From the dreadlocked guy from New York who went to India to fight ‘cannibalism’, to the Dutch development workers who asked African reporters ‘if they were Aids-aware’ (after the reporters had just lost three colleagues to Aids), to the German … Continue readingHow to write about white people
This article was first published on www.gijn.org ‘Normal’ media don’t do investigative journalism anymore. That is why we need non-profit institutions, specially geared and equipped to investigate public interest issues. They will fill the gap. The position, taken by many … Continue readingWhy ‘institutes of excellence’ won’t address the African publics’ information needs
After an outburst of protests from governing party and traditionalists against a painting of a naked Jacob Zuma, the countries’ lefties are upset. Sixteen-year old South Africa has ‘failed’, says a former white politician, who in the past spoke out … Continue readingForward ever, backward never: the naked Zuma and the progress of outrage
And another thing. “I am not invisible”, tweets a teenager from the region in Uganda where Kony was active up to 6 years ago. “I am Acholi”. Which, maybe, indicates the real damage done to this childs’ peers in the … Continue readingThe invisible ones
Joseph Kony is on Twitter now. It’s probably not him but it could be. “I give children belonging and respect”, he tweets. If the StopKony campaign has had one result, it is now that all of us, really all of … Continue readingWhat do Kony and StopKony give our children that we don’t?
The state is where the stuff is and theft is the only way to get it On the subject of Africa, the world seems intrigued by the question whether ‘it’ will ever work. ‘It’ can be the economy, or the … Continue readingThings that will not work – or will they?
In September 1983, in Mexico City, 17 year old Hortensia Aguilar gave birth to twins in secret and alone. Having hidden the pregnancy from her catholic family -who never educated her about sex-, with no support from a fly-by-night boyfriend … Continue readingPuritanic morality kills babies and girls
For the rest, something should urgently be done about development reporting, gender reporting, HIV/Aids reporting, and all those other boring categories of reporting that we have been forced to attend workshops about. Examples I was given range from ‘a disabled … Continue readingStop sunshine journalism now.
On the South African draft Protection of Information Bill, the prospective Media Appeals Tribunal, and all the protests The current war in South Africa between media and state is not a war between plundering dictators and brave freedom-of-speech fighters. It is also … Continue readingWriting African corruption: the looters, the sourpusses, the idiots and the decent people in between