Caleb University: "a way of introducing them and catching them young for research and IAMCR"

Caleb University (Lagos, Nigeria) received a ‘No Travel Grant’ to host a local version of the IAMCR Annual International conference within its Department of Mass Communication. The three-day conference was hybrid -- allowing some members of staff and PhD students to join in online, while some faculty and students were physically present at the university auditorium.

Professor Ayobami Ojebode, a leading Professor of Applied Communication at the Department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan, delivered the keynote address. In concluding his thought-provoking speech for the first day, he called for the constant monitoring of and balance to representation of the various identities capable of breaching peace globally – gender, ethnicity, and religion.

Day Two of the conference picked up with a recap of the discussions that emanated from the keynote speech of the previous day, and then continued with the playing of the IAMCR 2021 Opening Plenary with keynote speaker Professor Tawana Kupe, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria. The playing of the video was followed by a discussion among participants (online and physical), that centred on trying to bridge the gap around one of the burgeoning dichotomies in the field of communication studies in Nigeria, especially between digital natives and digital migrants particularly between scholars (communication lecturers and their students).

The final day of the conference kicked off with Ifedolapo Ademosu’s recap of the previous sessions, and a presentation by Dr Oyeleye on the topic "Rethinking the Communication Process in Dealing with Health Pandemics". After the presentation, participants (students and staff) were encouraged to share their experiences during the pandemic.

The convenor, Ifedolapo Ademosu, said: "Our 200 level students who are just being introduced to Communication Research and Theories were divided into three groups to witness the proceeding as a way of introducing them and catching them young for research and IAMCR".