Media & Religion in Cameroon

Professional challenges for journalists in Cameroon will be in focus in The Media Project's next two-day seminar in Bamenda, Cameroon, on January 19th and 20th.

Around 20 journalists will work together to discuss topics like corruption in the media, religion, social development and journalistic freedom and independence.

Cameroon has enjoyed four decades of peace and stability since independence in 1960. In part, it's because Cameroon is Africa in miniature: It has both Francophones and Anglophones, spread among some 275 ethnic groups, most of which also have unique local tongues.

The country includes four distinct geographic zones that sum up much of the continent’s topography, and it also counts substantial populations of Christians, Muslims and followers of African Traditional Religions, all living in basic harmony.

Cameroon also illustrates the “resource trap”; though blessed with timber and oil, as well as fertile soil that produces coffee, sugar, cocoa, and other cash crops, Cameroon is still significantly under-developed.

Several  topics of common interest will be presented both by key local journalists including veteran journalists like Charly Ndi Chia and Gideon Taka, Choves Loh, Comfort Mussa and Julius Niba and Dr. Arne H. Fjeldstad, CEO of The Media Project.

Among the topics will be:

•    Overview of media landscape in Cameroon
•    How independent is the Cameroonian journalist?
•    Discussions on corruption in the media
•    Journalism for development/ social change
•    Reporting global themes for a global audience
•    Guidelines on reporting religion (a follow up on discussions from the regional Ghana conference in June 2011)