has been promoting and defending freedom of expression and media rights in Africa. AFEX is a continental network of the
African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) The right to freedom of expression is a fundamental human right recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The desire to express oneself is innate and must therefore be respected. It is against this backdrop that the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) has been promoting and defending freedom of expression and media rights in Africa. AFEX is a continental network of the most prominent freedom of expression and media rights organisations in Africa. It currently has 13 members that are all members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX). Through the collective engagement and commitment of its members, AFEX’s vision is to have “an Africa where all peoples are free to express themselves.”
What We Do AFEX’s freedom of expression (FOE) advocacy work is evidence-based. It involves the monitoring and reporting of FOE violations, which also covers aspects of freedom of assembly and association rights and access to information. AFEX’s work also involves issuing issue-specific statements, petitions, campaigns and undertaking fact-finding missions. Since its establishment, AFEX has worked in four of the five regions in Africa – West, East, Central and Southern Africa. The network has since brought pressure to bear on governments and other stakeholders which has resulted in several redress actions including the release of two Somali journalists and a South Sudanese journalist from arbitrary detentions, reopening of one radio station which was shut down in South Sudan for two weeks and restoration of internet connection in Cameroon which lasted 94 days. To continuously improve its capacity and effectiveness to execute its mandate, members of the network and other FoE organisations are taken through periodic capacity building and knowledge sharing workshops. Every year, members of the network meet at an Annual General Meeting to share experiences, best practices, lessons learnt and recommendations for the future work.
Who Can Join the AFEX Network? AFEX is opened to all African free expression, media rights or human rights organisations. Any organisation that wishes to be part of this prominent network will first have to be a member, or have the potential to become a member of IFEX. Once this criterion is satisfied, the organisation becomes eligible to be an AFEX member. For non-IFEX members who express interest in becoming members, AFEX often collaborates and assists them to obtain membership into IFEX.
Want To Know More About AFEX? Visit our website at www.africafex.org. The website is accessible in both English and French. You can also join us on social media using the following handles: Facebook: African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) Twitter: @AFEXafrica Google+: +African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX)
