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.

“Space for ordinary people to exercise their fundamental freedoms – and to participate in their own governance – is closing at a rapid and disturbing pace worldwide.

And ground zero, shamefully, is the very place where these rights should be thriving: The United Nations, one of whose pillars, ironically, is human rights.” Maina Kiai, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.

pic: Committee on NGO’s 2016 resumes session; www.un.org  

More than 230 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from around the world have joined forces to protest about a crucial United Nations committee shutting out voices which some states (countries) do not want to hear.

The 19 member, Committee on NGOs has now made the controversial decision to refuse consultative status to the high profile advocate of media freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) “At a time when such a voice is sorely needed” according to UN Special Rapporteur, Maina Kiai. He says many other NGOs working on human rights issues are being stymied. “Those who faced the greatest obstacles were those working on sexual orientation and gender identity, minority rights, or sexual and reproductive rights.” The Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (YCSRR) was also refused consultative status at the May-June meeting.

The committee is the main gateway for civic organisations to engage with the UN, It recommends consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).That status allows NGOs access to UN forums, including the Human Rights Council, to submit information, lobby diplomats, and organize side events (IAWRT has had consultative status with ECOSOC since 1985).

CPJ has been reporting sexualised violence against women media workers since its first report in 2011, The silencing crime: Sexual violence and journalists. Their work is a valuable resource for media advocacy and capacity-building organisations such as IAWRT, which promotes gender equity in the media. Such work, including the 2016 annual publication, Attacks on the Press: Gender and Media Freedom Worldwide forms part of the research base for the 2016 IAWRT long documentary film – Women Making News – which will probe these issues.

CPJ: “Kafkaesqe bureaucratic limbo”

The Committee to Protect Journalists often launches its annual monitoring of attacks on the media in conjunction with the United Nations.

“It is sad that the UN., which has taken up the issue of press freedom through Security Council and General Assembly resolutions and through the adoption of the UN. Action Plan, has denied accreditation to CPJ, which has deep and useful knowledge that could inform decision making,” says the Executive Director Joel Simon.

The CPJ first applied for consultative status in 2012, and was deferred seven times, it says that was based on arcane UN. procedure, “the accreditation process has been one of Kafka-esqe bureaucratic limbo.”[1] The May-June session had 245 applications deferred from earlier sessions before it, that was reduced to 235, 188 NGO’s did receive consultative status. 

The CPJ voting was: Yes: Greece, Guinea, Israel, Mauritania, USA, Uruguay; No: Azerbaijan, Burundi, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia,South Africa, Sudan, Venezuela. There were 3 abstentions: India, Iran and Turkey.

Cuba, Azerbaijan, China and Iran were on CPJ’s 2015 list the 10 Most Censored Countries in the annual publication, Attacks on the Press.

Joel Simon says “A small group of countries with poor press freedom records are using bureaucratic delaying tactics to sabotage and undermine any efforts that call their own abusive policies into high relief.”

The committee on NGOs has also deferred, for the 18^th time, an application by an organisation working to end discrimination against people based on caste – the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN).

 “A tool of states that do not respect human rights”

The International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) now has an unenviable record. It is the NGO made to wait the longest for a decision – nine years. Two more questions from India lead to the latest delay. “Since 2008, India has asked 77 questions, many of them repetitive and previously responded to” it says in a statement.

“The UN Committee on NGOs has become infamous as a tool of states that do not respect human rights and civil society. The Committee’s practice of repeatedly deferring NGO applications for consultative status with the UN has reached such an alarming extent that it undermines global human rights.”

IDSN Executive Director Rikke Nöhrlind says ECOSOC status is crucial for IDSN’s work “without it, opportunities to discuss the impact of and solutions to the horrific human rights and development challenges brought about by caste discrimination will be lost.”

 KKF:“defamed and then silenced”

In January the committee blocked the application of the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) without allowing it to defend itself against a claim that it ‘undermined the unity of the state of Vietnam’.

The International Service for Human Rights New York co-director Eleanor Openshaw says the practices of the Committee hit a new low, when it allowed accusations to be made against the KKF, but denied the NGO the right to speak at a regular Q&A session.

“In so doing, the Committee allowed for an NGO to be defamed and then silenced, in violation of the fundamental principles of freedom of expression, association and due process that should guide the Committee’s work” she said.

The KKF, established at a global gathering in the US in 1985, has been vocal about Vietnamese government land grabs and human rights abuses of Khmer-Krom people living in the Mekong Delta. In 2012 Vietnam successfully argued in ECOSOC that it should not be granted consultative status.

“Hijacking, and closing the main door for NGOs”

The letter, from the national and international NGO’s, accuses the Committee of politicising its administrative role, particularly by obstructing human rights organisations working on issues with which States disagree. It called on members of ECOSOC to reform the practice of the Committee, and institute a political, fair and transparent system.

Even getting the NGO’s concerns before the committee was not easy. In the May-June meeting, a protracted and tense argument about the right of an NGO representative to speak during its sessions preceded ISHR delivering a statement.

The letter, copied to UN leaders, takes a moderate tone whilst citing the findings of the 2014 report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association.

However, Maina Kiai was scathing about the committee’s May-June session: “the same governments that are restricting NGOs domestically are stepping up efforts to take away NGOs’ voices on the international stage as well” he said.

“The United Nations is an arena where some of the world’s most significant political decisions are made. Ordinary people, though civil society organizations that may have a different view from their government, must have a voice in this process.

To be clear, this responsibility is not simply about boosting civil society’s profile. It’s also about the effectiveness and credibility of the United Nations as a whole.”

By Nonee Walsh

ADDITIONAL NOTE

In late May 2016 The United Nations human rights office added its voice to the concerns raised about the denial of consultative status to CPJ. In late July, 2016, an ECOSOC vote finally gave CPJ the right to officially access U.N. bodies and processes.

Sources:

http://csonet.org/index.php?menu=14

 http://idsn.org/

www.cpj.org

www.ishr.ch

http://freeassembly.net/;

“The award is dedicated to us all in IAWRT for the hard work and team spirit” 

Media specialist and veteran journalist Rose Haji Mwalimu has received the Media Council of Tanzania’s top accolade, Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award.

Currently a media trainer/mentor and community media consultant with UNESCO, she is a  founding member of the Tanzania Association of Media Women, Gender and Media Network Southern Africa (GEMSA&GEMSAT), Culture Development East Africa (CDEA) as well a foundation member of IAWRT Tanzania, and its current chapter head, to name but a few of her activites.

The Excellence in Journalism Award Tanzania accolade cited Rose Haji Mwalimu’s contribution to media and humanity in a career which has included working as a translator and editor in the Swahili section of Inter Press Service, and various forms of media production to achieve social change. Those projects have included family welfare by radio in the prevention of HIV/AIDS, voter education by radio in the lead up to Tanzania’s first multiparty elections and rural community radio which has increased access to information.

She also spent almost a decade as National Director of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, where she coordinated media campaigns on freedom of expression and information, media monitoring, broadcasting diversity and ICTs. That work resulted in Information and Broadcasting Policy, Coalition of Right to Information 2007 and the Media Services Bills 2008, which is awaiting enactment.

Tanzania’s press is relatively free, compared to some neighbouring countries, which was partially reflected in the increasing number of nominations for the 2015 industry awards, particularly from electronic media. The Media council of Tanzania said half of the years nominees came from rural areas, and the number of female nominees had increased from 18, in the 2014 awards, to 28 in this round.

Gender inequality, violence against women and empowerment has been a particular focus of Ms Haji Mwalimu’s work with NGO’s and in IAWRT. “The award is dedicated to us all in IAWRT for the hard work, team spirit and good collaboration. I thank you all for making this possible” she said.

However, there was a cloud over the industry award night in Dar es Salaam. The guest of honour, the Chairperson of the Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance, Mr Tom Nyanduga outlined continuing threats to Tanzania’s media.

In the lead up to the Tanzanian elections of October 2015, Ms Haji Mwalimu told the IAWRT Biennial that journalists were being attacked and abducted in Tanzania. “Police use force against demonstrators. They beat and arrest journalists.” she said in New Delhi.

Mr Nyanduga confirmed the Commission was hearing similar reports of infringements of the right to access information and freedom of expression. While he said the Tanzanian government was exemplary in promoting media as a tool of development, he criticised its decision to ban live coverage of Parliamentary proceedings and replace it with selected excerpts, distributed to media.

“The ongoing debate on restricting live coverage of Parliament activities can be described as denying people’s right to information. People would like to see their representatives through the function of this important organ” he said.

Since President John Magufuli’s government has taken power, there have been more measures to limit media freedom and no moves to undo draconian powers in media law which allow the government to shut down media outlets.

For Rose Haji Mwalimu, it was straight back to work, she was off to Finland, participating in the UNESCO International World Press Freedom Day and an evaluation seminar of Vikes Communications and Development Foundation projects in Tanzania. She says her baby project is ongoing internet training – which she started while in MISA.

Rose describes herself as a respectful, humble and skilled teacher to those who are less gifted than herself, especially youth and women.

IAWRT President Gunilla Ivarsson adds “Rose has the ability to combine long experience and profound knowledge with warmth and humour, this makes her a lovely person to work with. She is so worthy of this award.”

by Nonee Walsh, May 2016.

WINGS 30^TH Birthday may Herald Change 

WINGS: Women’s International News Gathering Service, a weekly radio program by and about women around the world, has now been in distribution for 30 years.  The pilot, funded by the NPR [US National Public Radio] Satellite Program Development Fund, was released on satellite May 13, 1986. 

Initially, the team of women producers and audio engineers worked out of Western Public Radio in San Francisco, where Frieda Werden (a former IAWRT president) was Operations Manager. The series was inspired by the three United Nations World Conferences on Women that took place from 1975-85, at which women from many countries met, compared notes, and forged a common agenda.  The project began with reaching out to producers who had attended a radio meeting at the 3rd World Conference on Women in Nairobi in 1985.(Pic above: WING’s first award, an NFCB Golden Reel, received in 1986).

“We wanted to do what we could to continue women’s awareness of each other and solidarity that had been forged at those world meetings. Especially in the ’80s, media coverage of the women’s movement was very sparse and grudging,” Frieda recalls. “They used to say that women hold up half the sky, but when you removed the celebrities and the victims from mainstream media coverage there was very little left”  [an observation which is hardly less true today, as evidenced by the IAWRT’s 2015 report Gender Equity and Social Justice in Public Media]. 

After the pilot was released, more stories which WINGS had solicited from international producers, kept arriving in the mail, so a second episode was produced by Frieda and Katherine Davenport.  Just then, they received a grant from the US National Federation of Community Radio Broadcasters (NFCB) to travel to Vancouver, Canada for a conference of AMARC (the Montreal-based World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters).  Through AMARC, WINGS made many contacts with producers and broadcasting stations around the world, and became active in promoting feminism inside the community radio movement.

In August 1986, WINGS became independent, distributing a monthly women’s international newscast.  In addition to satellite, they began distributing on cassettes that the producers duplicated in their living room.  In 1987, WINGS received an award and some funding, began weekly production, and added distribution via the Texas-based Longhorn Radio Network.  After the San Francisco earthquake of 1989, they re-located to Kansas City, with help from community radio KKFI. 

In 1992, Katherine Davenport died, and Frieda moved WINGS headquarters to her former home town, Austin, Texas, where Genevieve Vaughan, a supporter of women’s media, had established her Foundation for a Compassionate Society. Frieda worked for the Foundation and taught radio at its WATER house (Women’s Access to Electronic Resources) while still producing WINGS.  In 1999, Frieda’s friend Mal Johnson (former IAWRT UN representative, now deceased) enticed her to attend an IAWRT conference in India, where she met women who would become friends, mentors, and WINGS contributors, including Indu Ramesh and Violet Gonda.

In 2002, Frieda took WINGS with her when she re-located to Canada.  It is currently headquartered on Denman Island BC.

Around the turn of the millennium, WINGS counted more than 250 women producers who had been contributors and some 150 non-commercial radio stations carrying the programs.  Then as now, most of the stations received the programs for free. Today, the shows are distributed electronically, making usage harder to count.  WINGS is available on the community radio satellites of Australia and the US, and from community radio distribution sites in Australia, the US, and Canada. It is also distributed via email to hundreds of stations and individual recipients, and is podcast on the Rabble Podcast Network (founded by Canadian feminist Judy Rebick and managed by IAWRT member Victoria Fenner). 

At age 69, Frieda is looking at the possibility of retiring from WINGS in the future, and wondering if other producers might like to take it over.  She notes that women’s participation in the media has increased and she is proud that WINGS has played a role in that. “Working with women producers around the world and paying them is one of the best things we do; a lot of producers have gotten their first pay in radio from WINGS”.

She says the program’s international viewpoint on women is still nearly unique in radio, and she hopes that anyone who follows her will retain the program’s character. “We have developed a style that gets across a lot of information in the most accessible and passionate way. We are always looking for new analyses and new ways women are trying to make things better.”

Frieda Werden pictured right, with former National Campus and Community Radio Association President Lydia Masemola after receiving the inaugural Lifetime Achievement/Community Radio Legend award in 2006. (pic:NCCRA)

If you’d like to pitch a show to WINGS or receive the WINGS programs via email, write to [email protected].  You can also click to listen and download as well as on Facebook.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has launched its annual publication, Attacks on the Press: Gender and Media Freedom Worldwide for 2016. Through a number of thought provoking and personal essays, the edition examines sexualized violence, online harassment and the intersection of gender and press freedom.

The Deputy Editor of Colombian newspaper El Tiempo Jineth Bedoya Lima provides a moving account of how she has moved thought the stages of survival “to recognize myself as a victim, then as a survivor, and now as an activist defending the rights of women.” On May 25 2000, she was kidnapped at the gates of La Modelo prison in Bogotá. Recovering from bashings and rape has been a long journey, as Ms Bedoya writes, “Such a violation is not like a fist or a blow; it is a crime that destroys our lives”

Her campaign No es Hora de Callar” (It’s not time to be silent) is reflected across Gender and Media Freedom Worldwide, in essays about the burden of harassment of women journalists, whether in person, ot online or by internet trolling,

Other contributions examine the challenges and consequences of gender-based discrimination in China, Libya, Uganda and Kenya. However the advantages of female journalism is argued in a fascinating contribution by Alessandria Masi, describing the use of social media and her gender, to gather first-hand information from Islamic State members on  recruitment strategies and the kind of society they want to create. In another, Erin Banco argues that in the Middle East reporting is enhanced by being able to speak candidly with women.  

“As this volume makes clear, victims of sexualized violence–mostly women, but men as well–are speaking out” says Joel Simon the Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, “The reality of sexualized violence–not to mention the other challenges that women face in bringing us the news–should never be used to limit opportunities.”

“In 2016, CPJ will make a more concerted effort to document incidents of sexualized violence and tag them on our website. We will also be speaking out more, using this book to organize a series of events and discussions” he says.

The full report is available here.