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Santanfara
3460 Posts |
 Posted - 16 Dec 2012 : 18:35:51
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http://kibaaro.com/?p=5173
Deyda’s Portrait That Fills My Eyes With Tears
THE STORY THAT SPARKS MY 2005 ARREST
By Musa Saidykhan
Walking through The African Editors’ Forum Hall in Kempton Park in Johannesburg, South Africa, on October 15, 2005, I was gripped with sorrow upon seeing the portrait of the slain Gambian editor, Deyda Hydara. Being the only Gambian at the conference, I could not hold back my tears.
Smiling in a shining black suit with white shirt and tie, Hydara’s appearance spoke for itself. It seemed as if I was talking to Deyda or benefiting from his lectures on journalism. A colleague from Lesotho, Clifford Molefe, who consoled me, wondered why our government had not tracked down the killers. He asked what might have been the reason for his killing.
“Deyda was more than a journalist; he had been a humanist, nationalist, unionist and firm believer of freedoms of whatever kind. The chilling effect of his killing was too much for the entire Gambian private media fraternity to bear, in particular his paper and press union. We have lost a doyen, father, lecturer and mentor. Maybe his killing was calculated to scare young journalists away. But we were able to muster the courage because we love our country,” I answered.
I was a bit relieved when the coordinator of the conference, Mathatha T-sedu, asked for a minute of silence to be observed in honour of Hydara. The President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, joined in the gesture. The display of his picture and a minute of silence for him clearly told me that Hydara’s death had struck the entire Africa.
While in Conakry, I had met Tsedu, the editor of City Press. I lobbied for the inclusion of Hydara’s case in Johannesburg. He agreed to include the case in the programme itinerary.
Tsedu told conference delegates: “Actually, we did not know about Hydara’s death until April. But as soon as I became aware of it, I searched for his pictures in our archives. His killing is a serious blow to our efforts in trying to bring editors under one umbrella. It is unfortunate that Deyda, who was a pioneer founder of The African Editors’ Forum (Taef) in 2003, is not present with us today. Taef remembered him on World Press Freedom Day. Although his killers are not known, Gambians see the government as the prime suspect. Killing a journalist reflects badly on African governments.”
President Mbeki was also concerned about the killing of this well-respected, professional journalist. “I was not aware of the killing of Deyda Hydara in The Gambia. But I promise to engage The Gambia government on the issue,” he said.
Thinking that Gambian journalists would not forgive me if I had allowed the opportunity to paint a picture of our precarious media situation to slip by, especially in the presence of this very influential president, I presented a brief paper on The Gambia.
“The Gambia may be small but it is one of the most important countries on the continent. This country hosts the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights. So one must have expected that country to uphold the rights of its citizens.
“Unfortunately, that is not the case, as attacks on media are allowed to bite the dust. Also the legal, security and political environments are not favourable for freedom of press and expression to exist or thrive,” I told the conference.
“The country had formerly become the bastion of hope, democracy, human rights and rule of law. It was for this reason that African governments asked The Gambia to host the continental commission. So this country must not be allowed to escape with abuses of rights and freedoms. The African Union should tackle member countries on human rights issues since they ratify the convention of the rights of human and peoples’ rights.”
As soon as I finished my speech, President Mbeki simply said: “Musa, please put your speech in black and white and pass it to me. I must personally talk to President (Alhaji Yahya) Jammeh on these issues.”
Interestingly, President Mbeki had shown his bravery by staying for two hours, answering our queries and concerns on issues ranging from press freedom to the disarmaments process in Africa. He also delved into issues concerning Cote d’Ivoire, Zimbabwe and the African Union’s uncompromising stance on human rights and press freedom.
I wondered how many African presidents would have the bravery to withstand the harassment of over 200 senior journalists. Obviously, I ruled out president Jammeh, who keeps on using the state media to threaten private newspapers, branding them as “opposition mouthpiece”.
But this down-to-earth man professionally tackled all the questions fired at him without mincing his words. Mbeki, who came to the conference with few security officers, shook hands with journalists and asked them to report the African story as it happened, whether “bad or good.” He said: “Press freedom is not a philosophy but a material interest.”
At break time and journalists surrounded me with their cameras and tapes as if I had convened a press conference. They asked me to elaborate on the precarious or scary private media climate in The Gambia. One by one, I answered their questions. And guess what happened. A few hours later, the story filled airwaves and TV screens in southern Africa.
The Chief Editor of Oslo-based afrol News could not hide his feelings. “Musa, it seems you have come to lodge a special complaint about your country. Your message is very clear and I guess you are the happiest participant. President Mbeki feels sympathetic and concerned about your case. You scored a point. Your colleagues from the Francophone countries commend you. “You’re great,” Rainer Hennig said.
Ends
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Surah- Ar-Rum 30-22
"And among His signs is the creation of heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge." Qu'ran
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