CAMRI | South-to-South media activism and artivism to fight marginalisation in the Global South

South-to-South media activism and artivism to fight marginalisation in the Global South

A Conference Paper by Andrea Medrado, published by Latinx Digital Media

In this edition of the Center for Latinx Digital Media’s Virtual Seminar Series, Prof. Andrea Medrado (University of Westminster) made a presentation entitled “South-to-South media activism and artivism to fight marginalisation in the Global South.” The event was moderated by Mora Matassi, PhD candidate at Northwestern University and coordinator of the Center.

Presentation abstract: This presentation analyses experiences in which Brazilian and Kenyan “artivists” challenge colonial hierarchies that devalue Global Southern histories and stories. It asks: how can creative practices be used as tools for movement building? It argues that South-to-South artivism results from the interconnections between notions of pluriversality, incompleteness and humility, which stem from Latin American and African scholarship. When marginalised groups express themselves through artivism, this can have a binding nature, creating transformative narratives.

Learn more about the Center’s Virtual Seminar Series (a series of weekly seminars, free and open to everyone) here: https://ldm.soc.northwestern.edu/about-the-seminar/

About Andrea Medrado

Andrea Medrado is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Media and Communication of the University of Westminster. She is also the Course Leader for the BA Digital Media and the leader for the Cultural Identities and Social Change theme at the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI). Her research focuses on digital media activism and artivism as tools for social change in the Global South and on creative and participatory approaches to analysing marginalised communities’ information security needs and everyday engagements with artificial intelligence (AI). Her book Media Activism, Artivism and the Fight Against Marginalisation in the Global South was published by Routledge in 2023. She has also published in leading academic journals and contributed to several edited book collections. Andrea is currently the Vice President of IAMCR, the largest international association in the field of media and communication.