The Goethe-Institut Nigeria said it has finlalised plans to hold two events designed to lend a critical voice and a Nigerian perspective to the global campaign against the alarming increase of fake news worldwide this month.
According to a statement by the cultural organisation from Germany, the first event, which is entitled the 101 of Fake News & Fact-Finding in Nigeria, is a one-day conference that is specifically designed for journalists with the aim to examine and discuss various aspects of ‘Fake News’.
“Five notable journalists and fact-checkers will lead highly interactive sessions that focus on a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from more theoretical sessions in which the characteristics and effects of Fake News in Nigeria will be identified and debated to more practical session that provide tools in order to spot and combat the spread of disinformation in the newsroom and beyond,” said the statement.
The sessions are facilitated by Lolade Nwanze, David Ajikobi, Victor Mathias, ‘Fisayo Soyombo & Mayowa Tijani.
The conference, for which attendance is by invitation only and limited, takes place on Wednesday, October 16th, from 10 am to 6 pm, in the Event Hall of the Goethe Institute.
In addition, the statement explained, the second event – a panel discussion, entitled Fake or Fact? Disinformation & (New) Media in Nigeria, which is organised in partnership with the Alliance Francaise de Lagos, is open to the public. The event takes place at the AAF/Mike Adenuga Centre (9, Osborne Road, Ikoyi) on October 22 and starts at 7 pm prompt.
“The panel discussion aims to shed more light on the impact and effect of Fake News in Nigeria. The same set of speakers – Lolade Nwanze, David Ajikobi, Victor Mathias, ‘Fisayo Soyombo & Mayowa Tijani – will re-assemble to debate the following questions: (1) Why and how are fake news spread? (2) What role do fake news play in current politics? & (3) What can be done to combat fake news? The audience will have a chance to engage the panellists in a Q & A session,” the statement said.
The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute, active worldwide. Its mandate is to promote the study of German abroad and to encourage international cultural exchange. Today it is represented in 98 countries and has some 3,300 employees. It contributes widely to the promotion of artists, ideas and works. Supporting the local cultural scenes and strengthening pan-African dialogue through the arts are part of its mission on the African continent, where it operates 19 institutes in Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Cairo, Casablanca, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Kigali, Lagos, Lomé, Luanda, Nairobi, Rabat, Tunis, Windhoek, Yaoundé, as well as liaison offices in Algiers, Kinshasa, and Ougadougou and cultural associations in Antananarivo, Bamako, Cape Town, Harare, Kampala and Maputo.