The 12th Biennial Convention of the World Communication Association

Sponsors of the conference included the HSRC, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, the University of South Africa, the South Africa Communication Service, the City of Pretoria, and several South African companies.

The conference participants arrived in Pretoria on July 25 and attended a welcoming reception that evening. The opening session of the convention was held on July 26. Nico Stofberg, the mayor of Pretoria; R. Stumpf, president the HSRC; Peet C.J. Jordaan, South African Communication Association; and Ronald L. Applebaum, president of the WCA; Sharon Ratliffe, Speech Communication Association; Takehide Kawashima, Communication Association of Japan; and Myung Seok Park, WCA-Asia, greeted the participants. A keynote address was delivered by Dave Steward, official spokesman of the Government of the Republic of South Africa.

Papers, workshops, and panels at the conference covered a variety of topics related to communication studies and speech communication, in areas of both theory and practice. Papers were on such topics as cinematic images of Africa and apartheid, communication and health services, organizational communication, communication education, mass communication, conflict and communication, intercultural communication, and language and communication. Specifically, papers that were presented included ones on images of Africa in popular film, intercultural adaptation, communication in voter education, satellite communication, multicultural conflict management in South Africa, intergenerational communication, the South African advertising agency and the black consumer, national symbols in South Africa, communication and labor relations, and cultural barriers to communication.

There were workshops on such topics as internal communication in large organizations, improving listening skills, leadership, public speaking, intercultural differences, and communicating across worldviews.

Panel discussion topics included media and politics; the electronic media and unity in South Africa; South African women; and media, democracy and government.

A number of the papers, panels and workshops were on topics related to the political and social situation in South Africa. In addition, there were many opportunities to talk informally with South African participants of the conference and to learn about South Africa through these personal contacts.

Many speakers emphasized the importance of communication among the many different racial and ethnic groups in South Africa. The country is at a crossroads today, with negotiations going on to form a future nonracial government with universal suffrage. The ability of individuals in the different ethnic groups to communicate with each other will play an important part in the direction that the country takes. At present, there is often little personal contact between members of different racial or ethnic groups.

Some of the presentations were related to language teaching. They included a workshop on using a suggestopedic approach to teaching German, and papers on preparing Japanese students to study in the United States and preparing ESL speakers to teach in US universities.

In another workshop, participants carried out the intercultural simulation BaFa BaFa. Participants were divided into two groups, Alpha and Beta, and they were each taught the rules of a simple "culture." Visitors were exchanged between the two cultures, and the visitors reported back to the members of their own culture on what they learned about the other culture. Afterwards, all the participants discussed their experiences and their reactions to their "intercultural" experiences. The purpose of this simulation is to help participants experience intercultural interaction and intercultural conflict and analyze how they can learn about other cultures react to cultural differences.

In the panel discussion "Media and Politics in Post- Apartheid South Africa," the panel members discussed the role of the press in South Africa. They emphasized the importance of the "watchdog" role of the press for the future government as well as the importance of respect for freedom of expression on all levels if democracy is to be successful. At present, there is no clause guaranteeing freedom of the press included in the new Constitution that is being drafted, and there are many in South Africa who feel that government suppression of criticism by the press is a prerogative of a government. Panel members also discussed the vital role that the press will play in preparing the people, the majority of whom have never voted before, for the election scheduled for April 27, 1994. The press will be responsible for both preparing people for the process of registering and voting as well as educating them on the issues of the election.

In another panel discussion, "South African Women: Communication in the Contemporary Family," white and black South African women discussed their experiences and the roles that they expect that women will play in the future of South Africa. It was emphasized by the speakers that respect for democracy and the free exchange of opinions that it involves must start with respect for individuals within family life.

In the evenings, conference participants attended various receptions sponsored by local organizations. A mayoral reception was held at the State Theater on July 26. There were also receptions sponsored by the South African Broadcasting Corporation in Johannesburg and the University of South Africa in Pretoria. During the conference, participants had opportunities to tour a diamond mine, a gold mine, the cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg, a black township near Pretoria, and a cheetah farm.

Following the conference, many of the overseas participants went on a post-conference tour that included Kruger National Park, a major game reserve; Zululand; and the coastal city of Durban.

The situation in South Africa is very complex. There are four major ethnic groups--Whites, Indians, Coloreds (people of combined Black, White and/or Malay descent), and Blacks. Eleven major languages are spoken, including Afrikaans (a variation of Dutch) and English, the two official languages, and nine major tribal languages.

Though they make up more than seventy percent of the population, blacks have never voted in national elections. The first national election in which blacks will be able to participate is scheduled for April 27, 1994. In the meantime, as was emphasized in the media and government panel discussion, a major effort is necessary to educate people on both the issues on which they will be voting and the procedures for registering and voting.

There is a great need for communication among the racial and ethnic groups in South Africa, which was one of the reasons for the great interest in a conference on the subject of communication.

This conference was a great benefit to overseas participants both in assisting them in understanding the situation is South Africa and in allowing them to meet and talk with South Africans personally.

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