations are
usually supported by international donor organizations. For example
Radio Miraya, the radio station with the greatest reach and largest
number of listeners, is operated by the United Nations Mission in
South Sudan in partnership with the Swiss Fondation Hirondelle.
Meanwhile Radio Miraya’s competitor, Eye Radio, is supported
by USAID.
The unintended side effect of this support is that home grown
stations face stiff competition from the donor-supported ones
and find it even harder to establish themselves in the market.
In the case of Radio Miraya this is exacerbated by the fact that the
station occupies broad swathes of the FM spectrum, while other
frequencies have been licensed for broadcast but are not actually
being used.
1.2. sources of income
Dependence on a single source of finance - often international donor
money - is not limited to radio. The New Nation, a newspaper founded
in 2011, is financed by the Belgian government. Printed in full colour
and boasting a professional website, The New Nation raises the bar
for other print publications in South Sudan. Few newspapers and
magazines can survive on advertising revenue and sales alone. And
even if they do, they’re often reliant on a small number of institutional
advertisers, such as United Nations’ agencies, government agencies
or NGOs.
Media executives are keenly aware of this problem but often lack
the means to diversify their sources of income. This diversification
would enable them to manage the transition to a business model with
multiple revenue streams, rather than the current model where they
are dependent on a single source of revenue. The latter also severely
limits media outlets’ ability to tap into new markets and broaden their
product portfolio.
”In Khartoum, our main
problem was government
interference – in Juba there
are no printing presses.”
At Juba’s Media & Makers conference, different financing models
and their inherent advantages and disadvantages were discussed at
length by participants. These included, among others, representatives
of the newspapers The Citizen, Juba Monitor and Southern Eye, the
women’s magazine She, radio stations Jonglei Radio and Eye Radio
and the television station, Citizen TV. They explained that grants gave
them “peace of mind” because of the steady cash flow. However they
also said that grants were not sustainable in the long term and, in
fact, that they were detrimental to creativity. One participant compared
the relationship between donor and recipient to “a father who spoils
his son”.
Several participants mentioned that their media outlets also received
irregular cash injections from private investors to keep them afloat.
However this could hardly be regarded as a sustainable business
model, if one considers that in most cases the return to investors
will be marginal at best. Newspapers face the additional problem that
the marketplace in which they operate is severely limited and that
higher circulation does not necessarily equal higher profits; this is
because the cover price does not contribute significantly to a newspa-
per’s income.
media financing
and economic
sustainability
in South Sudan
Thomas Koch
and Julian Kücklich

8. 8
In regard to advertising revenue, the participants mentioned dis
advantages such as their audiences’ lack of awareness in regard to
advertising, ethical constraints and concerns about corporate influ
ence on their editorial content. Brigitte Sins of She magazine added
that companies in South Sudan were often unaware of the benefits
of advertising. Participants believed that advertising could lead to eco-
nomic stability and a long-term increase in quality, provided that the
market kept growing, became more completive and provided potential
advertisers. Eric Wakabi of The Southern Eye added that, “because
many businesses are setting up, they need to advertise - and this is
a good young market”.
1.3. case study: The Hero
The Hero, a newspaper started in 2011 by a group of young journalists
with the assistance of a private investor, provides an informative case
study. Bongiri Peter Ladu, one of The Hero’s co-founders, outlined the
brief history of the newspaper in an interview, stressing that the lack
of trained journalists was a problem initially but that they were able
to tackle it by training their own staff. “The Hero was a newspaper
that everybody liked,” he said. “The name alone gave you courage,
it was beautifully designed and the content was very good.”
“We want to promote demo-
cracy, equality, and justice.
But who supports us?”
Ladu also felt that in the lead-up to independence, the climate became
more favourable for media: “In 2010 when elections were held, both
governments realized the importance of the media. They started chang-
ing their attitudes toward the media and started to release [more] infor-
mation.” However, he believed censorship, whether direct or indirect,
still posed a problem. “The conflict led to suspicion between the two
nations and both governments began to censor information. But as this
conflict is being resolved, things will get better,” Ladu concludes.
It was the paper’s unsustainable economic situation that eventually led
to its demise. Because the newspaper was financed by a private investor,
it was not easy to keep going. After secession, Ladu explained that The
Hero was no longer able to be printed in Khartoum. But switching to a
printing company in Kampala had raised costs so much, that they’d had
to close down. “We want to promote democracy, equality, and justice,”
a clearly frustrated Ladu said. “But who supports us?”
media financing
and economic
sustainability
in South Sudan
“Many radio stations
and newspapers don’t
know why their
listeners or readers
prefer them over others.
You need information
to make decisions.”

9. 9
2. economic sustainability
2.1. supplementary sources of income
One way out of the dilemma of dependency would include diversi-
fying media outlets’ sources of income. This could be achieved by
acquiring new advertisers by offering special rates and new adver-
tising formats. These could include advertorials and other paid-for
content such as company portraits. Obviously this is a sensitive matter
as readers and listeners must be able to distinguish between editorial
content and advertising. However, provided the boundary between the
two is not blurred, it might provide some cash-flow without damaging
credibility.
Community journalism also has the opportunity to tap into new ad-
vertising markets by attracting small businesses. This allows smaller
publications to service the niche markets that larger media outlets
do not. By cooperating and sharing resources local media outlets
can thrive and diversify the media “ecosystem”, increasing its overall
stability.
Equally promising is the possibility to branch out into other commer-
cial ventures, such as sales and services. Newspapers in Europe – for
example, Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung and the Guardian in the
UK - now routinely offer products such as CDs, DVDs and books, as
well as services such as dating agencies and ticket sales for cultural
events. They also organize lectures and dinners, capitalizing on net-
works created by their staff. It is unclear to what extent these models
could be emulated in South Sudan but the high level of interest in
the Introduction to Media Marketing segment at the Juba conference
seems to indicate that this may well be a viable option.
This does requires media outlets to position themselves clearly with
regard to target groups and advertisers. They would need to generate
unique selling propositions and highlight the advantages for audi-
ences as well as for advertisers and agencies. Currently, the South
Sudanese media sector lacks a coherent structure and there are signif-
icant barriers to entry for international advertisers. This is also due to
the fact that there is hardly any market research on different media’s
audiences in South Sudan.
2.2. audience research
Peter Biar Ajak, Deputy Country Director for the International Growth
Centre in South Sudan, characterizes the status quo regarding audi-
ence research in South Sudan succinctly. “Many radio stations and
newspapers are dependent largely, or even completely, on advertise-
ment but they don’t know why advertisers choose them rather than
their competitors. They have not asked those kinds of questions. At
the same time, they don’t know why their listeners or readers prefer
their newspaper or radio station over others. You need information
to make decisions.”
Considering that the entry of international advertisers into the South
Sudanese market is just a matter of time, it is crucial for the country’s
media to prepare for this eventuality by conducting audience research
and then positioning themselves in the market accordingly. Media
should also publish realistic and transparent data about circulation
and readership as those figures can be used as the basis for advertis-
ing rates.
“Accountability of
the government to
the public can only
be achieved through
the media.”
Among media executives in South Sudan, there is insufficient
knowledge about the role of media planning, the importance of
audience research, research methods and data analysis. While many
different organizations provide training for journalists in South
Sudan, albeit often in a superficial and intermittent fashion, hardly
anyone offers training in media marketing, business development
or market research.
However there is no doubt that these are the skills media executives re-
quire to create and maintain financially sustainable media outlets in an
increasingly competitive market where they encounter not just domes-
tic competitors but, increasingly, international ones as well. While they
face the same problems as media outlets in Europe and North America,
where newspaper circulation figures are steadily declining, they do not
have to repeat the mistakes that have been made elsewhere. For exam-
ple, giving content away for free may not be a good idea, considering
that very few international newspapers have managed to recover lost
sales revenue through online advertising. If South Sudan’s media exec-
utives are provided with the required skills and knowledge, the future of
the country’s media sector may not be as bleak as the current economic
climate suggests.
media financing
and economic
sustainability
in South Sudan
“Businesses need
to advertise, and
this is a good young
market.”

10. 10
1.
working conditions
for journalists
As media houses around the world struggle to make their balance
sheets add up, the media sector in South Sudan and Sudan is no
exception. But as well as living on the breadline, journalists attending
the Media & Makers: Juba conference outlined a further unwieldy set
of daily obstacles.
Most of the group of 30 reporters, which included print, radio and
TV specialists, combine their journalistic work with other work, public
relations, study, sales or even working as drivers or guards.
Journalists from right around South Sudan said they were often
limited in topics they could cover: subjects like the security forces,
key politicians and corruption cases were generally viewed as out of
bounds. Sudanese reporters faced similar constraints.
Writing balanced news reports was also difficult given many South
Sudanese journalists’ piecemeal education during the decades of war
that rocked Sudan. To this day professional training is scarce.
Government scepticism hampered journalists in several ways. Free-
lance journalists were unable to cover official events because press
cards from one of the media houses were required. Staff reporters,
meanwhile, have to weigh up the consequences of what, and how, they
report. Would-be citizen reporters are also unable to take photographs
freely, given widespread fears about northern spies.
Official information is scarce in South Sudan; national statistics are
either unavailable or hard to obtain. As discussed during the confer-
ence, alternative information often comes the press departments of
non-governmental organisations, or, failing that, by quoting statistics
from other media reports.
In a bid to avoid problems with the security forces, journalists wrote
under pseudonyms or hid behind a general staff by-line. In light of
this, it is hardly surprising that in 2012/13 South Sudan dropped
from rank 111 to 124 in the Reporters Without Borders World Press
Freedom Index – one of the biggest falls internationally. This was put
into stark perspective by the murder of online columnist, Isaiah Ding
Abraham Chan Awuol. His murder was viewed by many as an attempt
to silence a powerful, critical voice.
the challenges
facing South
Sudanese
and Sudanese
journalists
Jess Smee

11. 11
2.
from reporters
to entrepreneurs
Against this backdrop of specific local issues, prizewinning journal-
ist and novelist, Tolu Ogunlesi, spoke to the group on the subject of
“technologies, tools and business models”. He outlined the broad
international trends affecting journalists and suggested how working
practices could evolve to fit the faster-moving, more globalised world
of online journalism and social media reporting.
“Journalism is a profession in flux,” Ogunlesi said. “We need to
ensure we have the right tools.”
This worldwide transition is evident on the newsstand, with publi-
cations increasingly focusing on their online publications and even
scrapping print altogether, as the US magazine Newsweek did in
late 2012.
Economic pressures are a daily reality for journalists in South Sudan,
where the economy has been on a downhill slide since all-import-
ant oil income was halted in January 2012. Newspapers struggle to
find revenue sources and sometimes cannot afford to go to press for
extended periods. Journalists meanwhile can go without payment for
months on end - hence the need for alternative incomes.
Another big problem is the limited circulation of newspapers. The
best-selling publication, The Citizen, has a daily circulation of not
more than 7,000 copies across Juba and a few other states. This token
readership is linked to economic malaise and the nation’s high illitera-
cy rates; these are some of the worst on the planet with just one
in four people estimated to be able to read. Future models discussed
at the conference included giving away free copies of papers in order
to attract more advertising. Meanwhile, a focus on radio makes sense
so that media outlets can reach out to more people, regardless of liter-
acy, in their local language.
For freelancers struggling to earn a living, Ogunlesi suggested work-
ing as a small business. Successful journalists need to brand them-
selves and boost their networks. Competition is rife but a reporter can
best develop a unique niche by having a specialist subject, known as a
beat. Correspondents with in-depth knowledge on, for example, the oil
business or climate change in South Sudan would have a unique sell-
ing point. Such reporting would also help develop a less stereotyped
portrayal of South Sudan in the international arena.
the challenges
facing South
Sudanese
and Sudanese
journalists
“Journalism is a
profession in flux.
We need to ensure
we have the right
tools.”
3.
looking elsewhere
for inspiration
South Sudanese journalists also need to track the broader African
media landscape. Following the news flow from neighbouring
countries and international sources enables reporters to keep up-to-
date with media developments and style, as well as giving them the
perspective to identify pan-African trends and new markets for their
freelance copy.
This international comparison is also invaluable to readers of The
Niles website, who, according to Google analytics, are spread over
180 countries. The IP addresses show that The Niles readers include
United Nations agencies, universities including Ivy League, Oxbridge
and others across the globe. It also spans government agencies, espe-
cially in the US, UK and Norway and think tanks, including Chatham
House.
Although the internet has challenged traditional media funding
models, it also offers journalists access to new networks and sources
of support. With the click of a mouse, journalists can access details
of fellowships, journalism data and other helpful tools. Two of The
Niles correspondents have also had abuses publicised by international
media advocacy networks including Reporters without Borders and
the Committee to Protect Journalists.
As the traditional practice of journalism transforms, the Juba confer-
ence highlighted the need for full disclosure – that is, a journalist with
experience consulting for pharmaceutical companies needs to alert
his or her editor to this and declare this interest at the bottom of any
news report on the industry. There are many ethically grey areas but
honesty and full disclosure serve to inform readership and the editor
of the reporter’s background and previous work.
Specifically in South Sudan, the development of media laws and the
further development of the journalists’ union are both key tools to
protect journalists. The official union is a relatively recent develop-
ment. The Union of Journalists of South Sudan dates from 2008. Pos-
itive steps like this need to be reinforced in the future if journalists are
to be able to report freely on the development of their young nation.

13. South Sudanese
print publications

15. 15
1. the digital media
landscape
So far the internet revolution has largely passed South Sudan by. Ac-
cording to a survey conducted by Fondation Hirondelle in 2007, only
7 percent of respondents used the internet. While this figure is likely
to have risen in the meantime, coverage still remains low and high il-
literacy rates are an additional obstacle to internet use. Where internet
connections are available, for example, in Juba, connections speeds
are slow and frequent power outages are an additional hindrance.
Nevertheless a number of media outlets, such as Radio Miraya, The
Juba Post and She magazine, have their own websites. In some cases,
their main purpose seems to be simply the establishment of an online
presence rather than for dissemination of news and information.
At the time of writing in January 2013, the top news item on The
New Nation’s website dated from October 16, 2012. Other newspa-
pers’ websites, such as The Southern Eye’s, have no datelines.
“Due to the culture
of sharing on the
internet, it’s very hard
to go the source.”
In addition to official news websites, there is a small number of polit-
ical blogs; the group blog PaanLuel Wël, written by South Sudanese
expatriates in the United States and other countries, is a prominent
example. Updated daily, PaanLuel Wël features news analysis and
opinion pieces as well as poetry, petitions to government officials and
an overview of news items related to South Sudan. However it has
only very limited reach in the country itself.
John Penn de Ngong’s blog, Weakleaks, is one of the few blogs main-
tained by a resident of South Sudan. However, as de Ngong pointed
out, news items often find their way into the country via the blogs
maintained by expatriates so these too have an important function
in the South Sudanese media landscape.
As in many other African countries, mobile network coverage in
South Sudan is much more widespread than internet access. There
are five mobile phone service providers who maintain a total of 317
aerials in the country, the majority of which are located in the states
of Central Equatoria and Upper Nile. Remote areas such as Jonglei
and Northern Bahr el-Ghazar have significantly fewer aerials.
Considering this state of affairs, perhaps it comes as no surprise that
new technologies play an almost negligible role in South Sudan’s
media sector. Apart from NGO-operated offerings such as The Sudan
Tribune or MICT’s The Niles, there is hardly any content produced
exclusively for the internet, hardly any multimedia journalism, hardly
any journalistic use of social media and hardly any use of online
communication for feedback, in an interactive sense, or as a tool for
citizen journalism.
However, there are indications that this is changing. For example, the
citizen news outlet, NubaReports, has become an important regional
player. Mobile phone footage of recent clashes between civilians and
security forces in Wau was aired by the international news service,
Al Jazeera, based in Qatar.
2. case study:
WeakLeaks
Weakleaks is an example of a news outlet that straddles the deep
divide between South Sudan’s “pre-market agrarian society” (Peter
Biar Ajak) and the small digital elite that has managed to establish
itself in Juba. The blog’s producer, De Ngong, is keenly aware of the
contradictions of the situation. During a discussion about the pro-
posed media laws in South Sudan, he questioned whether the same
regulations would apply to traditional media and new media like
Facebook and Twitter.
The eventual reply given by Joy Kwaje, an MP for the ruling Sudan
People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Chairwoman of the In-
formation and Culture Committee in the Legislative Assembly of the
Republic of South Sudan, indicated another problem: local politicians’
lack of familiarity with these media. Kwaje had assumed they would
all be covered by the same law.
Of course, it is impossible to regulate social media in the same way
as traditional mass media. The problem of rumour and slander that
comes via social networks makes this clear – and it is a problem that
also affects South Sudan, where images of crimes allegedly committed
in Juba cast local authorities in a dubious light.
De Ngong, who has been harassed by the government for his critical
posts on Weakleaks, knows this from experience. “Due to the culture
of sharing on the internet, it’s very hard to get to the source,” he said.
“This raises questions about the legislation of defamation on social
media.”
When he started blogging, he says he did so in order to “hide from
persecution”, after quitting his job as an editor at The Southern Eye.
He says he was inspired by PaanLuel Wël and that other bloggers have
been inspired by him in turn. There is a constant exchange within the
the role of
digital media
in South Sudan
Julian Kücklich

16. 16
small group of people who experiment with digital media in South
Sudan. When these “rucksack reporters” started out, they often
squatted in the bar in hotels like the Juba Grand because they pro-
vided reliable access to electricity. Quaint as this sounds, the impact
they had was profound: de Ngong has received death threats because
of his writing.
The hotel eventually proved hostile and management there removed
wall sockets to prevent the bloggers from hanging around. This is why
those working in South Sudan’s digital media eventually founded the
Association of Facebook, Twittersphere and Blogosphere Operators
of South Sudan (or AFTABOSS), which intends to pool members’
resources to provide reliable internet access and electricity. Much hope
for the future of new media in South Sudan rests on this example of
grassroots collaboration. If others follow the example of de Ngong
and AFTABOSS, it is likely that blogging and citizen journalism will
continue to become more established in South Sudan.
3. the future of digital
media in South Sudan
It is possible that in the relatively near future, South Sudan will
start to overcome its problems with infrastructure and that internet
access - and particularly mobile internet access - will become both
widespread and affordable. As the case of other African countries,
most notably Kenya, shows, this can pave the way for a host of other
things, such as mobile payments, citizen journalism and increased
citizen participation in political processes. Which is why it seems en-
tirely possible that digital media will not only challenge the business
model of traditional media in South Sudan but it could also chal-
lenge their position as the ones who set the agenda, a role they have
always held up until now.
Dickens Olewe works at The Star, a Nairobi-based newspaper, and
he is also a member of the Nairobi chapter of Hacks/Hackers, a
network of journalists and technologists, who work collaboratively
on new ways of spreading the news. “Technologists are becoming
a key part of the future of journalism, they employ their skills in
building apps that allow users to consume content in a simple and
at times in a fun way,” he said. “The Star has just built a health app
using open data. I think we have succeeded in proving that the re-
lationship between a journalist and a technologist is important and
exciting in the newsroom, and especially in data journalism.”
“South Sudan is facing different challenges, the infrastructure
is not well laid out, media freedom is not guaranteed and the jour-
nalists have a difficult working environment,” Olewe continued.
“Despite these challenges it’s encouraging that the media is already
employing simple but innovative ideas that are bringing citizens’
voices into the process of news gathering. Radio stations are hold-
ing local meet-ups where they record citizen voices and broadcast
them to the regions. This means that there’s a medium to project
the voices of the people, just like citizens around Africa are using
Facebook, Twitter and SMS to share their stories.”
“Technologists are
becoming a key part
of the future of
journalism.”
While there are still huge obstacles to widespread internet use,
Olewe highlighted the potential of innovations such as Speak to
Tweet – a service that allows Twitter users to call a phone number
and leave a message, which is then published on Twitter; it was
invented to circumvent interruptions to internet services. As Olewe
said, this “might be a possibility for South Sudan, considering the
high illiteracy rate and that the majority of the population lives in
rural areas”.
Initiatives such as the African News Innovation Challenge, which
funds ideas that advance journalism and digital news gathering in
Africa, also raise hopes for finding solutions to the problems South
Sudan’s digital media faces and for developing ways to produce,
enrich and distribute news that are particularly well-suited to the
country.
the role of
digital media
in South Sudan
“South Sudan is a
pre-market agrarian
society”

17. 17
1. legal situation
Media regulation is one of the key factors on the road to establishing
a professional and responsible media sector in South Sudan. How-
ever regulating the media in a way that is neither too liberal, nor too
oppressive, has proven difficult. The so-called media bills - that is, the
Right to Access to Information Bill (no. 54), the Broadcasting Corpo-
ration Bill (no. 53), and the Media Authority Bill (no. 52) - have been
stuck in parliament since 2006.
At the opening of the Media & Makers: Juba, South Sudan’s Minister
of Information and Broadcasting, Benjamin Barnaba Marial, declared
that his country would be the eleventh African country to pass an
access to information law. However this has yet to happen.
Considering South Sudan’s history, the need to pass a law that
breaks with the past appears even more urgent. “Prior to indepen-
dence we were operating with the laws of Sudan which were very
oppressive, limiting the freedom of information and the freedom
of the press,” Joy Kwaje, an MP for the ruling Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Chairwoman of the Information
and Culture Committee in the Legislative Assembly of the Repub-
lic of South Sudan, said. “So, as a new republic we felt that it was
imperative to replace those oppressive laws with progressive and
democratic laws.”
At Juba’s Media & Makers conference, Kwaje got into a heated debate
with Edetaen Ojo, the Nigerian Director of the African Platform on
Access to Information, and a number of local journalists about the
proposed media bills. In particular the discussion around the Right
to Access to Information Bill was divisive.
Kwaje began by outlining the individual articles of the law and ex-
plaining how they applied to journalists. She talked about the process
of requesting information as well as the role of the officials; these
include a commissioner of information as well as information officers
in individual branches of government.
2. criticism
The criticism raised by Ojo concerned aspects of the Bill, such
as: “every citizen shall have the right of access to information”. He
pointed out that this doesn’t cover residents without citizen status and
he questioned the provision that allowed the president to appoint the
commissioner of information without parliamentary consent. He also
asked for clarification regarding responses to requests for informa-
tion, suggesting this be reduced from a response within 20 working
days to seven working days.
Kwaje’s response seemed to suggest that these points had already
been debated at length and that some of them would be raised again.
However, she also made it clear that some suggestions, such as the
reduction of the time limit for responses, were simply not feasible,
given South Sudan’s current economic and political position. Kwaje
also pointed out that there were provisions for the maintenance and
publication of records and sanctions for non-compliance as well as
parliamentary oversight through the Committee of Information.
“We felt that it was
imperative to replace
oppressive laws with
progressive and demo-
cratic laws.”
Meanwhile local journalists protested against the government’s plans
to charge a “nominal fee” for accessing official information. They feared
this would allow corrupt civil servants to take bribes and would deter
cash-strapped reporters from requesting information.
In the ensuing debate, it also became evident that the journalists pres-
ent were not familiar with the Access to Information Bill. It also be-
came clear that there was a considerable lack of knowledge regarding
journalistic ethics, particularly in regard to defamatory reporting. As
a result they were reprimanded by Alfred Taban, editor-in-chief of The
Juba Monitor, who said that he wanted “all journalists to be concerned
about the media laws because those are their laws. They have not been
as involved as I would have liked them to be”.
3. reconciling government
and the Fourth Estate
Judging by the debate between policy makers and journalists, it
quickly became clear that there is still a deep mistrust between the
government and media in South Sudan.
While some journalists said that it was easier to get access to those
in power in South Sudan, many expressed the view that mostly it’s
just difficult to find out where information is kept and how to access it.
access to
information and
media ethics
in South Sudan
Julian Kücklich

18. 18
The blogger John Penn de Ngong, of the site Weakleaks, added that,
in his experience, bureaucracy was a major obstacle. According to
Kwaje, this would be addressed by the proposed bill because it will
enshrine the right to access to information in the law.
Nevertheless such mistrust has far-reaching consequences. Hardly
any of the journalists present had participated in public hearings
held as part of the legislative process for the media bills and it
seemed imperative that the government of South Sudan regain
their trust. Otherwise media regulation is unlikely to have the in-
tended effects.
MP Kwaje asserts that “accountability of the government to the
public can only be achieved through the media”. But this requires
a continued effort by both sides to re-establish a working relationship
previously damaged by slanderous reporting by the journalists and
harassment and censorship by the government.
Editor-in-chief Taban stressed the role of legislation in overcoming
this mistrust: “In this country, many government departments do
not release information. Maybe in order to shield the corrupt elements
in the government or to prevent the exposure of malpractice,” he
speculated. “That is the reason the Access to Information bill is so
important.”
“All journalists should
be concerned about the
media laws, because those
are their laws.”
Bonjeri Peter Ladu, one of the founders of the now defunct news­
paper, The Hero, added that while access to information had
improved since 2006, it was a hard-won victory. “You could not
go to a minister or a director and ask for an interview,” he noted.
“People would say: I am not allowed to give interviews. But we
kept insisting, although we were told to go away, and even accused
of being spies.”
Speaking about the role of investigative journalism, Eric Wakabi of
The Southern Eye explained why it was important to find the common
ground between media ethics and media legislation. “If you are pro-
fessional, it can be good journalism because you are fighting for the
people, you want information to be out there, you are fighting corrup-
tion, impunity, whatever it is,” he said. “But how are you getting your
information? That can be a problem. With investigative journalism,
it’s funny … you might do unethical things.”
Clearly, South Sudanese journalists struggle with the same problems
that journalists all around the world struggle with. This quandary
around media ethics is also being exacerbated by the rise of new me-
dia, with the culture of sharing and the danger of information going
viral before it has been proven true.
“With investigative
journalism, it’s funny …
you might do unethical
things.”
While social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, are still not very
wide spread in South Sudan due to low internet penetration and
illiteracy, many journalists are already concerned with the legal status
of Twitter sources and the prosecution of Facebook libel. In this realm,
one of the other big dangers South Sudan’s media law faces is that
parts of it will be outdated even before they are passed into law.
This is yet another reason journalists should get involved in the
legislative process before the bill’s final reading in 2013. As Kwaje
said during the debate at Juba’s Media & Makers conference: “the
door is not closed to suggestions and debate”.
access to
information and
media ethics
in South Sudan
“Every citizen shall
have the right of
access to information”

21. 21
1. open source
and development
The concept of “openness” has established itself in a range of ways
over the last decade – ranging from open-source software to open
data, open access and open design, to open innovation and even
the concept of open governance. What used to be the domain of
programmers and computer scientists now informs the debates held
by architects, city planners, policy makers, designers, academics,
teachers and, of course, journalists.
In regard to South Sudan, the idea of the open source paradigm has
been suggested as one way that the country could help itself overcome
the many challenges it faces. The #OSJUBA conference, which took
place in Berlin in June 2012, was part of this and brought together
technologists, international development economists and researchers,
cultural activists, artists and software developers to discuss how to
apply the means and methodologies of the open source, accessible
technologies and hacktivist communities to post-conflict development
in places like South Sudan.
A capital city can define the contours of a country as a whole and
#OSJUBA asked whether Juba could become the world’s first open
source capital city. The debate that grew out of #OSJUBA and became
the ‘Media & Makers: Juba 2012’ event eventually broadened, and the
discussion centred on how open source could be used in the country
as a whole.
One of the aims of ‘Media & Makers: Juba 2012’ was to increase
transparency and mobility, enhance communication, foster the
utilization of local knowledge and encourage collaborative learning.
Above all, it aimed to make government institutions, trade, education
and the media more sustainable and responsive to the needs of
citizens. From the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in jump
starting literacy and education to citizen empowerment and knowledge
building initiatives, there were plenty of practical examples of how
this can be achieved. In conjunction with the increasing access to
social media, mobile and open technologies, open source solution,
based on sustainability and collaboration are being implemented
worldwide - even in regions of post-conflict or post-crisis transformation.
Another aim of ‘Media & Makers’ was to find out to what extent
open source methodologies could be used to increase media
sustainability and to help create what UNESCO identifies as strong
and independent Knowledge Societies – this is part of the United
Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, to which South Sudan
is a signatory.
2. open source software
and intellectual property
During a discussion of new technologies at ‘Media & Makers’,
Dickens Olewe, who works at The Star, a Nairobi-based newspaper,
and who is also a member of the Nairobi chapter of Hacks/Hackers,
a network of journalists and technologists, who work collaboratively
on new ways of spreading the news, told journalists about his efforts
to establish open source software in The Star’s newsroom. Olewe
wanted to encourage them to follow his example.
However, open source often comes into conflict with an author’s
automatic intellectual property rights. Still, considering that South
Sudan has no native intellectual property rights legislation or other
applicable legislation, this appears to be a moot point. As a country
that currently holds observer status at the UN World Intellectual
Property Organization, South Sudan is unlikely to prosecute anyone
for copyright infringement anytime soon. In the context of the
borderless flow of information and content, this scenario places
a particular responsibility on authors and journalists to identify
the ways in which their work can be consumed and spread, and
to claim attribution for their work. Open source itself can provide
the tools for journalists and newsrooms to network and to dis-
seminate what they produce – and it can do so at less cost and
with greater freedom to customize.
“Creative Commons
can offer a way out
of the ‘licensing trap’”
When it comes to intellectual property in South Sudan, an alternative
to traditional copyright agreements, such as Creative Commons,
could be a significant tool for the empowerment of media producers
there. Creative Commons is a global non-profit organization that
seeks to share alternatives to existing and often outdated copyright
and license laws.
As Dorothy Gordon, Director-General of Ghana’s Advanced
Information Technology Institute, pointed out, Creative Commons
can offer a way out of the “licensing trap” that many journalists and
media businesses unwittingly stumble into, due to lack of experience
with intellectual property legislation.
Creative Commons offers a way of fine-tuning how one shares digital
content, but without giving up protection; it allows creators to choose
a license that states specifically for which purposes their intellectual
property can be used and for which purposes it can’t. This is particularly
helpful when it comes to international licensing agreements.
open knowledge
and sustainable
media in
South Sudan
Julian Kücklich
(contributions by Stephen Kovats
and Jodi Rose)

22. 22
3. open data
Open data was another much discussed topic at ‘Media & Makers:
Juba 2012’. Open data is not exactly open source; rather, it is
material in the public domain that’s often carried by open source
systems. Open data can be professionally accrued or it can be
information resulting from public input and interaction. There
are a number of examples where open data has been used success-
fully by media, one of the most prominent of which is UK news-
paper, the Guardian’s data journalism initiative - this has produced
some impressive pieces of reporting, particularly in collaboration
with the WikiLeaks site.
In a development context, Ushahidi - a non-profit tech company
specializing in the development of free and open source software
for collecting information, visualization and interactive mapping
– has been leading the way in using publicly sourced information.
Often they’re doing this in conjunction with real-time data gathered
on mobile phones to map rapidly evolving events for effective crisis
response, to help counter injustice through eyewitness testimony
or to illustrate broad reaching effects of issues that are pertinent
to any number of peer communities worldwide. They’ve done this
effectively in the Haiti and Japan calamities, in efforts to help inde-
pendently monitor elections in India, Kenya or the US.
Where Ushahidi may provide highly useful mappings of both
complex statistical data and user generated, or crowd sourced, infor-
mation, platforms such as ojoVoz by ‘Media & Makers’ participant
Eugenio Tisselli from Mexico aimed at lowering the technical hurdles
associated with literacy, language and accessibility that are often
great challenges to using open data.
Using a simple non-text based mobile app, ojoVoz provides a
platform that helps communities easily create and publish collaborative
stories, observations and documentaries on the web. ojoVoz, which
has been used successfully in projects such as Tanzania’s Sauti ya
wakulima (voice of the farmers), in which farming communities
create an online knowledge base about the effects of climate change,
the system is now being assessed to see if it can be used in South
Sudan’s Warrap State a as a mobile tool for community exchanges
and crisis dialogue.
Also of relevance to South Sudan is Open Oil, a non-profit consul-
tancy, which tries to make information about the oil industry public
and to encourage dialogue between the oil industry, governments
and ordinary citizens about oil production and consumption. They
have produced a series of oil almanacs, covering Libya, Iraq, Ghana
and Niger among others, and they also recently complemented that
with a 147-page South Sudan Oil Almanac. This was published under
a Creative Commons license and provides the most comprehensive
overview of the South Sudanese oil industry to date.
Open data and open government initiatives have sprung up across
the globe not just in North America and Europe, but also in Brazil,
India, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Kenya. The latter few have met with
mixed success - which is hardly surprising considering that some
of these countries have entrenched traditions of secrecy. In a critique
of Saudi Arabia’s open data initiative on the NextGov website, which
focuses on government and technology, US journalist Joseph Marks
highlights the disparity between the wealth of data about oil production
and the complete lack of information about “women’s access to
education or the working conditions of foreign labourers” there.
Ushahidi has been leading
the way in using publicly
available data
Gordon, who is also a key member of the Free and Open Source
Foundation for Africa, sees open source and open data as essential
elements in both developmental economics and the empowerment
of African civil society. Gordon spoke about an example from her own
country in which crowd sourcing and open data were used to increase
the number of girls going to school. The absence of sanitary facilities
or the idea that they would have to share facilities with males had
often deterred females from attending school. After the data about
toilets in schools was published, and the correlation to attendance
statistics was made, the Ghanaian board of education took measures
to address the gender imbalance in the education system, by providing
proper dedicated sanitary facilities for the girls.
Five mobile phone companies operate in South Sudan, and there
is a rapid increase in mobile phone network coverage and penetration
even across rural areas. The National Bureau of Statistics in South
Sudan has been using Google’s Open Data Kit technology to collect
data and information from local households on a weekly basis. This
is being done in collaboration with the World Bank. Using electronic
survey forms sent to a server at the end of each day via the mobile
phone network, the resulting data is available in close to real time
and provides much needed information for policy and development
as well as helps create the cultural narrative of the country. Ostensibly
this information is free and open for anybody to use. However a
rudimentary electrical grid that relies on diesel generators and an
insecure and weak server infrastructure hamper access to that data.
David Chan Thiang, Director of Economic Statistics at the National
Bureau of Statistics (or NBS) says such problems are a major
open knowledge
and sustainable
media in
South Sudan

23. 23
hindrance to the promotion of stable civic structures, because open
information, data and knowledge have the potential to significantly
promote economic and social development. He says it is a priority
that servers operate around the clock – and preferably independently
of the unstable electrical grid. But open source could help here too:
Open source hardware and power generation technologies such as
those being developed by the international Open Source Ecology
initiative could be used, for example, to create a stable, self-sufficient
South Sudan Server backbone network. A network with, say, one
unit in each state, would allow the NBS to “create and manage our
own intranets – take control of our own servers, to achieve our own
goals in effectively sharing data and other public information.”
(David Chan Thiang)
4. crowdsourcing
and citizen journalism
For all of the above reasons, a lot of work is needed to achieve
even small improvements. In a country like South Sudan, with over
60 indigenous languages in addition to English and Juba Arabic,
translation is also a major challenge. For many of the larger language
groups, open or crowd sourced translation – that is, translation by
peer groups or larger number of users - offers a number of solutions.
One of the world’s leading citizen media organisations Global Voices,
and Kiva, a micro-lending website, have both successfully used crowd-
sourced translations. If the considerable South Sudanese diaspora is
also considered, crowd sourced translation can be done in collaboration
with expatriates whose requisite skills and access to technology
complement local knowledge and the emergent structures within
the country.
Gordon made the point that, “when we’re talking to our own people
we must talk in our own language. Open source technology allows for
unrestricted adaptability and localization,” she explained. “If it’s all
in English, the people need to learn two new languages - that of the
technology and English. Please, publish in your own language!”
The Free and Open Source Foundation for Africa (or FOSSFA) en-
courages students throughout Africa to use Open Education Resources,
to gain the equivalent of a university degree using free, open source
resources online. With these, relevant, locally responsive and contex-
tualized libraries, databases and information resource centres can be
created in South Sudan - for example, in the fields of adult literacy,
hygiene, sanitation, computer literacy and maths. Organizations such
as the Juba-based Community Empowerment for Progress, who are
involved promoting human rights, democratic principles and free ex-
pression, see the application of Open Education Resources, open data
and open source technologies as a key component of their work.
The fact that access to information technology in South Sudan is still
very limited, particularly in rural areas, is also a barrier to entry for
citizen journalists. While the highly centralized media landscape
in South Sudan would clearly benefit from more reporting from the
periphery, it is not just the digital but also the cultural divides that
make it difficult to adopt this model of reporting here. Many discussions
at ‘Media & Makers’ made it clear that South Sudanese journalists
don’t enjoy contemplating the potential threat to their professional
status that citizen journalists might pose. Rather they want improved
access to social media and mobile information technologies in order
to boost their own skills. Similar challenges are faced by radio journal-
ists in West Africa who implemented open source platforms to link
traditional radio and web media and created the award winning West
Africa Democracy Radio platform.
‘Media & Makers’ participant, journalist Mading Ngor, teamed up
with Sourcefabric, a company building digital, open source newsrooms
and platforms for radio, online and print media in order to create
an online radio station, streaming 24 hours, seven days, and linking
diaspora with local South Sudan-based journalists on the New Sudan
Vision platform.
5. open governance
“The Republic of South Sudan has the potential to become the leader
for a new political imagination of a more open, more transparent
space in the movement to digital technology,” Philip Thigo, an advisor
to Kenya’s Open Government Partnership, said.
The concept of open governance has been part of the discourse in
Europe and North America since the 1970s; it has fostered numerous
transparency initiatives as well as freedom of information legislation.
The Open Government Partnership (or OGP), initiated in 2011 which
now includes around 60 nations, is a global initiative that applies the
philosophy of open-source to democracies. The OGP aims to secure
concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency,
empower citizens, fight corruption and harness new technologies
to strengthen governance. Relying on elements like open data, open
source models of collaborative enterprise and multi-stakeholder input,
Publicizing data about
toilets in schools led
to an increase in the
number of girls going
to school.

24. 24
the OGP is rapidly becoming a blueprint for progressive govern-
ments across Africa. Helping to provide guidelines for the support
of civic participation and increased access to new technologies for
information sharing and accountability, the OGP is seen as one way
of giving governments an international peer structure that will
support capacity- and institution-building – these are key elements
for South Sudan’s independence and future.
A number of ‘Media & Makers’ participants, including Moses Simon
Soro, Commissioner of Morobo County, specifically called for more
transparency in government affairs. With a clear intention to make
government work better and be accountable to the people, the recently
appointed Commissioner outlined a number of key objectives for
open government, including:
increase transparency to increase trust in the work of branches
of government.
ensure people are involved in decision making to improve
information flow.
build capacity and effectiveness of all government agencies.
adjust policies using the media to gauge people’s view.
provide raw, open data so people can extract value out of it,
and create innovative services that ultimately benefit citizens.
Considering the embryonic state of many government offices,
opening up policy making and governance to the broader public
increases the potential for government efficiency as well as for
citizens’ participation in political processes.
Efforts should be focused on providing better access to, and use
of, new and open technologies – this should include as broad a range
of channels for participation as possible, including radio, mobile
telephony, petitions, surveys and public meetings.
Much of the debate around open source was new for many and
at times difficult to follow. However in general, it was clear that there
was a need for more multi-stakeholder dialogues with local media
outlets and civil society organizations, which would allow them to
participate in the development and implementation of open source
systems and strategies in South Sudan.
“Fail to capture the commanding heights of technology and your
political efficacy will be of no significance,” Gordon concluded at
‘Media & Makers: Juba 2012’. “In the Republic of South Sudan you
have an historical opportunity to be a beacon for other countries
by making very conscious decisions on the technologies you use and
how you use them to strengthen the voice of your people and to
enhance the quality of your independence.”
open knowledge
and sustainable
media in
South Sudan
+
+
+
+
+
For a full detailed review of the discussions from the Media & Makers:
Juba 2012 – Open Knowledge stream, please consult the wiki set up for
this session: http://wiki.r0g-media.org

25. 25
video interviews
with conference
participants
Daga Chaplain, Marketing Manager, The Citizen
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GolFC-nRGJw
Dickens Onditi Olewe, Web Administrator, The Star (Nairobi)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq_Tkh9GlZc
Eric Wakabi, Managing Director, Southern Eye
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejHJk5RBOCE
Bongiri Peter Ladu, Journalist and Co-founder, The Hero
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RywUUpKd3GQ
Joy Kwaje, Member of Parliament (SPLM) and and Chairwoman
of Information and Culture Committee in the Legislative Assembly
of the Republic of South Sudan
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYEpFsS_0Hk
Peter Biar Ajak, Deputy Country Director for the International
Growth Centre
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-eiF-3er04
Alfred Taban, Editor-in-chief, The Juba Monitor
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbpQxGanZzM
media & makers
is an attempt to chart the common ground between media businesses
and the open source movement in Sudan and South Sudan. The forum
explores new solutions for the extraordinary challenges faced by the
two countries, looks at new ways to make use of existing resources, and
examines new means of participatory media production, innovation, and
collaboration across all sectors of society. It is an opportunity for experts
and media practitioners from South Sudan, (North) Sudan, and other
parts of the world to discuss the future of the media sector and the role
of the open systems /open data movement for the world’s two youngest
nations.
MEDIA&MAKERS:
KHARTOUM2013
will take place on May 4th and 5th, 2013 in Khartoum.
Information and registration:
media-and-makers.tumblr.com

26. experts
Peter Biar Ajak, Interna-
tional Growth Centre
Nhial Bol Aken, The Citizen
Jacob Akol, AMDISS
Hon. Dr. Barnaba Marial
Benjamin, Deputy Minister
for Information and
Broadcasting
Jay Cousins,
Open Design City
John Penn de Ngong,
weakleaks.wordpress.com
Dorothy Gordon,
Ghana-India Kofi Annan
Centre of Excellence in ICT
Charles Haskins,
Fondation Hirondelle
Mark Kaigwa, Afrinnovator
Thomas Koch,
thomaskochmedia
Hon. Joy Kwaje,
MP (SPLM)
Amrit Naresh, OpenOil
Asteway Negash, FOSSFA
Tolu Ogunlesi,
toluogunlesi.wordpress.com
Edetaen Ojo,
Media Rights Agenda
Dickens Onditi Olewe,
The Star
Severin Peters, GIZ
David Chan Thiang,
National Bureau of Statistics
Philip Thigo, SODNET
Eugenio Tisselli,
Pompeu Fabra University
participants
Emmanuel Achaha
Hassan Ahmed
Jacob Akol
Brenda Ammeraal
Mubarak Ardol
Atem Yaak Atem
John Atem
Benson Ating
Ibrahim Awol
Matthew Benson
Iduol Beny
Samir Bol
Sinevda Cuaroth
Joseph Dauda
David De Dau
Charlton Doki
Michael Duku
Amoja Dulman
Joseph Edward
Jessica Gregson
Sulakshana Gupta
Malek Gutnyin
Nada Hammad
Ocan Hannington
Mohammed Hilali
Mikael L. Clason Hook
Hou Akot Hou
Dickson Mawa James
Keiko Kaneda
Aping Kuluel
Peter Ladu Lasu
Emmanuel Sebit Lodongo
Banak Lonya
Andreas Mabier
Atem Simon Mabior
Abraham Daljiang Makar
conference participants
Suba Samuel Manase
Abraham Maviak
Atekdit Mawien
Peter Marino Modi Pitya
Paola Moggi
Benjamin Majok Mon
Beate Mueller-Grunewald
Joseph Nashion
Kenyi Ndipa
Tom Nyakoe
Kanako Ohara
Steven Omiri
Charles Otara
William Rapp
John Rubgana
Matata Safi
Christian Schulte
Moses Simon Soro de Nigo
Davide Storti
Alex Taban
Alfred Taban
Bonifacio Taban
Michael Taban Towongo
James Turitto
Steven Tut
Peter Wadala
Eric Wakabi
Anthony Wani
Gyavira Wani
Abdallah Wani Keba
Jasun Wiri
Edmond Yakai
Eve Yayi
team mict
Klaas Glenewinkel,
Managing Director
Dirk Spilker,
Senior Project Manager
Philipp Hochleichter,
Project Manager
Julian Kücklich,
Head Media and
Documentation
Dominik Lehnert,
Editor-in-Chief at The Niles
and Representative MICT
Juba office
Leila Bendra, Editor at
The Niles and Representa-
tive MICT Juba office
Jess Smee, Assistant Editor
at The Niles
Roman Deckert,
Sudan Desk and Research
Anke Fiedler, Research
Lutz Kordges, PR
Akim Mugisa, Assistant
MICT Juba office
team r0g
Stephen Kovats, Curator
and Managing Director
Jodi Rose, Head Media
and Documentation
Georgia Nicolau,
Head of PR
Ela Kagel, Managing Part-
ner at Supermarkt Berlin
team partner
Salah Khaled,
UNESCO Juba office
Jessica Hjarrand,
UNESCO Juba office
Bakhita Lato,
UNESCO Juba office
Anna Grace Victor,
UNESCO Juba office
Daro Justine,
UNESCO Juba Office
Stuart Campo,
UNICEF Juba office