Flow pulled out all the stops for the 2013 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, with 10 journalists – backed up by a strong team of programmers and designers – covering the lecture and associated events over a number of days on several platforms.
“The Annual Lecture is one of the highlights on the Flow calendar,” says Flow MD Tiffany Turkington. “We have been providing coverage of the event for the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory (NMCM) since 2007, and our writers clamber for the privilege to be part of the team that gets to participate.”
The 11th Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture was presented by successful Sudanese-born businessman and global philanthropist, Dr Mo Ibrahim, at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in Pretoria. Ibrahim also sat on the panel at key interactive dialogues convened by the NMCM around the lecture’s theme of “building social cohesion”. Three dialogue events were held – for business, women and youth – in Johannesburg and Tshwane.
“There’s an addictive excitement that comes from covering big events like these,” says Colin Ford, head of the Flow writing team. “We had an insane weekend of writing blogs, sorting photographs, shooting and editing video and then proofing, checking and uploading content within a matter of minutes after the events ended. And during all of this we were monitoring and posting content to a range of social networks to keep the online conversations going.
“It was a fantastic group effort, made even more slick and enjoyable by the incredible input and support from the NMCM team.”
“It is important to work with partners who are right by your side in the thick of things, and can tangibly capture the experiences we offer and our work as a whole,” says Danielle Melville, director of communications and outreach at the NMCM. “This has been an incredible period of chaotic engagement, but well worth it with Flow by our side.”
Comments from Flowstars who attended and covered the events:
“It was a privilege – as always – to be involved in covering the Annual Lecture dialogue and series of events. The lecture is a highlight on the NMCM calendar, and as a team we did our best to cover and promote the lecture adequately and, via the website and social media channels, drove global interest in the series of dialogues too.” – Kate Rau
“Attending the Women in Dialogue event in Tshwane was an absorbing way to spend a Sunday morning. The discussion panel comprised women from a diverse range of backgrounds, and their insights into the role of women in social cohesion – as well as those from the floor – made for great food for thought.” – Willem Steenkamp
“The annual lecture was a great experience. I loved the candid nature of Dr Ibrahim’s speech and it is great to hear that he looks forward to the world we [as the youth] will create. The Women in Dialogue event was also enjoyable. The most inspiring of all the women, for me, was Kave Bulambo. She moved me when she said that when she walked into South Africa with nothing but her bag and her siblings, she never imagined she would be on a panel like that. It reminded me of what one person can do and that with small acts we can all make a difference.” – Thabs Royds
“The most exciting and interesting thing for me was the reversion to my journalist roots, as we listened, wrote and edited, all at the same time and at high speed, in order to get the story loaded as soon as possible. For me, the Youth in Dialogue event highlighted the difficulties faced by South Africa’s young people in the pursuit of social cohesion.” – Caroline Smith (Flow PR)
“An interesting evening on economics and Africa, with incisive presentations and some robust discussion.” – Keith Nicholls
Click here for transcript of the 2013 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture