Report: On Africa Day, CFWIJ stands in solidarity with the women journalists at the forefront of the struggle for a better world.

Africa Day commemorates a significant anti-colonial moment in global histories, and presents a promise of a more liberated, more equal future. However, as it is with postcolonial regions around the world, the evils of colonialism continue to haunt its subjects long after its eradication. Colonialism manifests itself through institutional inequalities and capitalist violence, and through the marginalization of the vulnerable. For the imperial impulse to colonize lands was a political act, which brought with it a self-serving ethic, corrupted at its core. And it is not just the presence of imperial officers on his lands whom the anti-colonist struggled against, but also the political culture they embedded in the colony. As thinker and philosopher Frantz Fanon put it, “Imperialism leaves behind germs of rot which we must clinically detect and remove from our land but from our minds as well.”

If true liberation could only be achieved by eradicating, what Fanon describes as, germs of imperial rot from our minds, then at the forefront of this struggle of this liberation are the women journalists on the African continent. These journalists, on a daily basis, face not just the wrath of states that have inherited colonial structures, but also the deep-seated misogyny of a patriarchal society. In 2021, alone, the Coalition For Women In Journalism reported on 22 different cases of violence against women journalists. 

In the first month of 2021, two African women journalists were murdered. The separatist attack on a convoy in Njikwa, the North-West region of Cameroon, resulted in the unfortunate killing of Rebecca Jeme and four military officials. Meanwhile in Algeria, journalist Tin Hinan Laceb, of ENTV’s Amazigh channel (TV4), was reportedly killed by her husband. As stated above, women journalists suffer at the hands of state violence and patriarchy; neither the public nor the private is sacred. Another example of a woman journalist who had to survive the violence of patriarchy in her personal life is Lesedi FM current affair anchor Dimakatso Ratselane who was severely stabbed, allegedly by her husband on February 11 in South Africa.

Two women journalists in Nigeria were abducted at gunpoint. Chidiebere Onyia, a reporter with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) was abducted on the night of February 9, as she returned home from work. In response to this heinous crime Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) issued a statement highlighting the increasing violence against the journalist community. However, their appeals remain unheeded as journalist Amra Ahmed Diska was abducted from her home in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State in the early hours of May 4.

Several African states remain complicit in the violence against its women journalists. Understandable, that the courage of women holding power accountable, terrifies them to illegally detain them and silence their voices. On May 14, in Algeria, Kenza Khattou was detained for covering anti-government protests alongside 15 other journalists, including Farida Cherrad, Lynda Abbou, and Feriel Bouaziz.

When states are not outrightly detaining journalists, law enforcement agencies violently attack them in the field or physically assault them in their homes as an intimidation tactic. For example, on February 8, three gunmen entered journalist Lucy Kassa’s house in Ethiopia, physically assaulted her, and took equipment from her house. Nine days later, on February 17 in Uganda, journalists covering the political activities of Bobi Wine, a runner-up in recent presidential elections, were assaulted by the military police. Those affected included Irene Abalo of The Daily Monitor, Shamim Nabakooza of Record TV, Rashida Nakaayi of Galaxy FM, and Josephine Namakumbi of NBS. Anti-government demonstrations are also where women journalists find themselves extremely vulnerable, such as in Kayunga Village where Teddy Nakaliga and a fellow journalist were attacked by Ugandan armed forces for covering a protest on April 28. Similarly, DW East Africa correspondent Mariel Müller was targeted with a gas canister by an armed officer while covering a protest in Nairobi on May 1. Police brutality continues to run rampant in other parts of the continent as well, as was evident when Diane Kablakan, a correspondent for Ovajab Media, was physically assaulted by police trainees of the gendarmerie on May 9 in Côte d'Ivoire.

It should, however, be noted that just as often as the state targets women journalists for reporting on protests, so do demonstrators when they feel like their political views do not align with the journalists present on location providing them coverage. In February, for example, demonstrators protesting the lockdown in South Africa, turned violent and assaulted reporters Athi Mtongana and Monique Mortlock who were present there to cover the protest. 

However, neither does violence always come in the form of physical assault, nor does it occur in the physical world every time. On April 20, Kenyan journalist Judie Kaberia opened up about the sexual harassment she faced from a politician while working as a parliament reporter a few years back. Her opinion piece served as a stark reminder to her audience regarding the multiple facets of patriarchal violence women are forced to confront. Another way violence manifests itself against women is through constant harassment in the digital space, where women often face organized troll campaigns that deliver extremely gendered attacks on their personal and professional lives. On January 10, Sophie Mokoena, the foreign editor for SABC, was viciously attacked online by ruling party spokesperson in Zimbabwe, Tafadzwa Mugwadi. The government spokesperson threatened to release a “bombshell” if SABC does not stop the journalist. Likewise,  South African journalist Qaanitah Hunter was singled out in a Twitter attack by the ANC Women's League (ANCWL) president, Bathabile Dlamini on May 7. Dlamini attacked Hunter’s personal character, allegiance to the principles of feminism, and her professional integrity without any proof. 

However, despite these repeated attacks, women journalists in the continent of Africa remain resolute and continue to strive for a more equal, more just world, committed to the anti-colonial ideals that gave birth to Africa Day.

“I love being a journalist in South Africa as it helps me understand the complexities of the country I grew up in,” Kim Harrisberg said when she spoke to us about her experience as a woman journalist on the continent. “But with soaring rates of poverty, inequality and crime it is not always an easy job, particularly for a female journalist. Whether I like it or not, being a women does put me in a more vulnerable position than my male counterparts. In a country with some of the highest femicide rates, my mind is always on the lookout for my safety while I am out reporting. I usually pack my pepper spray alongside my camera and notebook. I have never needed to use it, but when interviewing other women about surviving rape and violence, I am deeply aware of both the risks of being a female reporter and the importance of it. As a woman, other women open up to me about painful experiences, perhaps more than they would with men, and this is a huge responsibility on my shoulders to convey their stories with the dignity and sensitivity that it deserves,” she added.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with these brave voices, as they continue to face these challenges in the hopes of a better tomorrow.