George Esunge Fominyen in Brief


  • George Esunge Fominyen is currently Coordinator of the Multi-Media Editorial Unit of the PANOS Institute West Africa (PIWA) in Dakar, Senegal.

    PANOS Institute West Africa 6, Rue Calmette Dakar, Senegal

    Email: [email protected]
  • Biography

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Jimbi Media Sites

  • AFRICAphonie
    AFRICAphonie is a Pan African Association which operates on the premise that AFRICA can only be what AFRICANS and their friends want AFRICA to be.
  • Bakwerirama
    Spotlight on Bakweri Society and Culture. The Bakweri are an indigenous African nation.
  • Bate Besong
    Bate Besong, award-winning firebrand poet and playwright.
  • Bernard Fonlon
    Dr Bernard Fonlon was an extraordinary figure who left a large footprint in Cameroonian intellectual, social and political life.
  • Fonlon-Nichols Award
    Website of the Literary Award established to honor the memory of BERNARD FONLON, the great Cameroonian teacher, writer, poet, and philosopher, who passionately defended human rights in an often oppressive political atmosphere.
  • France Watcher
    Purpose of this advocacy site: To aggregate all available information about French terror, exploitation and manipulation of Africa
  • George Ngwane: Public Intellectual
    George Ngwane is a prominent author, activist and intellectual.
  • Jacob Nguni
    Virtuoso guitarist, writer and humorist. Former lead guitarist of Rocafil, led by Prince Nico Mbarga.
  • Martin Jumbam
    The refreshingly, unique, incisive and generally hilarous writings about the foibles of African society and politics by former Cameroon Life Magazine columnist Martin Jumbam.
  • Nowa Omoigui
    Professor of Medicine and interventional cardiologist, Nowa Omoigui is also one of the foremost experts and scholars on the history of the Nigerian Military and the Nigerian Civil War. This site contains many of his writings and comments on military subjects and history.
  • Postwatch Magazine
    A UMI (United Media Incorporated) publication. Specializing in well researched investigative reports, it focuses on the Cameroonian scene, particular issues of interest to the former British Southern Cameroons.
  • Simon Mol
    Cameroonian poet, writer, journalist and Human Rights activist living in Warsaw, Poland
  • Victor Mbarika ICT Weblog
    Victor Wacham Agwe Mbarika is one of Africa's foremost experts on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Dr. Mbarika's research interests are in the areas of information infrastructure diffusion in developing countries and multimedia learning.
  • Tunduzi
    A West African in Arusha at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on the angst, contradictions and rewards of that process.
  • Dr Godfrey Tangwa (Gobata)
    Renaissance man, philosophy professor, actor and newspaper columnist, Godfrey Tangwa aka Rotcod Gobata touches a wide array of subjects. Always entertaining and eminently readable. Visit for frequent updates.
  • Francis Nyamnjoh
    Prolific writer, social and political commentator, he was a professor at University of Buea and University of Botswana. Currently he is Head of Publications and Dissemination at CODESRIA in Dakar, Senegal. His writings are socially relevant and engaging even to the non specialist.
  • Ilongo Sphere: Writer and Poet
    Novelist and poet Ilongo Fritz Ngalle, long concealed his artist's wings behind the firm exterior of a University administrator and guidance counsellor. No longer. Enjoy his unique poems and glimpses of upcoming novels and short stories.
  • Scribbles from the Den
    The award-winning blog of Dibussi Tande, Cameroon's leading blogger.
  • Enanga's POV
    Rosemary Ekosso, a Cameroonian novelist and blogger who lives and works in Cambodia.
  • GEF's Outlook
    Blog of George Esunge Fominyen, former CRTV journalist and currently Coordinator of the Multi-Media Editorial Unit of the PANOS Institute West Africa (PIWA) in Dakar, Senegal.
  • The Chia Report
    The incisive commentary of Chicago-based former CRTV journalist Chia Innocent
  • Voice Of The Oppressed
    Stephen Neba-Fuh is a political and social critic, human rights activist and poet who lives in Norway.
  • Bate Besong
    Bate Besong, award-winning firebrand poet and playwright.
  • Up Station Mountain Club
    A no holds barred group blog for all things Cameroonian. "Man no run!"
  • Bakwerirama
    Spotlight on the Bakweri Society and Culture. The Bakweri are an indigenous African nation.
  • Fonlon-Nichols Award
    Website of the Literary Award established to honor the memory of BERNARD FONLON, the great Cameroonian teacher, writer, poet, and philosopher, who passionately defended human rights in an often oppressive political atmosphere.
  • Bernard Fonlon
    Dr Bernard Fonlon was an extraordinary figure who left a large footprint in Cameroonian intellectual, social and political life.
  • AFRICAphonie
    AFRICAphonie is a Pan African Association which operates on the premise that AFRICA can only be what AFRICANS and their friends want AFRICA to be.
  • Canute - Chronicles from the Heartland
    Professional translator, freelance writer and a regular contributor to THE POST newspaper. Lives in Douala, Cameroon

« The President's Time... | Main | Freedom of Expression Discussed at PIWA Workshop »

September 28, 2008

Can Citizen Journalists Change the Face of Journalism in Africa?

By George Esunge Fominyen

The African blogosphere is growing each day. Citizens are using cyberspace to report about issues relevant to their lives and breaking news events. They are occupying a space which mainstream media professionals are still to take advantage of. People are increasingly depending on weblogs to satisfy their thirst for information and the need to communicate (interact).

Will this citizen journalism kill the trade as we know? Does this new breed of journalists need to be trained? Is there need to regulate their practice? Some ICT experts, communication researchers, bloggers, journalists and media managers discussed these issues at a workshop that held in Dakar in September 2008.

On the sidelines of the workshop, I discussed the matter in a conversation with Ndesanjo Macha, the sub-saharan Africa editor of Global Voices Online . Click below to listen to excerpts...   Listen!

Posted at 06:17 PM in Dakar Notepad, Journalism and the Media, Podcasts |

Tags: african, blogs, citizen, esunge, fominyen, global, journalism, media, ndesanjo, voices

Comments

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our man in cameroon

I must admit to being shocked when I was told last week that we would have to pay to have a press release included in a newspaper.

While the amount isn't much I believe it goes against all the ethics of journalism.

As you might imagine we are looking for alternative ways to get the message out.

Posted by: our man in cameroon | September 29, 2008 at 03:40 AM

GEF

Hi OurMan,

I have been reading your experiences up- country (as we say in Cameroon). Well, there are lots of things you would realise are paid for in Cameroonian journalism.

Saying they are paid for may sound "politically incorrect" among Cameroonian journalists. Maybe I should say, you would very often be expected to "provide fuel" to have your stuff covered by media in the country. How that influences independent writing is another matter and debate

As you would realise during your stay in Cameroon, there is a fine line between things ethical and unethical in the practise of various professions. Journalism is one of them.

Do check out the "journalism and the media" category in this blog for two other posts that could inform you more about the state of journalism in Cameroon.

But do not hold prejudices about the country though! It is a marvellous place!

Stay well in Abakwa!

Gef.

Posted by: GEF | September 29, 2008 at 04:50 AM

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