AfricaVox

Excess baggage

Salamatu Turay — 2005-07-12T13:21:00+01:00

By Salamatu Turay

Having to work in the UK for two weeks was quite amazing, what with all the hustling and bustling around for news items and things to blog about. Though it should have been difficult, especially in a foreign land, it was actually made extremely simple for me by my hosts...

When I first arrived here I thought that I would not achieve much. The UK has hundreds more professional journalists than my country, so I thought my presence would not make a difference. But that has not been the case, and with the help and support of Panos London staff, I was able to achieve a lot.

Yes, I do have a big suitcase, as everyone kept joking, and, thanks to Panos, I do have something big to take home with me - but it's not something for which I have to pay excess baggage fees. It's what I have learnt from this whole experience. Back home I had little knowledge of climate change, for example, but Panos staff really helped me to meet people I never thought I would ever have the opportunity to meet, to go to places that were not even in my dreams, and to write on topics I didn't think about before...

Now I am leaving the UK very soon, but surely my leaving will not be the end of the hustling and bustling, and I will not forget about my UK readership! I will continue to follow the stories and ideas that have come up through this fortnight, but most specifically, like Machrine, I'll be going home to write about climate change in Sierra Leone, and to work with my colleagues to help them write about it too.

Anyway, bye!!! We will surely cross paths again soon.

Souvenirs...

Maura Quatorze — 2005-07-11T11:36:56+01:00

By Maura Quatorze

It's almost time to go - my flight back to Maputo is this evening, Machrine and Hilary are leaving for home today too. Before I go off for some last-minute souvenir-shopping, there are a few things to say...

Thinking back, all the expectations I had before leaving my home city Maputo have been exceeded by far! I could barely believe it when the national director for the Media Institute for Southern Africa told me he was going to recommend me for Panos London's G8 team; I still wasn't convinced even when I was getting emails from Panos on an almost daily basis to make sure that the arrangements for the trip were taken care of.

It was only when Sameer put me, Machrine, Ndesanjo and John (the only ones that had already arrived in London) on a bus by St Paul's Cathedral that I finally believed it... For the first time in my career, I was going to be there at the centre of things (little did I know that the press area at Gleneagles wasn't quite the centre - more like the suburbs), and Mozambique would know what was going on at the G8 from me, not from the BBC World Service, or online articles from international media.

I have learned so much in this trip that it will take me some time to absorb everything I'm taking back to Mozambique.

I have learned a LOT from Jon Barnes, Panos London's Head of Globalisation, and his infinite patience to explain to us all about the agricultural subsidies and complicated aid and trade issues, and also from Rod Harbinson and the incredible amount of environmental specialists he knows. I've also learned a huge amount from Francesca Silvani and Anna Egan, the Editors, and their knowledge about every subject there is.

But in a way I feel most lucky to have had the chance to meet and to work with colleagues from all over my own continent, from whom I learned a great deal and for whom my admiration grew stronger every day. There are so many good memories of the last two weeks, running from one meeting to the other, from one conference to another still so fresh in my head...

I know I won't forget this opportunity and I know it will inspire me to try harder to be the best journalist I can be, even when the motivations for it seem so hard to find in my country. And I know I will ever again see international politics quite the same way.

I feel in these two weeks I have had to grow up both professionally and personally - faster than ever in my few years (compared with my AfricaVox colleagues) of working as a journalist.

There's really only one word left to say to everyone involved in AfricaVox - thanks.

Africa's leaders leave its journalists out in the cold

Salamatu Turay — 2005-07-11T10:00:00+01:00

By Salamatu Turay

I have had the weekend to think a little, and after the ups and downs of last week - the G8, the Olympics, the bombings - so much has happened, it's difficult to take in. But there is one unfortunate thing for us as African journalists that stands out from last week.

The nature of the long-awaited support by the G8 leaders to make poverty history was announced by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in the final press conference at Gleneagles on Friday, addressing about one hundred journalists from all over the world. But what beats my imagination is that there were close to ten of our leaders at the summit - Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa were all there - but by Friday evening not one of them had said a word to the twenty-odd African journalists there to cover the summit.

That morning, we African journalists had gone to the Gleneagles information desk to find out the time of the African leaders' press conference, but it had not been scheduled.

After the British Prime Minister has briefed us that afternoon, we all left the briefing room en masse to ask the information desk the same question - and received the same answer. By the time we left Gleneagles on Friday evening, not one of us had been told about any briefings given by the African leaders.

We all boarded the bus back to Edinburgh bitterly disappointed that our leaders had left us in the cold. This was especially painful when we saw other countries' delegations making arrangements to brief their media about the G8 outcomes. And we attended some these other briefings, with interest, and with shame.

At home, it's so hard to get interviews with politicians for local journalists, but when foreign press come, they can get interviews extremely easily. We are used to this kind of treatment back home, but we weren't expecting the same treatment on foreign soil - at an international summit.

We saw - on TV - the Nigerian President Olufemi Obasanjo, who was lucky to have been given a chance to talk, take to the podium in his 'agbada', without one word to us about the G8 outcomes. All he came out with was along the lines of "we are deeply depressed by the attacks in London yesterday and reaffirm our commitment in the fight against terrorism".

I saw the disappointment on my Nigerian colleagues' faces and I almost shed tears because of the way they treated us. When is this going to change?

Goodbye - for now...

Machrine Birungi — 2005-07-08T21:25:06+01:00

By Machrine Birungi

So Tony Blair has issued the final communique of Gleneagles 2005. An additional 50 billion US Dollars in aid, implementation of the recommendation for the Commission for Africa to commit an additional 25 billion dollars for Africa by 2010.

Has Africa achieved anything? Yes, it has been a significant presence in the press for the first time - and not in bad faith, but in an attempt to explore the opportunities that Africa has to offer. Africa has gained further from the fact that the G8 leaders were forced to shift their attention from domestic agendas to an African agenda.

But I must say the terrorists did not only damage London when they struck yesterday - they damaged Africa too. For the crucial 24 hours, Africa was shuffled off the agenda, only to be dragged back on Friday afternoon.

I feel extremely privileged, as an African journalist, to cover this summit - and an international summit, no less. For the last seven years of my journalism career I have been covering local and national stories.

I longed to see the likes of the BBC journalists at work, and here I was working shoulder-to-shoulder with them, right from London to Scotland. I attended four press conferences and seeing Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac, Bob Geldof and Bono up close. My biggest disappointment however was the fact that at the Chirac press conference, Africans were denied an opportunity to ask questions. I had a burning question for Chirac: I simply wanted to know France's concrete policy and priorities for Africa. I raised my hand umpteen times, but it appears I was an invisible character in the French world. I didn't bother to raise my hand at the conferences that followed. I feel cheated particularly since this was supposed to be an African agenda, but it was hijacked by the foreign press. the organisers could have done better by allowing African media more opportunity to ask questions.

Nevertheless I was impressed by the level of organisation and support that was given to the media. Here the media is respected. We had the opportunity of using free phones and free internet - no wonder I was able to deliver my best journalism. I sent live reports to my station in Kampala and kept updating them on each report. I discovered I have the potential if only such facilities could be available at home.

To Panos London, I say this: you have raised my esteem. I came with an open mind to explore my potential and to use it to the maximum, and I must confess that I have gained much from this experience. With a team of Panos editors - Francesca Silvani, Anna Egan, and Sameer Padania - I was encouraged to write stories for the website, and the blog. And my God, the blog was the most difficult task, because that word itself was new to me, and to make matters worse, the day on which I was to be enlightened about blogs turned out to be the day that I went out to shadow Paul Mason...

So, it is finally over. I came as an amateur in covering international issues, but I have left with a credible mark on my mind from my Panos colleagues that anything is possible - as long as you have the right incentives and the motivation.

As for Africa, let's be encouraged by Tony Blair's words that Africa's problems must be solved by Africans. Much as the G8 is concerned by our plight, let's not drown in self-pity. It's Africa's year, so let's struggle for the best for our continent.

John Kamau's BBC Online diary - Updated links

Panos London — 2005-07-08T17:50:14+01:00

John has provoked considerable debate over on BBC Online's pages, and I am not surprised. He's given a fresh and candid perspective on the experiences of an African journalist covering an international summit, and today's diary in particular shows the considerable frustrations that African journalists have to put up with in a day's work:

Yesterday we were told that [the African leaders attending G8] would have a press conference today. But as I write this, no African journalist I have met here seems to know where our presidents are. [...] Unlike in western nations where the presidents and prime ministers are accessible to the local media, for an African journalist, getting an interview with an African president may take a lifetime.

and here's Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Joel Okao live on Sky News

Panos London — 2005-07-08T15:26:26+01:00

Joel Okao live (in the background) on Sky News during Prime Minister Tony Blair's end-of-summit briefing.

Ndesanjo in Metro: "Now the terrorists have seized the front page, who will tell Africa anything at all?"

Panos London — 2005-07-08T12:39:52+01:00

A day of high contrast for Ndesanjo, with the relief of finally getting down to business in Gleneagles overshadowed by the attacks on London yesterday.

And I thought, wait a minute, why do the leaders of the world's most advanced 'democracies' meet so far away from the people they represent? Had they committed some heinous crime? [...] And then Thursday morning, ordinary people going to work, picking up groceries, touring London, bore the brunt of someone's anger against the G8, while the leaders themselves were caged safely away.

Machrine posted for yesterday's Metro, making a vow to cover climate change when she gets back to Uganda, and her first ever article on this subject asks, Is Africa Burning?

G8 Expectations

Joelokao — 2005-07-08T10:32:47+01:00

By Joel Okao

I am privileged to be at Gleneagles, as part of the AfricaVox team of African journalists, covering this historic event for Radio Rhino back home in Uganda. My audience is made up of people who live every minute of their lives watching over their shoulders to see where the next attacks of the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels are emerging from. Over 2 million of my listeners live in medieval conditions in camps unimaginable in the civilized world in the 21st Century.

Many people back home in the North of Uganda know about the G8 and its agenda to help Africa, thanks to reports on local FM Radio stations like mine. And they wish all Ugandan debts will be cancelled.

But they have a big concern: Will money from debt cancellation help restore security to Northern Uganda? I hosted a programme on Radio Rhino just before I left for the summit, and many people called in to give their expectations of the G8 Summit. Here is a taste of what they said...:

Ogwang James
I want to thank Tony Blair for his efforts to help Africa out of poverty. But we in Northern Uganda might not see the fruits of debt cancellation as long as we remain in camps. The G8 should do something about this war.

Okello Okello, Student
My concern is the education of young people. What can G8 leaders do to help us get a University education? I believe money from debt cancellation should pay for University education for more poor students who want to study but can't because poverty stops them.

Adongo Sarah
I only hope that money is not used to buy more arms and I hope it is not used to entrench corruption. Money from the first debt relief to Uganda went to build more classrooms and more health centres, but corruption meant the structures were sub-standard, as quality was compromised.

Angwec Grace, School teacher
Maybe government will finally improve our pay and provide more classrooms. The over-crowding in our Schools is appalling; class rooms meant for 40 pupils have over 100 pupils. That is not good for the quality of education we strive to uphold.

People in IDP camps also wrote into the programme. Their desires reflect their present state of life.

Ameto Gladys is 10. She wants food and only food.
If only my mother could get food for us, that is all we want for now. Government can use that money to give us more food.

Okello Ogwang, 60
I want to go home. The G8 should just help end this war and I go home.

Imat Oder, 57
If those white people can take us back home we would be very grateful. Tell them to help us get peace. I want to take my grandchildren home.

Corruption and everyday life in Sierra Leone

Salamatu Turay — 2005-07-07T21:00:00+01:00

Some thoughts ahead of tomorrow's Africa discussions at the G8 summit. Sierra Leone has over six major mineral resources, vast agricultural land and several rain forests, yet 40 per cent of its 4.9 million people live on less than a dollar a day. The trio of demands from Make Poverty History - more and better aid, trade justice and debt cancellation are well-known.

But a Sierra Leonean I met yesterday told me he thinks the solution to Sierra Leone's poverty is not debt relief or aid but proper planning. Francis Forbie, a Sierra Leonean Consultant at the Centre for African Policy and Peace studies, in London told me: "Aid creates a dependency culture" and that part of Sierra Leone's problem is firstly the fact our country has had no strategic policy on poverty since independence - and secondly that corruption is everywhere.

As a Sierra Leonean I've been reflecting for the past couple of days on just how much corruption is part of everyday life. See my new article Aminata at the C8 to read some of my experiences.

A second dissenting voice I met in Edinburgh was Alice Ukoko, the executive director of Women of Nigeria International. She's sceptical whether a G8 agenda about Africa which wasn't formulated by Africans can actually work. It's a criticism that has been made by many of the African civil society groups here in Edinburgh (see my Kenyan colleague John Kamau's article on a related topic here.) Up here at Gleneagles we will be getting African reaction to the Gleneagles announcements as they unfold, by working with Action Aid Southern Africa to contact people back home once there's some clear messages coming from the summit.

John Kamau on today's bombings in London

Panos London — 2005-07-07T17:19:25+01:00

After this morning's terror attacks on London, the atmosphere around the Gleneagles media centre changed markedly, and the tone of John's piece for BBC Online reflects that sombre mood:

The air is now extremely gloomy up here and I am not finding the excitement and energy that I usually see with journalists.

Those from London will be worried about friends, family and colleagues, and those from abroad will perhaps be feeling cut off from the real theatre of action, even as they are appalled at the loss of lives and threats of further terror.

Like John, many of the journalists have seen the aftermath of violence and terror in their own countries, and they're all shocked by this morning's events, and, like John, offer their condolences to the people of London.