For
journalists who have been forced to leave their home countries, online
platforms offer an important way for them to maintain contact, keep up to date
with event and contribute stories on the people and places they have left
behind.
With
large numbers of journalists being forced from their countries because of
political and security issues, online media offer an opportunity for them to
keep up-to-date with events happening back home during their time in
exile. Online platforms also provide the chance for journalists to
contribute stories and get their voices heard, despite having been physically
removed from their countries.
Speaking
to exiled journalists in East Africa, it immediately becomes apparent that
online media represent a major lifeline to them, helping them to maintain their
sense of identity and connection to their home, despite the major separation
they have undergone.
However,
online media platforms do provide their own challenges and problems, not least
of which is the fact that governments are becoming increasingly aware of their
significance and are using them to track down journalists in hiding.
Of
course there are also logistical and practical issues involved, and many exiled
journalists lack the equipment to write and publish stories online. This
forces large numbers to frequent internet cafes, and they do so in fear of
their fellow internet-users spying on them as they work.
Online
news allowing freer expression
Many
countries in the East African region have large populations of journalists and other
academics living in the diaspora, whose only available means of finding out
what is happening in their home countries are internet news sites.
Websites
such as sudaneseonline, AfricaNews.com, ThinkAfricaPress and a variety of
others provide the opportunity for journalists to keep updated on the situation
at home. But equally importantly, they offer them the chance to have work
published and broadcast despite not being in the country at the time.
Of
course, certain issues ensue when journalists are unable to access sources or
place themselves within the particular context about which they are attempting
to write. However, many journalists who have been forced to leave their
countries maintain contact with former colleagues and have access to sources at
home, enabling them to write informed and informative work.
Keeping
spirits strong
Zerihun
Tesfaye was forced from Ethiopia in 2009 after being targeted by the government
because of his work at Addis
Nega newspaper. Facing charges under the nation’s
draconian anti-terrorism laws, he fled to Nairobi and has recently been
relocated to the US after lengthy security checks.
“Life
is so hard and difficult because I don’t have a work permit, I don’t have a
sustainable income to live on and the security conditions are so terrible –
government intelligence men are still here,” he said, while in Nairobi adding
“because of that reason you live in a big prison.”
Zerihun
has utilised the internet to great effect during his time in Kenya, and thanks
to his training on online security he has been able to help fellow journalists
in exile use online platforms safely and effectively.
“Online
media has helped me so much. If online media had not been here, then
seriously I would not be in the positive sense you see me in now,” he said,
adding “social media helps me to contact my friends out there, to communicate
with different professionals and to hear news from home.”
“I
am always eager to hear what the world says, and so social media helped to keep
my spirit strong – social media really helped exiled journalists very much,” he
added.
Opportunity
to speak out
“This
provides a good opportunity for me to keep doing this profession, because I
love this profession and I want to write stories to inspire my people,” noted
Zerihun, “at this time the political space in Ethiopia is almost closed, and
there are no political publications right now, so I think this is a good
opportunity to speak out for the people that have been suppressed for more than
20 years.”
“I
have the potential – I know that,” he said, “social media gives me the
opportunity to keep in touch with changes in Ethiopia.”
Fellow
exiled journalists are also using social media and other online platforms to
maintain a level of contact with their home countries and a readership from
abroad.
John
Penn de Ngong is a particularly vociferous critic of the South
Sudanese government, and as a result has been forced into life in exile in
Kenya. His continued campaigning makes it difficult for him to remain
incognito in Nairobi, and he fears the power of the security forces from his
home country.
“It
has opened up a new arena,” he said, adding “wherever I am I can write online
and keep in touch with what is happening in South Sudan.”
“I
want to open a website to publish my books and to publish the books of other
journalists – they have poetry and they have essays, I can also give them a
platform to continue with their work online outside South Sudan,” he added.
Online
platforms have also allowed the prominent Ethiopian journalist, Eskinder
Nega, currently serving an 18-year jail term in the infamous Kality jail in
Addis Ababa, to convey a
message to the world, arguing for democracy, equality and fairness
from his prison cell.
It
is almost unthinkable that a student in the US, China or elsewhere can, at the
click of a finger read a letter penned by a journalist languishing in an Ethiopian
jail. But through blogs, social networks and other online resources, this
is now possible.
Security
issues
While
the benefits of online media platforms for exiled journalists are obvious, the
increased use of such platforms has brought with it new risks and
challenges. As authorities continue to recognise the impact that online
media can have on news consumers, the battle to silence the journalists behind
the work has moved onto another front.
Rights
groups and journalists are increasingly aware of the prevalence of security
agents throughout cities such as Nairobi, as officers from neighbouring
countries are often found to be following exiled members of the media.
With
many journalists having to use public places to access the internet and post
their stories, they are understandably suspicious of other internet users and
the fact that agents could be monitoring their movements.
This
makes security training for journalists essential. While physical safety
and security is more often than not a major concern for exiled media workers,
and many require the kind of advice that will enable them to work safely as
journalists in the future, their reliance on online media means that tips and
tools which will allow them to continue their work abroad without being tracked
down or persecuted are of the utmost importance.
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