39 African Librarians successfully complete AfLIA 2020 Global MIL Week course
3RD NOVEMBER, 2020
The 8th annual celebration of the Global Media and Literacy Week took place from 24th – 31st October, 2020 with the theme – “Resisting Disinfodemic: Media and Information Literacy for everyone and, by everyone”.
As part of activities to mark GlobalMILWeek 2020 celebrations, AfLIA rolled out an online short course on Global Media and Information Literacy which run from 25-29th October, 2020. The initiative was borne out of the need for African library and information professionals to play a lead role in curbing the spread of COVID-19 by taking on the fight against the misuse of information. Overall, 116 applicants registered for the course but 39 of them eventually completed the course to receive certificates.
Enrolled participants were put through series of activities including participating in opening and sign-off sessions, undertaking reading assignments related to Media and Information Literacy and Infodemic, Misinformation, Disinformation = Disinfodemic. At the end of the Course, learners were required to formulate implementable action plans for managing disinfodemic in any African community or group. Submitted action plans were assessed and the best ten have been chosen. AfLIA will be working with the initiators towards its implementation.
On November 4, 2020, a virtual sign-off ceremony was organized to celebrate and award the 39 librarians, who successfully completed the 5-day online course. Graduates were librarians from Botswana, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Initiated in 2012 by UNESCO in cooperation with GAPMIL, UNAOC and the MIL and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) University Network, Global MIL Week is an avenue for uniting the different organizations that promote Media and Information Literacy (MIL) all over the world so that everyone will join hands to uphold MIL as a veritable pathway of engendering social inclusion and intercultural dialogue.