Friends from Finland visit media houses

A delegation of three Finnish nationals recently visited media houses in The Gambia to get firsthand information and experience of how the fourth estate operates in the country.

Ville Hakkala, Aarne Kinnunen and Madam Saija Sambou Gender activist on 10 January 2011 visited Marketplace, a weekly magazine operating in the Gambia, and The Point newspaper.

The team was led by their Gambian friend, Amat Jeng, communication officer for the Association of Gender Journalists The Gambia.

In receiving the delegates in his office, the editor-in-chief of The Point newspaper, Baboucarr Senghore, told the delegates that The Point is a private daily publication with one of the biggest circulations in the country.

The Point, he said, was established on 16 December 1991 by three veteran journalists, namely the late Deyda Hydara, the late Baboucarr Gaye and Pap Saine, who is currently the Managing Editor of the paper.

He revealed that The Point employs about 80 Gambians, noting that the paper carries stories of all interests ranging from politics, economics and finance to sports, environment and social issues.

Mr Senghore said that some one of the constraints they face as journalists is access to information from the government on issues of national concern.

For his part, the communications officer of the Association for Gender Journalist- Gambia, Amat Jeng, said that the association is out to support gender mainstreaming programme and initiatives to ensure there is equal right and opportunities for all.

The head of the delegation, Saija Sambou, said that as gender activists, part of their mission was to share experience with gender activist reporters in the country.

According to her, the Gambia and Finland have many things in common in the area of gender, adding that they were able to meet with the secretary general of the gender journalists in The Gambia, Abourahman Sallah, who briefed them on everything about the association and on some of the achievements, constraints and plans of the association.