Les 14 et 15 juillet 2022, l’Association Civic Watch, porteur du projet #defyhatenow au Cameroun, organise une session de réflexion consultative avec des acteurs clés de la tech à l’Africa Business Center (Yaoundé) sur les approches inclusives de l’utilisation des technologies pour la consolidation de la paix au Cameroun. Contexte Le Cameroun connaît trois crises […]
On 14 & 15, July 2022, Association Civic Watch under the #defyhatenow project will be hosting a consultative discussion session with key stakeholders at Africa Business Center (Yaounde) on inclusive approaches to technology use in peacebuilding for Cameroon Cameroon is experiencing three simultaneous security crises, namely Boko Haram attacks in the Far-North region which has […]
Since late 2016, Cameroon has been faced with instability in the North West and South West regions, in the Far North region by Boko Haram insurgencies and in the East by refugees from Central Africa. Some of these conflicts are flamed by journalists, self-claimed freelanced journalists on social media users and some social media influencers […]
#defyhatenow is changing the narrative and gaining new grounds in her fight against the spread of false information and all forms of violence through the Africa Fact-checking Fellowship (AFF) Cameroon program. Launching the AFFcameroon in the Northern regions this year has responded to our objectives in this part of the country known to have recorded […]
Theresia is an Administrative and Finance Officer. She holds a Masters Degree in International Relations speciality Money, Banking and International Finance from the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC). Theresia had previously worked in humanitarian projects in the following positions: Finance and Administrative Assistant, M&E Assistant, Accountability Officer, Protection Assistant and Sub Divisional Field Coordinator. […]
In line with its #Women4Peace mandate, #defyhatenow in collaboration with Civic Watch organised a ladies’ afterwork with three women journalists association in Yaounde.
The 3rd of May was declared World Press Freedom Day by the United Nations to support the media from attacks on their independence and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in exercising their profession. In commemoration of this day, #defyhatenow and its partner Civic Watch organized a talk with women journalists from 3 different organizations. These organizations being; Journalistes d’Action, Femmes de Coeur (JAFEC), Cameroon Association of Women in Media (AFMEC), and Women in Communication (WIN). The women were 30 in number, the aim of the talk was to hear elderly female journalists share their experience with the younger ones and journalism under digital siege. How the digital era has impacted freedom of expression, safety of journalists and access to information.
How to practice their profession while maintaining peace despite the challenges they faced. Civic Watch and #defyhatenow being organizations that work with media organs saw the need to bring these women together so that they can use their profession for the promotion of #Peace, mitigation of #HateSpeech, fight against incitement to #Violence, violent extremism and #FakeNews in the creation of their content. Over the years, women have shown great strides in contributing to peace in their community, thus these media women will contribute greatly in promoting peace in their newsrooms, social media and their homes.
During the session, they shared perspectives on how women journalists contribute to peace initiatives and processes through their work; how they impact their direct audience and community, and also how to share such experience with the younger generation. In the course of the discussion, they also shed light on managing professional and family life. Emphasis was laid on the need to clearly identify each segment of their life and give the necessary attention they require. Two guest speakers, Dora Shey and Marie Francoise Ewolo, both working with the state broadcaster CRTV shared their work experience.
Discussion outcome:
This year’s theme: “Journalism under Digital Siege” sheds light on the challenges faced by journalism in the digital age, especially with the introduction of online and new media. From a gender perspective, Marie-Francoise Ewolo of Women in Communication posit that journalism is not gender; as such women should learn to value themselves and showcase their talent especially when they graduate with distinction from their training institutions. She equally advised the women journalists to be professional, commit themselves to their job and take the challenge to learn through hard work. This is the only way to remain relevant, as acquire experience in the execution of their job, at a time where the digital world is fast reshaping information production and consumption methods.
Journalism practice, what is generally considered the Fourth Estate in the power logic, is difficult to dissociate from private life. The journalist is oftentimes trapped between personal opinion or life experience and objective reporting. To this, Dora Shey, Honorary member of AFMEC, urged them to stick to professionalism and specialization which remain the best possible way to manage the fast pace of information in the digital era, characterized by generality and irresponsibility. Added to this, she said the ladies should bear in mind the fact that as a journalist, they work for the public and the latter will judge them. Likewise, they should not fail to meet up with their responsibility as a mother, as they exercise their profession.
An interactive session ensued, during which participants asked questions, shared their experience and words of encouragement to the guest speakers. The event took place on the 6th May 2022, moderated by Tchonko Becky Bissong, National Coordinator of AFMEC. Jeaninie Fankam and Marie Noelle both presented their associations JAFEC and Women in Communication, respectively. Among our guests of honour were Marcus Davies of the Canadian High Commission and Pochi Tamba Nsoh, Journalist/Producer.
The take home message was for participants to learn from and support each other. The day ended with networking between members, as all three associations seek to further work toward achieving their collective goal of giving women journalists a voice in the society!
Reactions:
“I am very happy to take part in the event. I am based in Bamenda but I came to Yaounde for another event and fortunately I was invited. Dora Shey said we should focus on one domain and be consistent in it. I am a journalist and a blogger, based in Bamenda where there is a lot happening. I do my job out of passion, but also to earn a living. I used to be divided between focusing on one particular domain in reporting. I have to report daily happenings in the crisis zone and do my work as a journalist too. But now, I have a better understanding of my role as a journalist. I intend to review my strategy to create more impact through the stories I write.”
Ndefru Melany, Journalist
“All of you excel because you are good at what you do. You have a community as a journalist and have good expertise. Expertise and professionalism should excel. Once one is a professional, they will be good at their job and they will excel.” – Marcus Davies, Canadian High Commission
"The take home message was, Learn from each other and support yourselves. Network, what matters is to love yourself and love what you do. It’s a tough world out there and there is no way you can do this by being someone else." - Becky Bissong, President of AFMEC.
At the end of this, the women went home very determined to apply what they learned from the event. They suggested having such talks most often.
#defyhatenow and Civic Watch engage media professionals & organisations in Cameroon in a series of hybrid activities to mark May 3, in Buea, Bamenda, Yaounde and Bafang. On May 3 every year, journalists around the globe commemorate World Press Freedom Day (#WPFD). Last year, the 2021 theme “Information as a Public Good” stressed on the […]
The sixth Cohort of our Africa Fact-checking Fellowship dubbed “Special Grand Nord” groups 15 fellows selected Fellows from Ngaoundere, Garoua & Maroua. 75! This is not an anniversary figure. Rather, it represents the number of young people (journalists, bloggers, civil society actors…) #defyhatenow has officially engaged in countering misinformation, disinformation and mal-information both online and […]
Pour la sixième cohorte baptisée “Spécial Grand Nord”, 15 boursiers issus à Ngaoundéré, Garoua & Maroua chemineront pendant les trois prochains mois. 75 ! Il ne s’agit pas d’un chiffre anniversaire. Ce chiffre représente plutôt le nombre de jeunes (journalistes, blogueurs, acteurs de la société civile…) que #defyhatenow a officiellement engagés dans la lutte contre […]
On the 8th and 9th of April,2022 members of the Association of Broadcasters in Pidgin English, a widely spoken local language in Cameroon, translated the #defyhatenow short guide (A1 Poster & Game) and A2 discussion posters. The #defyhatenow Field Guide, Cameroon finds a home in a new language. To reach a wider audience, parts of […]
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we asked Martha Lingong, founder of the African Industrious Ladies in Cameroon, to tell us their thoughts on women’s rights and peace building. Here is what she had to say: I think women should occupy any space that is “occupiable.” In politics, the woman fits. In business, the woman […]
The month of the Youths in Cameroon was another month for our team and partners to engage media-youth led organizations for peacebuilding in Cameroon. February 2022 has been dense with the flow of news that structured debates and actions online and offline. As technology advances, so do platforms as they reflect both the good and […]
