Prof. Stephen Smith “Africa, Journalism, & Academia” Seminar Recap

“Africa, Journalism & Academia” with Professor Stephen Smith

(spastic note-taking by Dhrusti)

• Tori goes over Prof. Smith’s credentials—awesommee
• For the U.S, “Africa is a niche” but it’s one that’s expanding and that’s great
• Storytime!!

AFRICA

• Words of Wisdom
  • Take sabbaticals..after high school..during college…whenever!
  • “No finalities in life, so don’t rush”
• “Africa is not a calling” à Ask yourself, why do want to work on Africa?
• Snippet of his journey
  • Gets kicked out of China with all the other “unnecessary foreigners”
  • Mom gives him two choices

1) Fireman in Canada

2) sub-Saharan Africa

• Chooses AFRICA.
  • Ends up in Algeria…does some hitch-hiking…picks up French…gets hired as a truck driver in the Sahara because young and looks strong to lift truck out if gets stuck…(memory of nun accompanying him singing the French national anthem)
• If ethnicity is just your skin color, it’s not enough…I think that’s what he said
• Back to “Africa is not a calling”
  • It wasn’t his childhood dream, nor did he have this desire to change Africa
  • Rather he found it a fascinating place, a place where Africans actually lived their language
• More Words of Wisdom
  • You need a field of experiences….
• For journalism, “if you’re an academic, you can’t write”…that’s the assumption so didn’t tell a soul about his PhD until 2007

JOURNALISM

• It’s an open profession…allows you to pry into people’s lives in name of public
• It’s a wonderful time to become a journalist!…well not really economically so but for just journalism
• 1980s Africa: though roughly 20 years after independence, still very dependent
  • Example, French running the show in Ivory Coast
    • Before independence, 10,000 French; after independence, 50,000 French
• 1990s- Decades of war in the continent
  • Result of geopolitical dependency…
• Now
  • Shift in geopolitics
  • Rwanda shaping DRC, not Belgium
• Journalist: “anthropologist on the hoof”

ACADEMIA

• When in Benin, had to say “Comrade”
• RECAP: was frustrated with university (what to study?)à ran away to Africa
• BIG QUESTION: Why do you what you do?

QUESTION SESSION

Time to reinvent journalism

Q: But how to do so without a money tree growing in your backyard?

A: you can still make a decent living, maybe not a life of affluence

Lots of captivating talk….forgot to take notes

Last Words of Wisdom

• Do with “less heat, more LIGHT” (less emotional, more intellectual) in how you help Africa..