The two winners of this year’s CJA-sponsored Derek Ingram Fellowship have been speaking about the barriers journalists face in promoting free expression in their countries, and their their own research in the Ingram programme, based at Wolfson College, Cambridge.
They came together in a gathering at Westminster University in London, hosted by Winston Mano, director of the Africa Media Centre, to meet CJA members.
They are Msanii Kimani, left, a prominent Kenyan arts journalist, and Syed Kaisar-ul Haq Andrabi, right, a Kashmir-based independent journalist, pictured with CJA-UK chair Raymond Whitaker.
Msani is a team leader and curator-in-chief of Kymsnet Media Network, a Nairobi-based arts and culture social enterprise. He is also the founder and curator-in-chief of REVEAL! Comics ConversationsEA, a platform for the growing area of political art in Kenya and East Africa.
Kaisar reports for the South China Morning Post, Swedish Radio, The Daily Beast and TRT World of Turkey about politics, human rights, gender and misinformation in India. He is examining what he says is the erosion of press freedom in India and its impact on democracy.
Daily threats
“We are witness to the suffering of journalists in Kashmir, of everyday life being dragged to the level of hope for surviving,” he said.
“Journalists get calls demanding sources for their stories. They get threats on a daily basis.
“In Kashmir, articles critical of the national government are being erased from the websites of local news outlets. What happens to the truth when the space to tell it disappears?”
But Kaisar also said journalists were “showing spine”, navigating their way through the pressures to tell stories the world should know. He explained a change in the way stories were being told, with journalists using symbolism, historical parallels and cultural references to convey sensitive truths, and embedding stories “between the lines”.
Giving voice to the voiceless
Msani told the CJA gathering his work at Cambridge was based on his belief in “Cartoonists as the Voice of the People”.
He said his work was a tribute to those who had used their pen and ink to defend truth, poke holes in power, and give voice to the voiceless.
“They’ve risked, resisted, and reminded us of our rights, the unsung heroes of our democracy, who have been silently shaping our future, one cartoon at a time.,” he said.
The Derek Ingram Fellowship is aimed at Commonwealth journalists in mid-career, who spend 10 weeks at Wolfson College researching a subject of relevance to journalistic practice and media freedom. All their costs, including travel to and from the UK, are covered. Fresh applications will be invited for next year’s programme.
