BY MILDRED NDUM WUNG KUM
Radio and Television journalists in Bamenda are making some progress in writing and reporting content on cultural aspects. Success was estimated at 90% by Media Consultant Blasius Charles Nji at a workshop after encountering journalists to note their output in cultural journalism .
After training radio and television journalists on cultural diversity and cultural rights issues sometime in May 2019, The Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association MBOSCUDA once more met with the journalists this September 25th 2019 to assess the extent to which media men and women are using the knowledge they gained four months ago.
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| Journalists take picture to immortalise event |
It is within this perspective that MBOSCUSDA organised a session to measure progress of the previous seminar in terms of cultural programs coined by journalists, how knowledge from the seminar improved existing cultural programs earlier being broadcast and the level of cultural awareness of journalists amongst others. Media Consultant Blasius Charles Nji was the main facilitator at the follow up workshop. He aroused the minds of journalists on the importance of being assertive in writing and reporting culture hinging on the value of cultural heritage and the rewards that accompany the art of “cultural journalism”. He disclosed in an interview that “evaluation is about 85-90% success because they tried to put into practice all the handouts and presentations that we gave out during the last session. I personally monitored radio stations and blog and I saw that they came out with articles of added value” he noted
Two journalists I interviewed gave an appreciation of the follow up workshop
“We use to do a cultural programme on the Wum Community Radio on Farmer Grazier issues so this seminar has taught me how to tell Mbororos and the Aghems that farmer and grazier activities are all aspects of culture and the two must see how to live and manage together” said Muluh Elvis.
“I am Denisia working with CBS Radio This workshop with MBOSCUDA has been enriching. I present a progamme on culture and so my limitation has been widened such that when I have a guest on a program, I need to find out peculiar cultural aspects such that in the course of interaction, I would know how to get information or transmit information” another journalist added.
The follow up seminar however revealed some lack of commitment on the part of trainees given that a handful of them are yet to conceive programs on culture or even do reports. Aware of the lapses, officials of MBOSCUDA indicated their availability and readiness to continue lending a hand to journalists who need assistance in areas of cultural diversity and cultural rights issues. They however encouraged the journalists to take up initiative and begin something on culture. This was bolstered by an hour’s exercise in conceiving a program on culture with the likely results, challenges and proposed solutions. The exercise split the seminar participants into three groups and they conceived cultural ideas like staple food, farmer grazier issues and annual dance.
The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of MBOSCUDA Alhaji Sali Usman expressed satisfaction with turnout of participants despite the challenges, “we are also satisfied with their turn out and most of them are taking steps towards incorporating intercultural dialogue in their programmes; elements of culture are becoming eminent”
Prominent too at the workshop were MBOSCUDA’S Communications Agent Madam Wanchia Cynthia and the Finance Office Madam Tassi Maureen who all facilitated in their various responsibilities to ensure a success. The follow up workshop for Radio and TV journalists on cultural Diversity and Cultural Rights is part of a project aimed at implementing cultural dialogue dubbed “Bridging the gap, safeguarding Peace and Human Rights by promoting intercultural dialogue in the North West Region of Cameroon”.