Media Festival in Thiruvananthapuram | Continue to ask questions, journalists told at media fete

Journalists have to continue to ask questions, however challenging a situation, Mariam Ouedraogo, journalist from Burkina Faso in west Africa, has said.

Ms. Ouedraogo was speaking at an interaction on the second day of the four-day International Media Festival of Kerala, organised by the Kerala Media Academy, here on Tuesday.

The journalist who was speaking in French to poet and novelist Anupama Raju said there would always be wars, conflict, authoritarian regimes, or other risks, but journalism had to function and journalists had to speak up.

Though Ms. Ouedraogo, who works for the French language newspaper Sidwaya, believes the primary responsibility of a journalist is to inform and create awareness, she spoke of instances where the power of the pen forced the government to act.

Reports

In 2015, her reports on visually challenged students being left out of mainstream education forced to government to set up a mission to make the education system became more inclusive. Her reporting on homeless women spurred the government to take immediate steps to shift the women to hostels. It also led to sustained action to take women off the streets and provide them a roof over their heads. In 2018, Ms. Ouedraogo campaigned for access to ultrasound machines to monitor the health of pregnant women. The issue even came to the attention of the Prime Minister, leading to the installation of the machines.

Recently, she told the story of a 13-year-old girl who was raped by a 47-year-old man and ended up with a child. Ms. Ouedraogo brought people together to ensure the education and the rehabilitation of the girl. The rape survivor received a scholarship and continued her education without being burdened by motherhood.

Her reporting that gives voice to the voiceless, particularly those that show the devastating impact of conflict on women, have brought her international recognition. She has won nearly 25 awards, including the ICFJ Knight International Journalism Award and the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award. She has also been named ‘Media Person of the Year 2024’ by Media, flagship magazine of the Kerala Media Academy.

However, her work has also taken a toll on her health. Reliving horrific accounts of crimes against women has caused her to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Specialists have advised her to take a break yet she continues to report stories, unable to stay away from something that is happening around her everyday.

She has learnt to live with the trauma.

Mental health

Yet, she advises journalists and those aspiring to become one to prioritise their well-being, especially mental health, and maintain a buffer between themselves and the suffering of the subjects in their reports.

Ms. Ouedraogo feels that the conflict in Burkina Faso and neighbouring areas does not get as much media coverage as those in many other places around the world. It needs to be reported just as the situation in Gaza or Ukraine is, she says.