African Women in the Media aspire for more visibility
By Chinyere Ogbonna – The second edition of the African Women in the Media, AIM 2018 has come and gone. It was a gathering of women in the media space from across the African continent fully represented at the event.
In an opening remark, the founder and convener of the African Women in the Media Conference, Dr. Yemisi Akinbobola said the vision for the group was to inspire and support African Women in the Media space whether it is in advertising, research, journalism among other areas.
Dr. Akinbobola observed that there was a need for a better representation of African Women. She decried that women are still having issues in leadership positions in the media.
She stressed the need for academic researchers to be guided by the realities in the industry. The AWIM Convener called for a collaboration between the media industry and the academia to enable them work together to fashion out what kind of programmes would better project the African woman.
She speaks on what the focus for AWIM is “AWIM is about action to inspire, support and empower”. “There are three tracks running simultaneously at any one time during the conference”, said Dr Akinbobola. “We don’t want to just talk about the issues, but through the workshops, pitch zone and networking opportunities, we are putting actions into place to empower attendees”.
The African Women in the Media group aims to impact positively the way media functions in relation to women, both in the industry and media representation of gender issues. “Action is key here and we are so grateful to all our sponsors for their support”, adds Dr Akinbobola. “We are particularly excited to launch the AWIM/NRGI Award which comes with a $1,000 cash prize”.
The keynote speaker and an award-winning journalist with the Cable News Network, CNN, Nima Elbagir urged media women to be fashion driven in whatever space they find themselves. She stressed the need for Africans to tell their own stories. Albagir who while responding to questions on how a woman could manage her time between family and work decried that women traded what they do as secondary, advised that they prioritize what they want to do and not allowed themselves by anything.
She advised women who are constrained by editorial control, to self-publish online, adding that good journalistic works, can be seen from anywhere in the world. She however advised that they must not compromise their integrity of ethics of the Journalism profession.
In her presentation, the Head of Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, UNILAG, Dr. Abigail Ogwezzi said that dealing with gender issues required a continuous sensitisation.
News At Ten Anchor with the Channels Television, Ijeoma Onyeator who expressed concern that women did not support their fellow women in politics observed that unless the narrative changed, the status quo would remain.
Making her presentation, the former Executive Director Programmes with the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, Dr. Eugenia Abu advised Women in leadership position to learn to be versatile and not restrict themselves to just one skill in order for them to be more marketable.
She urged women to learn to take risk.
Dr. Abu noted that as a leader what you wear depicts the kind of leader you are. She therefore advised Women in leadership positions to avoid doing things that would misrepresent who they are and what they actually should represent.
She challenged women in the media to acquire more education and ensure that they mentor other women, adding that mentorship was one of the qualities that qualifies them as leaders. She enjoined them to learn to listen and empathize with their fellow women and use their numbers to rally fellow women for worthy courses.
“You are a leader in your space”, she said. “To be a leader is not to disempower yourself” To be a leader is to make yourself known in whatever position you find yourself “.“We are big enough to become a force. You can, if you believe in whatever space you are in”.
On the part, the Assistant Director Programmes, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, Mrs. Funke Treasure- Durodola urged women to use their numbers and influence on men to change the status quo. S e said a visible.
Making an illustration, using the “Visibility Social Theory: To be recognised. The visibility we are talking about is a constant struggle, a struggle for recognition. It is about being gratified, gratification! who is gratifying you? what are they doing? Who is saying no to you? Gratified that others are endowed with equal powers or more powers? In the age of technology there is a continuous struggle for recognition even technologically?
“A visible woman must be able to mentor other women”, she said “We have more powers than we give ourselves credit for”. She noted that visibility can make or mare one. It can confer on you power and it can take away that power”. “How are women setting the agenda and controlling conversations around feminism”
She said back in the days women were known by their careers than their gender. A lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, southwest Nigeria, Professor Abayomi Ojebode giving a statistical data of women participation in Politics, said women were under reported in election coverage.
He said women constituted 49.6 % of the world’s population. He noted that political stories were 7% in 1995, 14 % 2015 and 16% in 2008.
According to Professor Ojebode, 87% of women were portrayed competent. Professor Ojebode observed that physical safety and financial security as major challenges hindering women’s participation in politics. He therefore called for a mandatory gender training in all Journalism schools and gender equity at the undergraduate level. In a closing remarks, the founder and Convener AWIM Conference announced that the 2019 edition of AWIM scheduled to hold in Kenya will be a festival
The theme for the 2018 AWIM Conference is “Visibility: Be visible to Inspire”.
