– Representing the nation of Cameroon on the invitation of the German ministry of Foreign Affairs, Noela BISONG joins 16 other female colleagues across Africa for the media programme in Berlin, Hamburg
By NEB
The SUN Newspaper Editor, Noela EBOB BISONG is currently in Germany, on the invitation of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to attend an empowerment programme on building media resilience of female African journalists. Noela Bisong, representing the nation of Cameroon, joins 16 other female journalists from Africa, for the week-long programme which takes place in two German cities, Berlin and Hamburg.
The media visit which focuses on strengthening media resilience through targeted support for female media professionals will also serve as a platform for the African media women to get first hand information about the Federal Republic of Germany and its people.
Top on the agenda are exchanges/interviews with experts, round table discussions on various subjects including press freedom and investigative journalism, workshop on hate speech and disinformation, press conference, visit to institutions and organisations in line with media specialty as well as cultural programmes etc.
The 17 journalists in Germany are from Cameroon, Côté d’Ivoire, Burundi (2), Niger (2), Tchad (2), Togo, Burkina Faso, Bénin, Congo, Mali (2), Guinea (2) and Senegal.
Speaking to The SUN, Bisong reacts that, “I did not apply for this opportunity, but I was chosen to represent my country out here, and I feel very great about it. This is of course a life time opportunity and the dream of every journalist to meet and exchange with colleagues at the international level. Journalists in Cameroon have a lot of challenges and the case for those in the country’s South West and North West Regions is almost peculiar. Resilience is what is needed to keep moving ahead amidst all the odds and this puts the visit timely. While tapping first-hand from the German experience, I intend to make the best of this visit to return to Cameroon with a broader mind after this exposure”.
She furthers that, “I thank the German ministry of Foreign Affairs for the invitation, and the German Embassy in Cameroon, especially its press officer, Paul Sonntag, for all the coordination.”