Johannesburg 04/05/2007

CAMPAIGN PLAN:
ALN ADVOCACY PROJECT
Freedom of Expression on the African Continent
Prepared by: Geordin Hill-Lewis
of the Democratic Alliance
6 March 2007

Overall Objective of the Campaign:

Liberal parties on the African continent often find themselves operating in circumstances of varying degrees of repressive government action and political turmoil. Despite this, they continue to boldly represent the liberal view and champion the liberal cause on the continent. For this they deserve to be commended.

As liberals, we believe that the right to freedom of expression is fundamental to the existence and consolidation of democracy. Central to freedom of expression, is the freedom of the press. Sadly though, it is this critical aspect of democracy that is so frequently undermined and attacked by various governments across Africa.

The purpose of the ALN Freedom of Expression Campaign is to unite the liberal political parties throughout Africa behind one common cause, with a view to profiling both the work of the ALN and the liberal ideology in general. It is hoped that by creating a common political issue we shall in some way impact the political discourse on the continent and turn the attention of Africa and the world to the repression of civil liberties on our continent.

It is further hoped that the initial impetus of the campaign will generate an on-line, international community of freedom of expression activists, so ensuring that activism will not fade with the completion of the project.

See the Campaign Concept Document for a more thorough discussion of the campaign topic.

Main Activities and Measurable Outputs:

Phase One: Website, Campaign Toolkit and Launch

A comprehensive website will be launched that details the campaign and provides a portal for all participants to contribute to the campaign and to educate themselves about the topic. Research for the content of this website has already begun.

This website will include an activism toolkit, which will enable members of ALN parties around Africa to become activists with minimal personal effort. The toolkit will include innovative ways for people to get involved.

This website will be unveiled at the official launch of the Campaign on 4 May 2007 in Johannesburg. Leading liberals, perhaps Colin Eglin or Dene Smuts MP, will be invited to address the launch, which will be attended by the leaders of the ALN. Journalists who have first hand experience of suppression of freedom of expression by African governments, such as Greg Marinovich or Joao Silva, will also be invited.

Phase Two: Individual Country Implementation

The second phase of the project will commence once the Campaign is launched. This will involve the successful implementation of the campaign in the respective countries of the ALN member parties. It will include receiving and distributing news releases and reports on the topic from our various African partners. It will also entail the compilation of up-to-date and accurate information on freedom of expression abuses. The toolkit will be regularly revised and improved as the campaign progresses.

The second phase will also include partnering with other leading organizations that promote similar causes on the African continent.

Action Steps for Phase One :

- Set up Research Committee to research content for website and toolkit;
- Brainstorm website and toolkit design;
- Plan the Launch Event, to be held in Johannesburg on 4 May 2007. This will include securing guest speakers and attendance by all the key participants;
- Establishing communication lines between the coordinator and the ALN member parties;
- Co-ordinate the successful running of the project beyond the launch of the website;

Action steps for Phase Two

To be discussed and agreed upon at the ALN meeting on 4 May 2007 in Johannesburg. It will include, but is not limited to:

- Regular monthly updates of website and toolkit, as well as progress reports.
- Ensuring the continued support and participation of the African partners, with the same zeal as their initial commitments.

Sustaining the Project beyond its end date

The project is a one year advocacy campaign. Provision will be made for activists that wish to continue their activism beyond the official end of the Campaign. In this regard, campaign activists will be referred to other civil-rights lobby groups such as Freedom House and so on.

More importantly, it must be ensured that the ALN member parties continue the good work in their respective countries in a spirit of united advocacy. In this regard, a full project report will be submitted to the ALN President on completion of the campaign. Depending on the success of this campaign the ALN should consider further regular co-ordinated advocacy campaigns.

Budget:

The main costs incurred will be associated with the research period, including the development of the website, and the launch event. These costs are dependant on certain variables, such as the number of people attending the launch and the choice of venue. Other costs incurred will be for campaign branding and communication. A comprehensive budget will follow in the weeks ahead.

Fundraising:

The Campaign is generously funded by the ALN in association with the Westminster Foundation. Support will also be provided by Mr. Jonathan Moakes at the DA’s national fundraising office.

Tracking progress:

To better understand the efficacy of the Campaign Plan, it is useful to conduct a SMART analysis. Is the Campaign:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Trackable

This document, as well as the Concept Document distributed previously, firmly establishes the campaign’s specific focus (S) and its relevance (R). The campaign is achievable (A), although there are potential risks and difficulties which may be encountered. These risk are discussed in more depth in the following section.

Potential Risks:

The second phase of the project is completely decentralised. The campaign coordinator will rely heavily on the enthusiastic participation of ALN members. Indeed, the campaign will fail if communication is not constant. Moreover, for the toolkit and website to stay up to date the information feedback system must be successful. The participants must release press statements and feed information back to the coordinator on a regular basis.

There could also be logistical problems in the organization of the first phase of the project, but these should not be insurmountable.

Timeline with Milestones and Deliverables:

For ease of reference the “measurables” and progress “trackables” are collated in the table below:

NOTE: This table refers to Phase One only.

Initial Thoughts on Proposed Website Content:

- The user interface should be a map of Africa with countries coloured according to a scale of freedom of expression in that country. Users can access resources and other facilities by clicking on a particular country. The activism toolkit, as well as aggregated statistics and resources for the whole of Africa, should be available as a side menu.

? A collection of articles, arranged by country, on:
o People who have fought for press freedom;
o Examples of specific cases of repression;
o Various essays, speeches, journal articles etc.

- A general discussion of why freedom of expression is important, as well as a liberal critique of why the denial of freedom of expression is unacceptable.

- The map should also include the countries ranking, among African countries and internationally.

- A “Hall of Shame” of the worst press freedom repressing individuals in Africa.

- Names of journalists still in custody in Africa. Letters calling for their release should also be added to the toolkit.

- What percentage of the mainstream media in any particular country is state-owned or funded? Also, compare these with consolidated democracies.

- Perhaps start an on-line award for “Fearless African Journalism”, awarded annually to the journalist who shows the greatest commitment to exposing truth and reporting the news, even in the face of authoritarian government action.

- Online News Sources- sources of news from countries where news is hard to come by. Also, links to useful international news sites and other activism sights.

- News ticker: updates received from participants will be placed on a news ticker running across the top of the site. Users will be able to access the full story by clicking on the headline.

- The toolkit should contain things like:

o Pro-forma letters to newspapers, ambassadors and government officials.
o Pre-written opinion pieces on recent examples of repression, for submission to the media.
o Step by step instructions on how to organize a protest or petition for the release of a journalist.
o “Donate to the ALN”