Two members of staff from the Department of Journalism and Communication (DJC), Makerere University have concluded a two-weeks staff exchange visit to the Oslo Metropolitan University. Dr. Aisha Sembatya Nakiwala, the Head of DJC and Dr. Charlotte K. Ntulume, a Lecturer at the Department were in Oslo at the invitation of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet). The visit was part of the Norwegian Partnership Programme for Global Academic Cooperation (NORPART) project on strengthening journalism training and academic cooperation in the two universities. Other partners on the programme are the University of Dar es Salaam.
Dr. Nakiwala and Dr. Ntulume were welcomed to OsloMet by Prof. Kristin Skare Orgeret and Prof Roy Krovel as well as Dr. Florence Namasinga Selnes, a post-doctoral fellow at OlsoMet. While at Oslomet, the two met students from Makerere University under the NORPART project. These included Christine Kabazira, Nelson Bahati, Prisca Tisia, Charity Ngabirano, Joseph Kato, and Leonard Twinomujuni. The Department of Journalism and Communication at Makerere has had a long-standing academic cooperation with OlsoMet Department of Journalism and Media Studies that is focused on building capacity in journalism training and research.
During the visit, Dr. Nakiwala and Dr. Ntulume attended classes and delivered lectures on the OsloMet’s Master of Journalism programme, which comprises students from Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Dr. Nakiwala commended the support her department has received through this cooperation. She said: “This exchange with OsloMet does not just cement our collaboration, but it also expands our academic networks and opens our students to global awareness. It also gives us an opportunity to learn from OsloMet and other partners on the project.”
The six Ugandan students appreciated the support from the two departments and committed to giving back to DJC when they return to Uganda.
“The highlight is the learning experience. Being able to learn different cultures, ways of lecturing and different social skills is amazing. Dr. Aisha and Dr. Charlotte also made eye-opening presentations from some of their research projects. It was nice to have them around to guide us in structuring our term papers and discuss progress made. There's so much our department is doing so well that if we integrate it with what we have learned here, the sky is the limit” says Tisia, one of the students on a three-month exchange program that started on February 6, 2023.
Joseph Kato notes that his key highlight so far is meeting professors that he had cited in his Master’s dissertation.
“My highlight was meeting Professor Kristin Skare Orgeret and Professor Rune Ottosen whose studies about media reporting on war and conflict I had been reading. In fact, I had quoted them in my MA dissertation and it was interesting meeting the people whose works were a basis for my study about media reporting on campaign violence in Uganda.”
“And of course, meeting new students from various countries. In the future, they will be sources or references for my cross-border journalism,” he adds.
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