Highway Africa

By Furaha Thonya & Lumko Jimlongo (pictures by Meodi Mothapo)

The concept, ”a picture says a thousand words” has been  revisited at the Digital Citizen Iindaba, currently being held in Grahamstown as part of the annual Highway Africa conference. The aim of the Indaba is to bring, under the same roof, Bloggers and industry players to equip African media practitioners with New Media skills.

Speaking at the Indaba, Tanzanian Digital photographer and blogger, Philemon Msangi says photo-blogging is the greatest plartform from which to express ones self. He says, “If you leave me a blank page and ask me to fill it in with text, I would not know where to start, but with pictures I could fill a book”.

According to “Bob Sankofa” as Msangi prefers to be called, another advantage of blogging with pictures is the fact that it overcomes the language barrier. ” I write in Swahili and that immideately limits the number of people who can view my content but pictures are universal.”   

He says through pictures one can show the world aspects of everday life that would otherwise be left untold had you not had photographs. He says, “Through pictures the world can be taught about love, peace and harmony in our societies regardless of ethnic group”.  

Whether one chooses to subscribe to Bob Sankofa’s thinking that pictures tell it better than text, is another debate all together. One thing that appears to be very certain, is that the world is going digital and communication as we have come to know it, will never be the same.