Facilitating the meeting of Journalists with Women Leaders
By Angela Nicoara
Internews Project Lead, Tanzania
Research in 19 newsrooms in Tanzania reveals that men dominate the media, including as sources: 76% are male, while 23% are female (Gender Links, 2019). Much work needs to be done to create a viable space for women to express their opinions, concerns, and aspirations.
By organizing issue-oriented meetings that bring together journalists with women experts in Tanzania, Internews has been successful in increasing the number of stories that cite women as prime sources. Events have been organized around newsworthy issues in local communities.
“When the media reports on the struggles and successes of a woman, in any field, then other women learn from this coverage: it’s like a road map for them to follow.”
Source: Nanginyi Nalepo and Elizabeth Jama Laizer, in traditional Maasai dress, speak with journalist Theodatus Muchunguzi, of Nipashe newspaper, at right, and Shifa Hassan from the Media Council of Tanzania, at the Internews roundtable in Dar es Salaam. photo credit: Internews
In Dar es Salaam, we hosted a roundtable attended by 75 members of the city’s Maasai community including local journalists, to hear a presentation on the detrimental effects of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) by Mackrine Rumanyika, Executive Director of the grass-roots health advocacy organization Health Integrated Multisectoral Development (HIMD). Mackrine illustrated how FGM has devastating effects on a girl’s reproductive health and psychological well-being, and how her organization seeks to eradicate it by convincing female practitioners to abandon their knives in exchange for sheep. This ‘swap’ allows them to earn a living in a different way and enhances their social status.
Journalists were able to record face-to-face interviews with Mackrine - a remarkable public speaker. The audio was later incorporated in emotionally charged broadcasts that stimulated timely dialogue among Maasai in the city and their families in remote rural regions. The coverage and excitement around Mackrine's ingenious solution resulted in follow-on engagement in and by Maasai communities.
On the island of Zanzibar, we hosted several roundtables addressing challenges facing young mothers, all well-attended by local media stakeholders, CSO leaders, and government officials. As a result, in Pemba Internews was able to surface stories of successful female entrepreneurs, highlighting both their income-generating activities and the considerable challenges they have all faced. For example, when Zuwena Iddi Ali, chairperson of a women’s scuba diving cooperative appeared in local media, her story generated a mixed reaction in the local community: some people praised Zuwena as a role model bringing important change, while others asserted that men – not women – should take more responsibility to provide for their families. The takeaway, as ever, is that media coverage of such events promotes vital discussion.
Internews work in Tanzania is funded by USAID.