Notable Young South African

IAWRT South African Chapter head Sara Chitambo has been named one of 200 notable young South Africans in the Mail & Guardian’s annual edition of a project which highlights the young talent of the country.The newspaper and online outlet has run the list for just over a decade, to feature trailblazing South Africans under the age of 35.

What drives women to chronicle the realities of a complex and violent world?

Women have been making news as writers or journalists for hundreds of years. Europe has records of female editors or writers back to the 1600’s, women journalists operated in India under the British Raj and in China in the 1800’s, and probably well before that, but journalism has been a male dominated profession until the last century. In many countries it still is.

Nupur Basu,(pictured) an Indian and international journalist and documentary filmmaker for the last 35 years, has been witness to women entering the profession in ever increasing numbers in the last three decades. 

However, numbers don’t tell the full story and as the Executive Producer of this year’s IAWRT long documentary, Women Making News she would like “to come right into 2016 to see where women are in journalism at the present juncture.”

There are many strands to women making news, for example, the status of women in world newsrooms: Do they still work with editors and colleagues with patriarchal mind-sets? Are women journalists in decision making positions in newsrooms? Do they have any power to make an impact on the final outcome of a story?

First the good news: “In the recent Panama Papers investigations, which revealed how the rich and powerful stashed their disposable income in tax havens, the investigation was carried out globally by around 300 journalists. Half of them were women journalists, including those who headed the investigation”, says Nupur.

“However while women may have broken through the glass ceiling, it is the ecosystem in which women journalists have to operate that raises new concerns.”  

Nupur has herself reported from, and filmed in, highly risky environments – the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and in Afghanistan (for her full career, see Pen Profile below). “With the rise of right wing nationalist parties in different countries and groups like ISIS and Boko Haram – what are the new dangers that women reporters are facing? How do they negotiate those assignments – do they negotiate these mine fields differently from their male colleagues?” she asks.

“Women are on the frontline. The numbers of women journalists being killed in the field and in the digital arena has begun to climb. Studies have revealed that women journalists are subject to “double attacks”. Like women politicians, women journalists are trolled by obscene threats of rape and threats to abduct and kill their children, “things that would hurt us deeply” the Indian journalist observes.

Nupur says the basic identity of women in the profession of journalism, is a theme she is keen to see explored in the documentary.

“I recall Samira Sitaïl (pic:left)  the director of information @2M TV, Morocco, in the 2013 IAWRT biennial conference saying: “My name is Samira – but I think, what if it was Samir? I have been threatened. But I am not going to change my sex!  There are times, however, that society accepts us as journalists first and then a woman.”

That experience is not limited to North Africa. Nupur Basu says female journalists, across the globe are increasingly happy to build on their identity as women.

“As a feminist I believe that women journalists and filmmakers do bring their own vision into a story without compromising with the truth. Truth telling is our job – male or female – but it how we tell a story. I think women have a certain nuanced humane narrative whether it is from the front line or other areas. I would like to see those aspects being explored.”

The long documentary will weave 10-12 minute films from a number of countries into a 50 minute film, and Nupur is keen to see the diversity of ways in which the local filmmakers, applying to be part of the project, will explore such issues. “I am looking forward to very strong pitches coming in from our members from different regions pertaining to this exciting theme”.

There are many stories of women reporters showing extraordinary bravery, and perhaps, Nupur muses, one will emerge to link or drive globally diverse stories into the final production, Women Making News. “It will be both exciting and challenging to link these different micro stories together and tell a larger macro story”.

Like the ISIS killing, there are other chilling stories of attacks on digital and mainstream women journalists and their attempts to face the consequences and carry on.“An independent woman blogger from Bangladesh, Rafida Ahmed Bonya, (pic right: © Deutsche Welle / M.Magunia) who survived a machete attack on the streets of Dhaka in which her husband Avijit Roy, a well-known blogger and writer, died, is an amazing woman who now lives in the US. Or the Indian journalist, Malini Subramaniam, who writes for Scroll.in and has done extensive reporting on tribal rights from the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, where mobs harassed her family, stoned her car and police hounded her husband, domestic help and landlord. Another story of bravery is that of rural women in India, who have formed a rural women’s news network, and despite little to no schooling – they have become instrumental in trying to expose corruption.”

“There are similar stories of women journalists’ pushing the boundaries in their reportage from the Middle East, Afghanistan, the Philippines and Africa. There are many amazing stories and we hope to cast our net for them. Women Making News should explore what drives these women journalists to do their jobs against such heavy odds.”

“Women Making News will try and probe the challenges facing women journalists across the globe in a 24×7 news ecosystem and try and explore their meaningful role as a chronicler of contemporary realities in a complex and violent world” observes Nupur.

(IAWRT Film makers have until July 7th to apply to be a part of the documentary and it is due to be completed by November.)

Name: Ngunan Adamu

What do you do? Radio Producer/Presenter for BBC Radio Merseyside and a social entrepreneur

Why did this type of work interest you, and how did you get started?

I have always had a passion for working with disengaged and disadvantaged women and young people, using media, especially radio, to empower and educate the masses.

As a Nigerian scouser, my love for people and humanity came from my parents. In my father, a doctor working for the British Council, UN and WHO, I saw the passion that he put into his work, working on HIV/AIDS education for the African community on the stigma surrounding the virus and how to live a fulfilled life after diagnosis. However, it was his work with the mental health community internationally, that spurred me to want to work with communities but also to use journalism to highlight the issues facing them.

My mother, a strong woman raising three children in the UK on her own, demonstrated the power of giving, kindness and acceptance.  Our home was a half-way house for those suffering from mental health and refugees/asylum seekers. This gave me the skills needed to be accepting of others.

As a graduate trainee journalist, my first job was as a health report for Voice newspaper, which was a local newspaper based in Toxteth, Liverpool, writing stories that affected people’s health. This experience gave me access to the growing diverse community of Liverpool and the different organisations that tackled health and integration.

Because of my passion for disengaged and disadvantaged communities, my reputation grew amongst my BBC colleagues as the ‘Outreach girl’ giving me access to brilliant projects such as BBC News School Report, BBC Radio 1Xtra UTakeover, BBC Hackney Academy, BBC Step Up and Connecting Classrooms with the British Council; but also covering stories such as Stop and Search police powers, Gun and Gang Violence, teenage mothers etc…

I graduated with a BA (hons) in Journalism from Liverpool John Moores University in 2003 and I managed to get into the  BBC through work experience after several attempts of applying through the normal jobs portal route and I’ve been here ever since.

What part of this job do you personally find most satisfying? Most challenging?

I love covering personal stories of inspiration but also international stories that showcase the talent in Africa and the Caribbean, as my show is aimed at the African and Caribbean community.

The most challenging part of my job is the sensitive stories: in 2014 I was sent to Nigeria to cover the one year anniversary of the missing Chibok school girls as a foreign field producer, but was lucky to have reported on it for a few stations. It was a bitter sweet experience, it’s the type of story that journalists are waiting for but speaking to girls who had been at the school was heartbreaking.

However, on a day to day basis, the most challenging part is managing your time and understanding that you can’t do or cover everything.

What do you like and not like about working in this industry?

Every day is different, no one day is the same, in one week I interviewed Seal the singer, Gyptian the dancehall artist and Chuck D from Public Enemy, the following week I interviewed a woman who had been in a polyamorous relationship, the following week it was the floods in the Caribbean, so you can never predict your week.

There’s nothing that I don’t like about the industry apart from the amount of hours you have to give to make sure that you have quality content

What are your long-term goals?

My long term goal, which I am currently working on, is to have my own online radio station and radio academy working with women over the age of 25.

What special advice do you have for a student seeking to qualify for this position?

Be passionate, stand out and do your research. When emailing a fellow journalist or producer, research what stories they have covered or shows they have worked on. Know the industry inside and out: know which papers are affiliated to certain political groups, get involved in your school or university papers, radio or TV stations, apply for work experience or shadowing opportunities.

Once you have done all of the above, email an editor or journalist and ask to meet for a tea or coffee, just to find out what their jobs entails and what their vision is for the industry or their department as well as what skills and experience they are looking for, but don’t forget to sell yourself.

From now on, you are a walking talking CV!

Do you have any special words of warning or encouragement as a result of your experience?

Always be prepared, don’t take your position for granted, once you lose passion for the industry it’s time to move on. I’ve worked for the BBC for almost 11 years and I’ve worked for so many different departments, some unrelated to journalism, but I picked up so many new skills and experiences – always be prepared for any opportunity.

My word of warning would be to not give up or be disheartened when things are not moving as fast as you would have liked and never be too familiar, although you might be in a creative environment you must always remain professional

My strongest assets/skills, areas of knowledge, personality traits and values are….

My strongest assets are being able to approach anyone and making interviewees feel relaxed and at ease during my interview.

My areas of knowledge are Africa, specifically Nigeria, music, women, youth and politics. However I do love health and wellbeing and technology

I’m passionate about being Nigerian and Scouse; And I value people, I am a humanist; I believe that everyone should be able to live a fulfilled and positive life and my job as a journalist to give the listeners the information to be able to make informed decisions through the stories I cover.

Some of Ngunan Adamu’s work may be found here.