By Calistus Bosaletswe
Award-winning women journalists have ventured into civic media – an unknown territory in the media space in Botswana, as they drive civic engagement through their non-profit organisations on global topical issues such as climate change and mental health.
Two women journalists, Sharon Tshipa and Dikatso Selemogwe are the first crop of journalists from the millennial generation to break through the glass ceiling in civic media practice in Botswana.
Their names might not be synonymous with the punk of journalism but the two women journalists have evolved with time as they find civic media as an alternative means in fostering civic engagement.
Tshipa is an award-winning fiction writer with her story titled Like Little Ones Do which was selected for publication in Kola Magazine a few years back. Selemogwe won a Media Institute of Southern Africa Botswana chapter (MISA BOTSWANA) award for Best Reporter on HIV/AIDS issues and was also a nominee for Best Reporter on education issues in the past.
Henry Jenkins – a professor of communication, journalism, civic arts and education at the University of Southern California, who was previously with the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has defined Civic Media as the use of any medium to foster and enhance civic engagement.
Tshipa and Selemogwe’s work strikes a similar resemblance to Jenkins’s example of Robert Putman’s Bowling Alone, where the image of the 1950s and 1960s bowling league embodies the Harvard professor’s ideals of civic engagement.
Putman’s response to a question on what sense might bowling become a civic act, he said that it represents a commitment that citizens made to their neighbors, that they would come together socially at regular moments to play and that around the sport, a range of other significant conversations would occur which help sustain their investments within their community.
“Some of those conversations would contain news of civic importance, many of them would be personal gossip, but the key point was that the conversations occurred on multiple levels and thus helped to knit strong social ties,” added Putman.
Tshipa who is co-founder of the Botswana Society for Human Development (BSHD) finds her role at the organisation, which is geared towards coming up with solutions to challenges such as global climate change, complimenting her role as a journalist.
She is convinced that BSHD’s role in promoting civic engagement among communities offers her an opportunity to go beyond news gathering and reporting.
“The NGO gives me the chance to do more than just reporting. I can identify problems and report on them, yes, but I can always return and be a part of the solution. If I think my NGO can do something about a situation I reported about, I pitch the project idea to my team. If they agree we can do something about it,” she said.
She indicated that both her careers feed on each other when quizzed on whether there is any relevance between her role at the organisation and as a journalist.
“My journalism career benefits from my civil society involvements. I get story ideas, and I meet potential sources at my NGO meetings,” added Tshipa.
She said both mediums are extremely relevant when asked which medium of communication she finds to be relevant in engaging the communities.
“Using ICTs [technology] to communicate does not always translate to rich feedback loops. Visiting communities as an NGO member enables me to communicate with large audiences that I otherwise cannot reach through media,” she said.
She said that the prevalence of technology in the country helps though, especially the use of the internet.
“Though our newspapers were forced to go online, they are reaching larger audiences than they did before. And this helps in ensuring that ordinary citizens can engage and dialogue further on pressing issues with other stakeholders,” added Tshipa.
She admits that both the NGOs and media outlets struggle when it comes to funding.
“As journalists, we cannot always cover the stories we want, when we want. Being a part of both worlds helps, when it comes to dialogue and engagement, both my professions lean on each other,” she added.
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Climate change affecting the Okavango Delta
She said that her notable projects through her NGO so far comprise climate change-focused events among farmers, tourism operators and communities in the Okavango Delta.
Research studies have revealed that climate change has not spared the Okavango Delta which is the lifeblood of tourism and a source of communities’ livelihoods.
University of Botswana Okavango Research Institute (ORI) Professor Joseph Mbaiwa indicated that the recurring drought related to the climate change crisis has been observed in the Okavango Delta in the past where it now threatens the lifeblood of the second largest sector of the economy.
“Some parts have become dry rendering these areas unsuitable for wildlife to survive or tourism to be undertaken in these areas,” he said.
Through her non-profit, Tshipa has been drilling communities and tourism operators on how to cope with the effects of climate change and also offering them tips to play a role in the fight against climate change.
“For us, positive feedback from the people we serve is a big deal. It’s always great when they meet us randomly and recognise us and tell us how the work we did is benefiting them. Some people call and ask us to do more work. That motivates us to want to do more, and do it better,” said Tshipa.
Tackling mental health
Meanwhile, a freelance journalist, Dikatso Selemogwe has no regrets about quitting her full-time job to be on the frontline of a civic movement pushing against the negative perceptions among people living with mental illness who are often misunderstood within Botswana’s society.
Having survived a few depression diagnoses she had to stand up tall and learn to live with different ailments that came as a result of depression.
A non-governmental organisation dubbed Embrace Emotions Support Network Association came to exist after she left the hustle of deadlines in the newsrooms as it was becoming evident that the workload was taking a toll on her and exacerbating her illness.
“I had to listen to medical doctors when they advised that I should reduce the amount of work. You know in our newsrooms there is no guide on how you can survive because one has to fill pages before the paper goes to bed. As a result of the deadline pressure, the illness began to manifest itself physically and I had to save the little sanity I had left because no one can replace it if I lose it. It’s not like a cancer patient who can get a prosthetic leg if one gets amputated,’’ Selemogwe explained.
It is no coincidence that Selemogwe finds herself busting myths, beliefs and untruths that have nothing to do with people living with mental illness through the organisation which raises awareness about mental illness and advocates for the rights of those living with mental illness.
“It has been etched in the memory of society that once any individual is found with mental illness that person has been rendered absolutely incapable. Society’s perceptions have hallmarks of discrimination against people living with mental illness which ends up alienating them from society and worsening their situation,” she said.
She said that when she looks around she can see people living with mental illness who are living far worse because they live under the pressure of stigma and discrimination.
The urge to stop stigma and discrimination among people living with mental illness drove her to start an organisation in Botswana with the sole aim of raising awareness about mental illness and reducing stigma and discrimination attached to the illness.
“As we raise awareness, this will help many people to understand and establish support groups that will play a meaningful role in our quest to support those living with mental illness,’’ said Selemogwe.
She is convinced that awareness about the illness has not been given the same attention as other physical diseases. Therefore, she deemed it necessary to use her organisation for civic engagement geared towards raising awareness among the general populace about mental health issues.
She is convinced that if more people become knowledgeable, many people living with illness could receive medication and become productive members of society.
She is of the view that Botswana has not been spared of the issue, which the World Health Organisation predicts will be the number one burden of disease worldwide by 2030.
Reporting supported by a micro-grant from Jamlab
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