Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Association of Journalist (SLAJ) has over the weekend celebrated its Golden Jubilee in Bo City, Southern Sierra Leone with the theme: Looking inwards, looking outwards: “Towards a Strong, Accountable and United SLAJ, & a Free & Professional Media.”
Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, President of the Association informed journalists at the opening ceremony of the Golden Jubilee celebration that it is a time to take a deep breath, take an introspective look at “ourselves and also dream of where we would want to be in the next 5, 10, 15 or 50 years.”
Nasralla furthered that it has been 50 long years, adding that within those years the Association has come a long way and have arguably played its part in the development of Sierra Leone.
“The media has led the fight for democracy in this country. It was our opposition to the planned imposition of a one-party rule in the 1960’s which led to the enactment of the Criminal Libel Law. Journalists were thrown into jail, but we never stopped to hold our leaders to account,” he pointed out.
In his statement, Minister of Information and Communications, Mohamed Rahman Swarray said the media sector in Sierra Leone is growing and becoming increasingly diverse and he believes that the media is a key part of society and that media practitioners cannot destroy the society they are a part of.
“I am heartened by the fact that most of you understand that, ultimately, those of us in the government and you in the media have only one country we can call ours—Sierra Leone. We have a moral responsibility—indeed a duty—to protect its interest,” he maintained.
Swarray also stated that the media in Sierra Leone faces many challenges, including but not limited to the few good-quality training institutions in the country that affects professionalism in the sector, poor salaries that create difficulties in retaining staff and preventing bribery-based journalism.
He added that that is why government has therefore made provision under the new IMC Act 2020 to address the issue of salaries for journalists.
Dr Babatunde A. Ahonsi, UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone said the media has a key role to play in ensuring that the people are well informed about policy especially at this time that the country is approaching election year.
He said the media should do a balanced report to prevent conflict, and based on the problems faced in the country that deals with food security and environmental issues journalism in Sierra Leone should be of public interest.
“As SLAJ celebrate 50 I wish SLAJ becomes a more stronger force for good,” he maintained.
By abdulrahman.koroma@awokonewspaper.sl