Introduction Introduction Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) is a regional non-governmental organisation that advocates for media freedom, freedom of expression and the right to know in the service of democracy, socio-economic and political development. Officially launched in September 1992 when it elected its first Regional Governing Council in Windhoek, Namibia, MISA was created by southern African media practitioners to implement the 1991 Windhoek Declaration on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press, hence the decision to locate the Regional Office in Windhoek. By June 1994, MISA had opened a Regional Secretariat in Windhoek employing three people. In 1996, it transformed itself from a regional network of activists into a regional NGO with membership-based National Chapters. Currently MISA has chapters offices in 11 SADC countries: Angola, Botswana, MISA has since positioned itself as the primary advocate for media freedom and freedom of expression in southern Africa. Each National Chapter enjoys a national membership made up of media practitioners, media institutions and enterprises. The total regional membership of MISA is currently over 1 700 individuals and over 100 institutions. The MISA programs have grown and now have a global outreach especially through the media violations monitoring program. MISA’s work and agenda has also been taken up by many civic organisations in the region, thereby creating consciousness of the linkages between media freedom, freedom of expression and broader human rights and democratic campaigns. 4