Mauritania says “safety comes first” as the government shuts… more
I work on exile journalism and mostly write about conflicts and forgotten crises.
1.5y ago, I wrote about Patrick Kiroha Sugira, one of the brave local journalists in the #DRCongo fighting for the survival of independent #journalism and themselves + families in times of war.
The situation has further deteriorated ever since.
A 🧵
https://amp.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/nov/01/i-cant-cut-the-signal-drc-radio-boss-vows-to-stay-on-air-as-rebels-seize-key-city
Yesterday’s @ballintotis4 is easily the best road race I’ve done. Perfect organisation (parking, route prep, start & finish), the friendliest volunteers, supportive & involved community, we were even fed after & it is the most gorgeous setting. Thank you, Ballintotis! (33:38min)
4
Me, after several years of research, readings, note-taking & presentations: “It’s all there. The final chapters of my PhD are basically gonna write themselves.”
My PhD: Not writing itself …
I believe in the power of words and of ordinary people. That is why I am an experienced writer (plus academically trained conflict and war reporter) who places the human spirit at the centre of the narrative.
I like to create pieces about creative people and their stories of resilience, mostly in (post-)conflict environments such as Africa’s Great Lakes Region that I focus on.
My features and analytical articles have been published in local and international magazines. I also have experience in producing daily news or covering events for regional outlets. Besides, I am podcasting always aiming at bridging the gap between realities on the African continent and its (mis)perception in the west.
I am committed to forming connections with the people and places about which I write and with my readers and listeners.
© Louisa Esther, 2024 | Credits
Website by Yobrand Group
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In my understanding, peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the non-violent transformation of conflict, away from confrontation toward cooperation and joint, sustainable construction. I believe that this requires sensitive communication and a fairly coordinated debate. For such, we must have free and professional media.
I strongly believe in the constructive power of the media to prevent violence and contribute to peace in the aftermath of it; yet, unfortunately, we have seen its destructive power already in too many places. Being passionate about journalism and peace processes, I combine my practical experience in the media sector with thorough academic knowledge of conflict transformation to contribute to peace through media development. I am an excellent independent researcher and hard-working practitioner.
In 2020, I concluded research with the Rwanda Journalists Association researching the implications of exile on Burundian journalists’ practice in Rwandan exile.
I now focus on a cross-border project for and with exiled journalists. Academically, too, I focus on exile journalism as a PhD Researcher at UCC Ireland. I have also presented and discussed my MA thesis on Burundian exile journalism at an event I realised with the Böll Foundation (2021).
Previously, I worked with local journalists in the war-branded Congolese province North-Kivu to understand the intersections of journalism, development aid, and activism (2017). I have furthermore studied, among other things, the interplay of the media and genocide prevention at the Rwandan National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (2016).
I also organise and/or participate in other events or panels on media development and peacebuilding in Africa’s Great Lakes region (for example, the picture shows me during a TV debate on growing an influential media in Rwanda, 2019).
When I was in tenth grade at a high school in France, my career orientation questionnaire’s evaluation revealed that I’d be a good secretary. Even though I have evolved quite a lot since then, the basic skills listed in the results I got as a 15-year-old have remained and got enhanced by working with different institutions in Germany, Rwanda, and DR Congo. I have become an extremely effective and passionate project coordinator displaying exceptional organizational talent and clear result-orientation in my project conceptualisations and strategic planning. Indeed, I still like to take over administrative tasks that lead my projects to success.
Today, I am experienced in international and interdisciplinary project management. Most recently, I was the coordinator of an integrational restaurant bringing refugees and locals together to work and eat (2021). Furthermore, as an independent project manager, I was responsible for the thematic and organisational realisation of two online conferences on Global South reporting with Böll Foundation (2021).
Previously, I gained experience in coordinating, for example, a podcast-team (2018-2019) and a journalists network across up to eight African countries for a media startup (2014-2016). realized a regional conference on the media’s role in the forgotten Burundi crisis (2018). I also was the founder and ED of a non-profit and non-governmental Rwandan organization working for and with PWD. We introduced wheelchair basketball in the country and did raise awareness about barrier freedom in public spaces and mindsets to contribute to a more inclusive society.
Words have the power to change the world – and I work on changing it for the better. Besides being a journalist, I am also a communications specialist behind the headlines. Through my vast international experience and exceptional language skills (I speak seven languages, four of them fluently), intercultural communication has become my DNA. I love to initiate and accompany dialogue processes for peace and find collaborative solutions through non-violent communication strategies.
Also, I am an experienced political communicator as I have been managing and realising campaigns both for politicians (2016, 2021) and politically active civic organisations (e.g. 2021).
Besides, I am familiar with classic press relations and digital communications strategies, as I also gained experience as a social media manager, among others for Rwanda’s basketball champions.
I sometimes professionally work as an independent translator and freelance fact-checker. I pay high attention to the accuracy of delivered messages and fact-based content that is, however, presented in a personal and creative way.
I am, as a whole, a very communicative person and I want to participate in the creation of a public space where dialogue is put above confrontation and cooperation above competition.