Letter from the Editor 06-05-08

You will probably have noticed that the Citizen Journalism in Africa portal is starting to really buzz (and if you haven’t noticed, be sure to check in with the site soon – it’s becoming the place to be, to exchange views and news, and we wouldn’t want you to miss out!).

Of course, the elections and subsequent developments in Zimbabwe have been the chief concern, and it’s great to see several organisations making regular use of the portal to provide updates and alerts to a wider audience. On top of this, there have been blog posts from a few individuals, leading to some vibrant discussion through exchange of comments.

Although everybody’s contributions have been great, Len’s and Keith’s posts in particular have offered fascinating personal insights into events behind the headlines. This is stuff you won’t read in any newspaper, and the kind of thing that makes Citizen Journalism so exciting.

Earlier in the year we held the in-country training workshops in South Africa and Zimbabwe. This month, the training of trainers for the country focal point organisations in Uganda, Zambia and Tanzania took place in Dar Es Salaam. And over the next few months we’ll be going ahead with in-country training in these three countries – starting with Tanzania in early June. So we’re looking forward to seeing a host of new names regularly commenting and contributing to the site. 

The Citizen Journalism in Africa portal is yours to use, and a platform for you to reach and interact with a growing group of amazing people. If you haven’t posted anything yet, I would like to encourage you to do so. Zimbabwe is in the news right now, but there are many, many other things going on and we would love to hear your news and views on the issues that concern you – gender, youth, HIV/Aids, migration – whatever is your particular concern.

Remember, the more people who use the portal, the more powerful it will become. The opportunity and the space are there – it’s now up to all of us to ensure that the CJA portal becomes a mouthpiece that gets heard.