31. October 2007 by admin.

Since the last post, alot of things have happened. Here’s a rundown:

• I moved to a new house, a 2 minute walk from work.
• I have two new roomates from Quebec city. Both female and have worked in Africa before.
• We randomly picked our rooms using cards and my luck I got the biggest one! As compared to having the smallest one in the previous house.
• The Harmatan has arrived, winds from the North making for cooler temperatures and blowing dust everywhere.
• My allergies are kicking in due the dust. Eyes watery and itchy, nose and throat phlegmy.
• I’ve finished my evaluation of the RIJ’s needs and will condense my projected workload into focused goals.
• I’ve been shopping around for a digital camera for the RIJ, the money will come my fundraising in Canada. No sale prices here, everything is expensive because it’s imported from other countries. Add 18% tax please!
• I’m working closer with the DED and will be eating lunch with Suzanne today.
• I attended my first RIJ monthly meeting at the Press Center of Nobert Zongo (famous “assassinated” journalist), where the topic was “rights to public access to information”
• Met her new french tutor. Elle est très sympat!

And plans for this weekend…Thursday is a holiday “Le Toussaint” to honour the dead. I asked for Friday off. A group of us are going to Banfora. Hippo watching, water falls, Sindou peaks and the city of Bobo-Dioulasso are in the books. Will return on Sunday!

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23. October 2007 by admin.

Last Friday was RIJ’s annual cultural evening in the DED’s court. There were some speeches, entertainment, photo gallery of their regional trip to Ghana, Benin, etc and food! It was a great opportunity to meet the other members in a relaxed setting.

A famous singer who “peformed” aka lip-synched to a playback of her own song. Apparently, this is common and isn’t regarded as fake or frowned upon. Anyways, she approached me to dance with her, thank god there are no pictures of that! I’ve learnt my lesson, no more aisle seats.

Upbeat traditional entertainment provided by a group of youngins with djembes and xylophones.

The audience during a speech.

Members of the RIJ

Koffi making a quick speech.

The photo display in the background.

So far with the cultural evening and the media tour having occured, I’m happy that I’m working with journalists. Those who are quick to tell me what’s on their mind, know the pulse of the city and its peoples.

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22. October 2007 by admin.

As I’m working with journalists from the Réseau Informel des Journalistes, “Informal Network of Journalists” in English, I visited medias with the largest number of members belonging to the RIJ.

Just to clarify what I’m doing here…I’m on the Canadian International Development Agency’s (CIDA’s) International Youth Internship Program (IYIP). I’m a software trainer specializing in audio, visual, film et layout design programs for the RIJ. Since the RIJ is informal in nature and its members are journalists work at their own office they don’t have an permanent office per se. Which is the reason why I’m located at l’Oeil des Jeunes, whom has previously hosted other interns and cooperated with Oxfam-Québec. Confused yet? There’s more! The RIJ was created in 2001 after a study conducted by the Der Deutsche Entwicklungsdienst (DED, translates into “German Development Service”), on the training needs of journalists in radio, television et written medias. The informal structure of their network allows them to be dynamic, flexible, non-hierarchal and un-bureaucratic (a rare phenomenon in Burkina). Going back them not having permanent offices, Suzanne who takes care of the media promotion at the DED seems to be the RIJ’s “unofficial” headquarters.

Let the tour begin! I was accompanied by Suzanne and Claudia from the DED to visit newspapers and radio stations.

Entrance to the offices of Journal du Jeudi, a weekly satiric on politics.

Koffi (my other supervisor and also journalist at JJ), Claudia and Suzanne from the DED.

Sneak peak at caricatures. The caricaturist also works freelance, sometimes for the Washington Post! The one near the bottom is of Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president.

Pages fresh off the press, waiting to be hand-folded and delivered nationally the next day.

Oops.

An original Heidelberg they use to print!

Radio Pulsar, a privately owned radio station.

Their production studio.

Ouaga FM, another privately owned station located in Ouaga 2000.

Radio Salonkoto, a community radio station located in the Dapoya, the oldest neighbourhood.

Their logo.

The director, Roger and one of the supervisors.

Unfortunately, my batteries died and thus no photos from Radio Savane (government), le Sidwaya (government national newspaper) and Radio of the Mayor (government).

Back to work!

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