Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
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When <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Media Foundati<strong>on</strong> for<br />
West Africa (MFWA) started operati<strong>on</strong><br />
as a <strong>press</strong> <strong>freedom</strong>/<strong>freedom</strong> of<br />
ex<strong>press</strong>i<strong>on</strong> advocacy organisati<strong>on</strong>,<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> first campaign it initiated was<br />
to demand justice in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> murder of<br />
Burkinabe editor Norbert Z<strong>on</strong>go in<br />
1999. Five <str<strong>on</strong>g>years</str<strong>on</strong>g> later, in 2004, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
MFWA had to mount ano<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r campaign<br />
for justice in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> murder of<br />
Gambian editor Deyda Hydara.<br />
These campaigns, drawing in a host<br />
of local or nati<strong>on</strong>al, regi<strong>on</strong>al and<br />
internati<strong>on</strong>al organisati<strong>on</strong>s, did not<br />
bring about justice but <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y helped<br />
to make <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> issues well-publicised<br />
internati<strong>on</strong>al human rights cases.<br />
Acti<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> more recent cases of serious<br />
journalists’ rights abuses in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Gambia, however, produced legal<br />
judgments c<strong>on</strong>demning <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> perpetrator<br />
government by a regi<strong>on</strong>al<br />
court of justice.<br />
Meanwhile, <strong>on</strong> an <strong>on</strong>going basis,<br />
MFWA has had to intervene to<br />
secure safety and a safe haven for<br />
journalists threatened with death,<br />
as well as work with media caught<br />
up in vicious civil wars and strife.<br />
Secti<strong>on</strong> 3: Independence<br />
Resisting <strong>press</strong> re<strong>press</strong>i<strong>on</strong> while<br />
wrestling with d<strong>on</strong>or-independence<br />
By Professor Kwame Karikari<br />
Professor Kwame Karikari is<br />
Executive Director, Media Foundati<strong>on</strong><br />
for West Africa, Accra, Ghana.<br />
The MFWA was established in 1997,<br />
some six <str<strong>on</strong>g>years</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>after</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Windhoek</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>Declarati<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g>. In effect, as with many<br />
examples of progress in media<br />
development across Africa, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
organisati<strong>on</strong>’s founding was also<br />
a product of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> envir<strong>on</strong>ment and<br />
impetus catalysed by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Windhoek</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>Declarati<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g>.<br />
The <str<strong>on</strong>g>Windhoek</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>ference took<br />
place at a time of c<strong>on</strong>vulsive<br />
political developments that seemed<br />
to engulf <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> entire sub-Saharan<br />
regi<strong>on</strong> of Africa. On <strong>on</strong>e hand,<br />
most of this regi<strong>on</strong> was thrown<br />
into a radical popular upsurge for<br />
democratic reforms. On ano<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r<br />
level, by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> time <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> MFWA got off<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> drawing board, violent political<br />
c<strong>on</strong>flicts, including full-blown civil<br />
wars and communal or o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r local<br />
bloody crises, threatened <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> very<br />
existence of so many countries as<br />
established entities called states.<br />
Not more than three of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
16-member Ec<strong>on</strong>omic Community<br />
of West African States (Ecowas)<br />
were spared <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> divisive c<strong>on</strong>vulsi<strong>on</strong><br />
that had gripped <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> whole regi<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Yet at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> same period, and as part<br />
of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Africa-wide movement in<br />
popular self-asserti<strong>on</strong>, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> demands<br />
for democratisati<strong>on</strong> included, very<br />
prominently, an upsurge for <strong>press</strong><br />
<strong>freedom</strong> and an end to government<br />
m<strong>on</strong>opoly of media. The streets of<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> capitals and big cities of most<br />
countries became awash with an<br />
avalanche of newly set-up newspaper<br />
titles. Headlines, int<strong>on</strong>ing <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
excitement of new-found free voices,<br />
screamed out subjects previously<br />
c<strong>on</strong>sidered taboo: about governments<br />
and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir dictatorial leaders.<br />
Nothing appeared sacred any more<br />
to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> newly born newspaper gen-<br />
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