Imidibaniso - SciCom

The 76th Annual ICA conference taking place in Cape Town from the 4th till the 8th of June.

The five-day conference brings together around 3,000 in-person (and remote) scholars, and over 400 presentations representing the latest advanced in the field of communication.

We’re also proud to see our very own Prof. Mehita Iqani and Dr Christel Antonites who will be presenting at the conference this year.

Dr Christel Antonites and Prof Mehita Iqani will present: “Messy Baboons, Angry Humans: Waste as Multispecies Mediator in a Neighborhood in South Africa's Noordhoek Valley” will be presented tomorrow (Friday).

Prof Mehita Iqani will discuss “Waste and Luxury as Lenses for Inequality in African Contexts” on Saturday as part of the SACOMM panel.

Prof Mehita Iqani will also present: “From Zibi to Bingo: South African Anti-littering Adverts and the Discourse of Personal Responsibility” on Sunday.

If you are attending the , be sure to check out these thought-provoking sessions.

Don’t get overwhelmed by a writing project! Come join us and feel at ease😌. Tomorrow from 10:00 till 13:30. SU&W offers a supportive writing environment for anybody to join and start or complete a piece of your writing, whether it be a passion project or your thesis.

No RSVP is required and we have refreshments to keep your energy up! See you there!

Assessment season stress getting you down? Libraries and all study centres packed?
Come join us for Shut Up & Write this Thursday, a guaranteed quiet and safe space for writers to get out of their heads, and away from looming outside pressures into something a little calmer and a lot more productive. ✍️
Whether you’re working on your thesis, an article, an assignment or something just for you, SU&W is your space to sit down, focus and get words flowing with no pressure.

Everybody is welcome! No RSVP is required and we’ll have refreshments to keep you going! ☕

Join us this Saturday at the Franschhoek Literary Festival where our very own FicSci Editor Wamuwi Mbao (sea_ice) alongside Conrad Kemp (Out of the Dead Lands) join indie spec-fic publisher Marius du Plessis in exploring the power of speculative fiction in reshaping African storytelling. As global audiences embrace alternate worlds, future Africa’s and myth-infused retellings, they ask what it means to imagine beyond inherited limits — and how local writers are redefining the possibilities of the genre.

📌Session title: INVENTING TOMORROW
Date: 16 May, 2026
Time: 13:00 - 14:00
Venue: Franschhoek Theatre

Book your tickets now! Tickets available via Webtickets, with a direct link: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/EventCategories.aspx?itemid=1589974554

Has the weather got you under?
Come thaw it out with us at Shut Up & Write tomorrow from 10:00 till 13:30. Bringing you warm cozy vibes but still providing the perfect space for your words to be unlocked onto paper.
All are welcome! And so is any writing project you’ve been staring at for the past few days.
Refreshments will be available, to keep you warm too. no RSVP’s needed! See you there!

[NEW PUBLICATION ALERT] What stories do anti-littering campaigns tell us about responsibility? In this article, Prof Mehita Iqani looks at how South African anti-littering advertisements construct narratives of personal responsibility, putting individuals as the main agents accountable for waste and environmental degradation.

Tracing a shift from earlier “Zibi” campaigns to more recent messaging featuring “Bingo”, the article shows how anti-littering adverts have changed over time, but still focus mostly on individual behaviour.

This article adds to discussions in media and communication studies by showing how environmental messages shape who we think is responsible for waste, and highlights the gap between individual responsibility and larger systems that also play a role in pollution and waste management.

Follow the link to read the full article: https://bit.ly/4nmPkLm

Calling all creative writers! 📢
Are you ready to engage in creative dialogue with science? Up to 10 writers will be selected to participate in this workshop that blends storytelling with science.

If science piques your interest, this is your chance to encounter leading edge research and produce an original piece of writing in response. Applications are now open! Apply today and be part of something bold and experimental!

📌The deadline for applications are the 18th of May 2026.
Link: https://forms.gle/jLkgMGxiWNRNQWBTA

If your current routine is overthinking, coffee, and staring at the same paragraph for hours… it might be time for a change of scenery 🤔
Join us this Thursday for Shut Up & Write, with space for you to get out of your head and onto the page. No pressure, no feedback, no expectations, just a quiet room of people getting words onto paper together.
Whether you are deep in thesis mode, catching up on assignments, or trying to start something you have been avoiding, you are more than welcome to join us!

No RSVP’s required & refreshments to keep you typing/writing!

FicSci is back for its 5th edition! 📢🤩

We're calling all creative writers who are interested in engaging with science! 10 creative writers will be selected to spend three days engaging with an invited scientist, listening, questioning, and producing original work across genres. Keep an eye out on our social media pages, applications open soon!For more information on the workshop, visit our website (Link in bio)

What we eat is never just about taste. It is about history, access, identity, and power.

Food is both something we need to survive and a way we make meaning in the world. “The Cultural Politics of Food in South Africa: Media, Nourishment, Inequality” explores this role, unpacking how food is communicated, understood, and shaped by inequality in the South African context.

Join us for a thought-provoking evening as we launch this interdisciplinary collection, bringing together perspectives on the links between media, nourishment, and inequality.

📌Join us on Monday, 11 May at the Department of Journalism, Stellenbosch University, from 17:00–19:00. RSVP via the link by 5 May to secure your spot. Refreshments will be provided.

https://form.jotform.com/261063596955569

We’d love to see you there 💚✨