In country after country, the African press is crippled by a panoply of repressive measures, from the jailing and persecution of journalists to the widespread scourge of ’insult laws’ and criminal defamation. The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and the World Editors Forum (WEF) adopted the Declaration of Table Mountain on 3 June 2007 in Cape Town, South Africa, to appeal to all Africans, particularly those in power, to recognise that the political and economic progress they seek flourishes in a climate where the press is free and independent of governmental, political or economic control.

The Declaration calls on Heads of State to review and abolish libel and defamation laws, where in force, and to promote and implement the highest standards of press freedom. It also urges the African Union to include in the criteria for "good governance" in the African Peer Review Mechanism under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development programme the vital requirement that a country promotes free and independent media.

As part of the campaign launched to improve this appalling situation, WAN is inviting newspapers in Africa to publish freely exclusive cartoons created by noted French cartoonist Michel Cambon on the theme of criminal defamation.

Cartoons can be downloaded in the Resources section of the campaign website at http://www.declarationoftablemounta...