Mufutau Kolawole Muyiwa, M.A.

Education

• Since 2021 PhD student at the Department of Media and Communication Studies at the University of Erfurt (Prof. Dr. Kai Hafez)
• 2018 - 2021 Master of Arts in Global Communication: Politics and Society, University of Erfurt, Germany (with mobility funding from DAAD Promos Program)
• 2019 - 2019 Certificate in Global Environmental Governance, Department of Political Science, Lund University, Sweden
• 2016 - 2018 Master of Arts in Media and Communication Science, Ilmenau University of Technology, Germany
• 2015 - 2016 Academic Preparation Course at the TU Ilmenau, Germany

• 2006 - 2011 Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun state, Nigeria

Professional Experience

• 01/08/2022-Current Junior Lecturer | Research Associate — International and Comparative Communication, University of Erfurt
• 01/04/2022-31/07/2022 Digital Content Associate, UBE Europe GmbH — Düsseldorf, Germany
• 14/02/2022-20/04/2022 Specialist for Communication and Social Media — Ananda Impact Ventures, Munich, Germany
• 04/2020 – Founding Editor, Global Community Student Magazine, MA GlobCo Program, University of Erfurt
• 06/2019 – 31/10/2021 Digital Marketing and Content Specialist, UBE Europe GmbH — Düsseldorf, Germany
• 10/2018 - 03/2019 Technical Writer, FlixBus — Berlin, Germany
• 06/2018 - 09/2018 Content Marketing (Intern), Werbeagentur-Erfurt — Erfurt, Germany
• 01/2013 - 03/2015 Communication Specialist, Regency Communication — Port-Harcourt, Nigeria
• 01/2009 - 11/2011 Features Writer/ News Reporter

Description

The democratization of foreign policy and the proliferation of information and communication infrastructure has facilitated access to foreign publics. Today, many states make calculated efforts, using strategic communication to build relationships, manage reputation, convey government policies abroad and stimulate a favourable perception in the hearts and minds of foreign audiences. Notwithstanding, engagement efforts are not a neutral exercise but are designed to produce socio-economic, ideological, and political outcomes—camouflaged as ‘‘mutual interests’’. However, countries from the Global North rely on “smart power” (the combination of hard and soft power). In contrast, countries from the Global South are deficient in hard power and reliant on soft power (cultural assets, values and policies). This research traces the origins and scope of public diplomacy in the African continent. It adopts a mixed method design to contextualize the public diplomacy architecture and strategic communication programs of state, non-state and institutional actors under different political systems (Nigeria’s hybrid regime and South Africa’s flawed democracy).

Research Interest

Africa: Public Diplomacy, Public Diplomacy Counterflows (Africa and Europe)