By Politico Staff Writer
The coordinator of the Media Initiative for Women and Girls' Empowerment (MIWGEM), Adama Sillah, has stressed the importance of creating more platforms to hear women’s voice as part of efforts to empower them. Ms Sillah said the voices of women and girls mattered in society as their contributions can make a great difference in terms of development, noting that given them the platforms to hear their voices will also help them achieve their aims and aspirations.
Sillah was speaking at a two-day symposium on Thursday October 31, jointly organized by MIWGEM and the Sierra Leone Debating Council (SLDC).
The symposium was convened on the theme: Girl Force: Using Creative Media to Foster Positive Change.
Various speakers were lined up to motivate the participants who were drawn from various institutions.
One of the speakers, Amadu Lamrana Bah of the AYV Media Empire spoke on fair and balance journalism, noting that they were essential elements that newsmen should possess. He added that respecting these tenets in the journalism profession was a must for journalists to fulfill their duty to society and to self.
Yeama Thompson, CEO of the Initiative for Media Development (IMDEV), said that the future of journalism is bright, noting that patience and resilience were very much needed in the field. Ms Thompson reiterated the need for journalists to be passionate about good and credible journalism. She also told the participants that newsmen should make good use of mentors to perfect their crafts.
The event was divided in to two sessions, each moderated by different individuals. And it had a total of five speakers, including Asmaa Kamara James of Radio Democracy, who spoke on originality as an essential element in journalism.
Writer and blogger, Ariana Oluwale, presented on her passion for blogging. She encouraged young people to be passionate about what they do.
Moses Moore Conteh, National Coordinator of the Sierra Leone Debating Council, spoke on the importance of empowering young people. He also spoke on skills in public speaking and creative writing, noting that reading is an essential thing that young people should cultivate. Conteh said that all these are what SLDC seeks to help women and girls attain. He said the overall goal is to minimize the prevailing culture of marginalization of the women folks.
Each session ended with a question and answer session.
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