The Network for the Defence of Independent Media in Africa (NDIMA), will take part in a seminar for exiled Ethiopian journalists, sponsored by UNESCO.

The event will take place in September or October in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, said Sam Mbure, program coordinator for NDIMA, a pan-African NGO promoting freedom of expression and human rights.

"Many Ethiopian journalists have come to us for help after fleeing their country making it necessary to set up a special program to assist them called RECASU (Refugee Care and Support)," Mbure said.

NDIMA's founders established the group in direct response to what they saw as increasing and rampant assault on the independent media by regimes on the advent of multiparty democracy in Africa. The group has members in more than 22 countries. NDIMA is open to professionals working with the media, publishers, journalists and media organizations. Among its activities are the training of media professionals, working for the repeal of unjust, outdated press laws and promoting the rule of law.

"Although NDIMA was founded in August 1993 we have encountered government censorship which culminated in the denial of registration for us as a nongovernmental freedom-of-expression organization," Mbure said. "Refusal of registration means that we cannot benefit from tax exemption and can easily be outlawed as an illegal organization.

"Before we received the sad news of denial of registration we were collaborating" with another organization to organize journalists' training programs in the Great Lakes region of the United States, he said.

NDIMA has a working relationship with UNESCO, the Index on Censorship, Digital Freedom Network, JSS, International PEN, Article 19 and the International Parliament of Writers.

"We are currently involved in a major funds drive, which if successful will enable us to work out a diary of events for each one of our programs," Mbure said. For more information contact: Sam Mbure, program coordinator, Network for the Defence of Independent Media in Africa, P.O. Box 70147, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: (254-154) 41403. Fax: (254- 154) 51118. E-mail: ndima@arcc.or.ke.