Our journalists work hard and they party hard. We’ll have a great line-up of special events where they can share drinks, brainstorm, get inspired, and dance the night away. Among the events we’re planning:
Keynote & Awards Event
On Saturday: All participants are welcome to the Great Hall on the Wits campus for the conference highlight on Saturday evening, November 18. We’ll start with a reception and drinks, and then we’ll sit down for a keynote address by the extraordinary Joseph Stiglitz, winner of the Nobel Prize in economics (and a huge fan of investigative journalism). Next come the awards: GIJN will announce the remarkable winners of the Global Shining Light Award, honored for gutsy investigative reporting in developing and transitioning countries under duress or threat. And Africa Check will give out The African Fact-Checking Awards, the only awards on the continent set up specifically to honor the best, non-partisan fact-checking journalism. Then it’s back to the conference area for a dinner and dancing under the stars.
Welcome Reception
On Wednesday (6pm to 8pm): Join us at The Wits Club on Wednesday evening, as we greet our guests from around the world with an informal networking reception. We’ll have an open bar and snacks for everyone, a bit of entertainment, and a warm welcome to extraordinary journalists from 130 countries.
Carlos Cardoso Memorial Lecture
On Thursday: Wits Journalism will present the annual Carlos Cardoso Memorial Lecture on Thursday evening, featuring prominent human rights attorney Beatrice Mtetwa. Ms. Mtetwa has earned international acclaim for her defense of journalists in Zimbabwe. Come get inspired by a heroine fighting on the front lines of press freedom.
The Muckrakers
On Friday: If you’ve been to any of our last five Global Conferences, chances are you’ve seen GIJN’s own band, The Muckrakers. Formed at a jam at the Lillehammer conference in 2008, the R&B group has gone on to play to packed crowds from around the world in Geneva, Kiev, and Rio, plus a rockin’ reunion at GIJC15 back in Lillehammer. The international band — featuring Ana Simonovska on vocals (Macedonia), Mark Hunter on guitar (France/US), Dave Kaplan on harmonica (US), Geir Aage Vollan on bass (Norway) and Freddy Schaal on drums (Norway) — will play Friday night at The Orbit, a classic jazz club (with room to dance). The Orbit finds its roots and spirit in a small Jazz Social Club established in the historic Johannesburg suburb of Troyeville in the early 2000’s.
For more highlights, be sure to check the #GIJC17 program on Sched under “Special Events.”
