Deutsche Welle akademie of Germany organizes media training involving South Sudanese journalists in Kenya
By Emmanuel Malual Makuach, Nairobi, Kenya
August 10, 2016 (SSB) — South Sudanese journalists living in Kenya has joined some East African regional journalists for a week on a theme of “Refugees and East African media.” This media dialogue is generally base on wills and in which will enhance their skills in different field of their specializations. The training was organized by Deutsche Welle akademie (DW-Akademie) and sponsored by the Germany government.
The media dialogue is among other pilot projects that focused on the African countries in relation to Refugees plights. the training involves some experts from UNCHR, Media Council of Kenya (MCK) Moi University, Professor Duolo who is also head of center for peace and Security studies as well as other experienced journalists from Kenya, Somalia’s and Ugandans.
Media has an immense role in reporting issues that affects the society at large. In this case, East African Media had not done enough to curve down the plights and problems that affects refugees’ within the region. For the past few years, regional countries had been in conflict, political and economical turmoil.
As a result of all these havoc and mayhems, had resulted to vulnerable civilians to seek safe haven in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan and Ethiopia. Of recent, refugees from countries which have conflicts and political instability like South Sudan and Somalia, Burundi and Congo are among the top east African Countries which their state of stability is sabotaged.
East African media dialogue was meant to bring regional journalists to dialogue on refugees’ issues. In the forum, it was found out that journalists are more focus on stories that can gain market rather than publishing stories that do not gain readership. Some journalists said that editors do not like stories on refugees and this further made journalists not to literally deal with refugees’ stories.
Recently, the mass migration of refugees in Syria, Afghanistan, including some East Africa countries had bring the attention of the world leaders to critically look into issues that trigger the conflicts in those respective Countries. As a result, journalists too had gain momentum to cover refugees’ stories.
The DW-Academia group found it very vital to bring East Africa journalists together in order to dialogue as to why there are no stories on refugees. The response by Western countries for instant in accepting refugees in to their countries was a great move to safe the lives of innocent refugees fleeing conflicts and violence.
Prof Dulo citied that the issues of refugees is not recent stories it has been there in Kenya since 1990 where government have created two camps in the country that is Dadaab refugee camp.
UNCHR representatives in Kenya came up with the statistics that indicates South Sudanese refugees living in both Camps totaling to 89,000. According to UNHCR (United Nation High Commission for Refugees) reiterated that the number of South Sudanese refugees is significantly increasing day by day.
At least 600 to 1000 families crossing Kenyan border from Nadapal. UN said that a new site of hosting refugees had already been set aside for this growing number of refugees.
Duke, a UN spokesperson in Nairobi told journalists in the forum that, Dadaab camp will be closed as said earlier. No change has been made but then there will be no force repatriations of refugees to their country.
He said that this process is solely voluntary. We respect the human nature. Refugees are innocents’ people and they deserve immense respect.
The training also focused and highlighted the challenges that social media in relations to journalism .the trainer urges the journalists to be objective and accurate when coming to reporting their stories.
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