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Her Media Diary Episode 18: "Amplifying the Voice of Mother Nature" With Annonciata Byukusenge
10 Plays1 year ago
Annonciata Byukusenge is a multimedia journalist with 12 years of experience. She holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Communication from the University of Rwanda and a certificate in Media Management from Women in News. She has worked with a number of media houses and NGOs including rwandanews24 and theforefrontmagazine.
In this episode, Annonciata talks about her passion for environmental reporting and how she nurtured the desire to advocate for the environment through the media following the Rwandan genocide.
Annonciata identifies with women, Mother Earth and wildlife who are not just vulnerable but are not able to speak up for themselves especially when violated.
Subscribe to Her Media Diary now on your favourite podcasting platform https://linktr.ee/hermediadiary
Learn about African Women in Media https://africanwomeninmedia.com
List of organisations/ Resources for Environmental Journalists
AWiM/UNEP Environmental Journalism Campaign
Earth Investigations Programme
The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)
United Nations Environment Programme
African Network of Environmental Journalists (ANEJ)
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Transcript
Aftermath of Genocide in Uganda
00:00:09
Speaker
I decided it would be generous to all the voice of renewable peoples because of the impact of genocide against Tutsi. So after genocide in Uganda, we had many orphans, many disabilities caused by genocide, many widows because of genocide against Tutsi.
00:00:33
Speaker
So I wanted it to do at the focus about the life, the school, the social issues, different
Podcast Introduction
00:00:48
Speaker
Welcome to another episode of Her Media Diary, a podcast that captures the lived experiences of African women in the medium. I'm Dr. Yemisa Kimbopoula, your host, and in this episode, I'm joined by Anancieta Booyukasenge, a multimedia journalist with over 12 years experience.
00:01:06
Speaker
Annunciator talks about her passion for environmental reporting and how she nurtured the desire to advocate for the environment through media. Annunciator's mission is to identify with women, mother earth and wildlife to help in speaking up against issues and circumstances when they've been violated.
00:01:24
Speaker
Throughout this series, we'll be in conversation with African women in media to discuss the experiences of covering environmental issues, the challenges they face, and how they manage to navigate their way despite the hurdles. By inviting these voices into conversation, we hope to provide tips and solutions to break down barriers faced by African women in media.
Anancieta Byokusenge's Journey in Journalism
00:01:49
Speaker
All right, so Anansietta, it's great to have you on the podcast. You are one of the few environmental journalists that also deal with data in Rwanda. So it's really great to kind of talk to you about your work in environment journalism. So tell me a bit about yourself, Anansietta.
00:02:10
Speaker
Thank you, Dogita Emis. As you said, my name is Anonsiata Byokusenge. I'm a female journalist, specialist in the science and journalism, including environment. I did journalism and communication in the National University of Rwanda. Now it's the University of Rwanda.
00:02:35
Speaker
I have expressed for 12 years in a journalism in a different media house. But now, recently, I'm working with Gondar News24 as a chief editor and a journalist. I'm working with the Far Front Magazine as a journalist. And I'm working with Infonire as a country coordinator.
00:03:04
Speaker
Okay. Okay. So that's great. I mean, you're doing a lot of really great stuff in media and I know that you've participated in all of our programs at Awim. But I mean, like many people that are interviewed for this podcast, there's not much about you personally. And I would love to hear more about your history, your background.
Rwanda's Genocide Impact on Anancieta's Life
00:03:21
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What was it like growing up in Rwanda? Or did you grow up in Rwanda?
00:03:25
Speaker
Oh yes, my personal history started in 1000 province, common district. Which town of Rwanda is that? It's 1000. Okay. Yes, it's in 1000 and the common district also located in 1000 province.
00:03:48
Speaker
I did primary school in Cambodia. Recently, before genocide against the troops, that area called Mujina. Yes, or Magna General. I was born there at Mujina. Yes.
00:04:09
Speaker
I started my primary school at Magina after genocide and I continued my secondary school in Iyansa District, also created in the southern province.
00:04:30
Speaker
the school called Risse d'Oniazzo. After my senior photo, senior six, I started also in the Nyanza district still in the southern province. At the school of, in the French, we called it École se gordneri d'opagade d'Oniansa. But it's a parallel secondary school.
00:04:58
Speaker
So you mentioned the genocide. Do you have much memory of that time period? Yes. My memory during genocide against Tutsi is that my family members created during genocide and my father also created genocide against Tutsi. I was a victim of my
00:05:26
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two sisters and two brothers and my mom. Unfortunately, in the 20th, in the 16th, my mom also died. Yes. From the 20th, 16th, I started to be total orphanage with my sisters and the brothers and the Amo de Festibone that I was responsible to take
00:05:56
Speaker
of my family, remember sister and the brother, as the mama and the daddy, and me also, I was still younger girl.
Motivation for Journalism and Advocacy
00:06:10
Speaker
And what would you say kind of inspired you towards journalism?
00:06:14
Speaker
Yes, the thing is for me to go through the journalism is to be the voice of very noble peoples. Like me, I was after genocide against the Tutsi, with other Rwandis, and refugees of genocide against the Tutsi. Many people were immigrated in different countries around the world.
00:06:41
Speaker
There is no houses in our country, there is no life in our country in 1994.
00:06:50
Speaker
But when I was, I finished my high school in the 2007, I was a rookie to be one of a journalist, distinguished in the high school. I was the first student again, the first grad at the whole school on my promotion. Yes.
00:07:15
Speaker
and the ASE, the high school student, to choose the secondary or faculties. Can you continue during the university studies? I was choosing the communication and the genres. Luckily, I gained, I got the point or the grad, loading me to be one of student,
00:07:44
Speaker
will be did or will be studied journalism and the communication at the University of Rwanda. Yes.
Environmental Advocacy and Rwanda's Progress
00:07:54
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What took you towards environmental journalism? Yes, about the environmental journalism also, the environment also are very valuable things because they can't speak themselves, they can't realize their voice themselves,
00:08:13
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There is only why I have to be the voice and the eyes of environment, real life, biodiversity, ecosystem in general. Yes, as the people also are some of very narrow boards, like women in recent of our history in Rwanda, but now
00:08:37
Speaker
The women were dominated because, as you know, we are the first country on the road. We counted the men and women in the parliament. In the other sectors also, we counted more than 50% of women in decision makers, policy makers, local leaders, and so on. Yes. Okay. So you talked about wanting to go into journalism because of
00:09:07
Speaker
you know, being a voice for vulnerable people. So throughout your career, what does that mean for you in practice? So the impact is that after genocide, let's focus on after genocide because I decided it would be generous to all the voice of vulnerable peoples because of the impact of genocide against the Tutsi.
00:09:35
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So after genocide in Rwanda, we had many orphans, many disabilities caused by genocide, many widows because of genocide against Tutsi. Me too, I was in that orphanage caused by genocide against Tutsi.
00:10:00
Speaker
So I wanted to be a devotee, to do a focus about the life, the school, the social issues differently because some of them
00:10:17
Speaker
They didn't have a house. They didn't have any domestic animals can help them to improve their life. There is nothing in Uganda. There is no life, especially for the victims of genocide against the Tutsi.
00:10:38
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So my memory or my book during finishing my study at university also focused on the law of media in a unit of reconciliation about genocide against Tutsi. Because before genocide also media
00:11:00
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spread the big role to encourage and to conduct many campaigns for the killers, to kill the brothers, the relationships, family members, and so on.
00:11:15
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The community lost the hope of media, but I decided to do that topic in order to tear the community down, that now the media is recovered. They also trust the media.
00:11:33
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the media, we are here for the people, for the public interest. There is no ideology in the journalist because we are new generation about the media after genocide. And for you as a female journalist in that kind of
00:11:56
Speaker
environment. I mean, I've been to Rwanda a few times and Kigali is one of my favorite cities. So there's significant, I mean, development. It's nothing like previously. So what has the environment been like for you as a female journalist operating in that space?
Challenges as a Female Science Journalist
00:12:15
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And also with the ethos that you have around
00:12:19
Speaker
how you want to pursue your work. Thank you, Dr. Tiamis. So, about my journeys with the environment, I tried to do the environment, but it's not easy. Is it to be committed? To be committed if you're engaged to be a science journalist, or so, you have to be so strong, to be passionate, because there is no income,
00:12:47
Speaker
from the science and journalism.
00:12:50
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because the majority of sense of journalism are very vulnerable things like climate change, like forest, wood drive, ecosystem, and so on. So as you know, journalists think about the issue of NACA, for example, the gradation of any species. That species you are going to focus on,
00:13:20
Speaker
It hasn't any fun to provide a journalism, like transport, like any equipment of journalists. So, to do the environmental journalism, it's required to be strong and to survive
00:13:43
Speaker
in order to analyze the voice of that thing is only needed in the danger. Me too, I'm in this line, because I try, I try the reason why I'm trying to apply for the AWIM grantee in order to show our community that women also have the big load to the conservation in order to,
00:14:10
Speaker
for different parks in Uganda or protected areas. So, I mean, you talked about the program that you were on at AWIM, the AWIM UNEP program, which brought together 100 women journalists to look at the African Green Stimulus Plan from a gender angle and look at environmental issues in Africa from a gender angle.
00:14:38
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Share with us your kind of approach to reporting environment stories with a gender lens.
Support from AWIM and Women's Empowerment
00:14:47
Speaker
Thank you, Emi. As you know, in Rwanda, we have a gap of female journalists. So this gap causes also the gap in science journalism.
00:15:01
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So we are not too many female journalists engaged in science journalism because there are many challenges for buzzing on financial issues, financial issues, yes. If you are engaged to be a science journalist, you have to finance yourself. There is no support around to finance you, yes.
00:15:29
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So, but now we try to encourage other female journalists to be creative, to be motivated, because I was motivated by a whim during COVID
00:15:45
Speaker
19 in the course, the online courses. And now I'm more happy to step where I'm standing today. Yes, because of that. The Aowim helped me to be confident as a women journalist, especially in Rwanda. Because when I started this journey with Aowim,
00:16:11
Speaker
I go to different hour days, yes. As well, my story really produced in partnership of our whim, because we go to another day last year. So it's required to be confident, to be creative,
00:16:30
Speaker
to try your best, after trying your best, pray the God because the God able everything, can bring supporters, sponsorship and everything. Without prayer, there is nothing. Without God, there is nothing. Yes. So when you're right, when you're developing your story idea around the environment, what are the tips you'd share with our listeners in terms of
00:16:59
Speaker
how to cover the gender angle of the story, how to make sure that women's voices are included in those.
00:17:06
Speaker
environmental issues. Yes, the gender angle in environmental issues also, the female study field, because we have many investors from around the world in Uganda, but the investors in the environment also, that is not enough. Even the local investors are not motivated to invest in the environment. We have
00:17:35
Speaker
Many women invested in the dairy, in agriculture, in farming, in style fashion, in different areas. But in the environment, we have many women invested in the environment. Also, the activists of the environment are few. I decided to produce the story
00:18:01
Speaker
about the women in the environment in order to show
00:18:06
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the community that even if we are few, even if they are few, but they are there for the environment, they are active, they produce, they are activated, their activities are a converge on the environment. This is why I tried to show the agenda in the environment, even if they are few, but they are stand there.
00:18:35
Speaker
Yes, and I hope that the three groups of environment, women, will be improved and will be created in different areas.
00:18:51
Speaker
So what next for you, Anancietta? I mean, in the last year or so, you've won quite a few awards for your environmental issues. You've been nominated quite a few. I mean, there's too long a list to even mention in the podcast, but we'll put it in the podcast notes. So what next for you? Yes. So the next of me is to continue my journey and I came to give up.
00:19:15
Speaker
because when you can't lose anything, you can't get also anything. I have to push in my journey to report and to encourage the other female journalists to engage in the environment reporting because now they would have afraid of the environment
00:19:43
Speaker
the impact of climate change, the air pollution also, and then overpopulation contribute in the climate change impact is our activities also contribute.
00:20:00
Speaker
in destroying our area or our atmosphere. So the reason why I have to continue to contribute or to put my contribution in this area of the environment because when we be silent for
00:20:21
Speaker
climate issues or environmental issues, our life will go in danger in the future. Our kids or our generation will be in danger in the future because of that impact. Unfortunately, recently they acquired, and now they are developing countries facing the impact of
00:20:50
Speaker
crime is changing and so on especially the environment. Brilliant. Thank you so much for your time. I can see that you're, I think you're currently in Sweden at a conference. So thank you so much for making the time for this interview.
00:21:07
Speaker
Thank you so much, Doggy Timies, for your time, for everything. And when you didn't selected me to be one of the journalists reported on all the issues in the environment, I didn't get that award. That award also, are we able to contribute or not? Oh, really. Thank you. Thank you for the acknowledgement.
00:21:33
Speaker
Alan says his story stands the need to speak up for the environment, to be the eyes and voice through which they express injustices meted on by human exploration. It speaks to journalists who are passionate about the environment and want to tell quality environmental stories using the gender lens.
00:21:52
Speaker
If you would like to join me on an episode of this podcast, please contact me at yemisi at AfricanWomenInmedia.com. You can also visit our website, AfricanWomenInmedia.com, to find out more about our work. In the show notes, there is a list of organizations and resources to support you if you have experienced any of the topics we have discussed today. And don't forget to join the conversation using hashtag HerMediaDiary.
00:22:19
Speaker
Hemi the Diary is a product of African women in media, an NGO advocating for gender equality in the industry, and this episode was hosted by Dr. Yamisia Kimbabola, produced by Jeanette Utenu, and detailed by Blessen Uderbasi, as part of a five-episode series on environmental reporting. All music featured in this podcast is by Nana Kwabena. Thanks for listening and join us again next time.