Kaleidoscope

“For too long, Somali women journalists have been treated as secondclass citizens and Somali news has ignored the stories and voices of half the population; now we are in charge of the boardroom and the narrative.” These were the defi ant words of Nasrin Mohamed Ibraham, the Editor of Somalia’s fi rst ever all-women media unit, called Bilan.

Bilan, which means ‘bright and clear’ in Somali, is funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and was launched in the capital, Mogadishu in April.

Bilan is staff ed and managed entirely by women; they have full editorial independence to produce stories for TV, radio and online media.

Nasrin Mohamed Ibraham works with fi ve female journalists on a range of issues ranging from hard news to in-depth features on subjects they believe need exploring.

“As a women-only media house, we are going to be able to bring taboo subjects into the open. Our sisters, mothers and grandmothers will talk to us about issues they never dare speak about with men,” said Fathi Mohamed Ahmed, Bilan’s Deputy Editor.

Until the launch of Bilan, female journalists in Somalia suff ered some of the worst forms of misogyny in Africa, if not the world.

Jocelyn Mason, UNDP’s Resident Representative in Mogadishu, said that female journalists have reported being harassed not just on the streets but even inside their own offi ces.

“They are often denied training opportunities and promotions, and when a woman does reach a position of authority, she is often ignored while more junior fi gures get to call the shots. News coverage refl ects this, with a lack of programming on issues that are seen as primarily aff ecting women, including childcare, domestic abuse and equal political representation.”

Bilan's journalist, Naciima Saed Alah, said: “I believe Bilan will be a game-changer for me and for women in Somalia. I hope it will give us the freedom and safety to do a diff erent kind of journalism beyond the usual diet of politics and confl ict.”

The UNDP will also provide a long-term programme of training and mentoring, bringing in some of the biggest names in Somali and international journalism, including the BBC’s Lyse Doucet and Razia Iqbal, Channel 4’s Lyndsey Hilsum and Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow.

BRIGHT AND CLEAR VOICE FOR SOMALI WOMEN

RIP Olympian Eya Guezguez It is with great sadness that we learnt about the tragic death of the 17-yearold Tunisian sailor, Eya Guezguez from an accident during training off the coast of Tunis in April.

She had been training with her twin sister Sarra, who partnered her in the 49er FX category at the Tokyo Olympics held last year, when their boat capsized in rough water. Eya unfortunately died but Sarra managed to survive.

Paying homage to the young Olympian, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said. “She was a role model for her athletes’ generation. Her participation at Tokyo 2020, alongside her twin sister Sarra, will continue to motivate girls everywhere. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and the Olympic community i n T un i s i a .”

NA joins the millions of Tunisians and other Africans, as well as her family, friends and teammates, to pay homage to and mourn this young talent, taken at the fl owering of her unique skills.