WASHINGTON, DC: The Diplomatic Courier and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy are pleased to announce that Robtel Pailey, Opinion Columnist with New Narratives, has been recognized on the 2013 “99 Under 33,” an international list noting the most influential foreign policy leaders under the age of 33. The complete list is available at: www.diplomaticourier.com/99Under33. See…
New Narratives
NN’s Wade Williams Wins German Development Prize for Africa
NN is very proud of fellow and FrontPage Africa Newsroom Chief Wade William who capped a brilliant year last night by winning the German Media Development Prize for Africa at a ceremony in Berlin – on her birthday! The win follows Wade’s success in winning a prestigious Dag Hammarskjold fellowship to the UN last year…
In Liberia, silencing press critics through libel lawsuits
From NN executive: We are reposting this article from July 2011 in light of the Liberian Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold the $1.5m libel verdict against FrontPage Africa. During Liberia’s 14-year civil war, the press was silenced through violence. Journalists now say they are the victims of a more subtle assault. They say a…
NN’s Rodney Sieh Spells Out the No Bribe Policy at FrontPage Africa Newspaper
Paying Off – The problem of bribes in the Liberian press After two civil wars, Liberian journalists are enjoying unprecedented freedoms but struggling to maintain independence. The business of news is not yet financially viable there: the media market is oversaturated, advertising is weak, and readership is low with a low-hanging ceiling—only 58 percent of the…
Breastfeeding Myths: Liberia in Top 5 for Baby Deaths, ‘Difficult Problems’ linger
Forkpah Town, Clay Ashland, Tiny Pewee Wamah tries to hold the piece of boiled cassava his mother hands to him, but his tiny trembling hands soon let go and the cassava falls to the bright red earth. The 14-month-old baby tries to find strength to cry but his voice soon fades. By New Narratives fellow…
NN’s Wade Williams Wins Journalist of the Year
New Narratives fellow and FrontPage Africa newsroom chief Wade Williams has been awarded the prestigious Journalist of the Year award at Liberia’s annual media awards. Wade is only the second woman to win the award. The UN’s Eva Flomo won the award in 2011. Wade has been with the New Narratives program since January 2011….
Lawless Liberia: Legal Failure Renews Global Calls For Female Genital Cut Law
The case of Ruth Berry Peal has prompted renewed calls from anti-FGC activists for the Liberian government to join that 24 other African countries that have passed laws that specifically make female genital cutting illegal. No such law exists in Liberia at present, prompting lawyers acting on behalf of clients like Berry Peal to pursue…
Living in Fear: After Liberia’s First FGC Conviction, Victim Still Harassed, Haunted
In January this year Ruth Berry Peal and her family thought their three year ordeal was over. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that made the Bomi mother-of-eight the first woman in Liberia to win a conviction for forceful initiation into the Sande society. Three months later Berry Peal is still separated from…
NN Reporting Prompts Govt to Announce Elimination of Female Genital Cutting Day
In the wake of the international uproar prompted by death threats against NN Country Manager Mae Azango, the Liberian government has taken the unprecedented step of announcing February 6 will be “Intensifying Efforts for Elimination of Female Genital Cutting” Day. Before the breakthrough reporting by Azango in FrontPage Africa and NN fellow Tetee Gebro for…
Rapists’ Nation? Rape Still Stalking Liberia’s Kids; 1 in 10 Victims Age 5 And Under
“The boy is my neighbor’s son,” says the grandmother. “We eat and play together. They came to me begging I agreed not to go to court. That court thing can waste time and money. I just want my little girl to be all right.” – A grandmother to rape victim. Published in FrontPage Africa on…
NN’s Robtel Pailey and Chase Walker Release Children’s Book on Corruption
Robtel Pailey, opinion columnist for NN and FrontPage Africa, has teamed up with NN’s photographer and FrontPage graphic designer Chase Walker, to produce a groundbreaking book designed to teach children about corruption. “Gbagba” is the story of Sundaymah and Sundaygar, two siblings who live in Grand Bassa County in Liberia. On the way to visit their…
Mae Azango’s Acceptance Speech at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Awards
“Ladies and Gentlemen. This is my shortest speech ever, because I can talk non-stop for hours without knowing it, but I will try my best to keep it short and simple, (KISS) as journalism requires. Please see video of speech here I am delighted and grateful that the Committee has chosen to recognize my work with…
NN Executive Director Prue Clarke argues aid world undercuts development by ignoring media
By not supporting local media, the donor world fails to engage local populations in the development process and give them the information they need to drive change themselves. By Prue Clarke, Executive Director, New Narratives | Wednesday at 3:18 PM See original post here. Mae Azango is one courageous reporter. But she is also a…
The Negro Clause in Liberia’s Constitution Is Not Racist; It Is Protectionary
There is a subculture in Liberia that, though highly visible and active, is almost never discussed – like an unacknowledged elephant in the room. (See original post here.) It consists of Lebanese businessmen and their families who started migrating to West Africa in the 1950s and found a home in Liberia. It consists of thin,…
Crisis Point? In Monrovia, Half A Million Gallons Water Lost to Broken Pipe
The Liberian government submitted information to the World Health Organization and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program that estimated eight percent of households in urban areas have pipe borne water and 88 percent have access to an improved water source. Ironically the nation’s capital has been out of water for a long time, which, coupled with other…
NN’s Tecee Boley Named IJNET Journalist of the Month
New Narratives is delighted our senior fellow Tecee Boley has been named the International Journalists’ Network (IJNET) Journalist of the Month. Tecee joined NN in July 2010 and has since notched up a string of scoops and awards including a Pulitzer Center grant to cover Water and Sanitation issues and Liberia’s Development Reporter of the…
NN’s Mae Azango Wins Committee to Protect Journalists’ International Press Freedom Award
New Narratives is delighted one of our senior fellows Mae Azango has been chosen as one of four international journalists to receive the 2012 Committee to Protect Journalists’ International Press Freedom Award. The award recognizes Mae’s courage in reporting earlier this year on the health risks of female genital cutting in traditional societies in her…
165 Years Young And Counting: What Have We Really Got To Celebrate?
We Liberians know how to throw a good party. Whether we live in zinc shacks or in immaculate mansions, we thrive on celebration. I’ve been back in Monrovia from London only three weeks now and have already attended four graduation parties and one baby shower. For us, life is an endless party. That’s what…
Voices Against Genital Cutting: Survivors Speak Against Controversial practice in N.Y.
New York City – A young girl stood weeping while women danced happily around her. A grand celebration was already underway for the girl’s rite of passage. It would end with her circumcision and the women rejoicing. Against her will, the young girl who they called Ekankama, was knocked to the ground and held down by…
Going Home the Same Way They Came: Buduburam on My Mind as D-Day Nears
Perched on vast acres of land dotted with concrete buildings marked in colorful chalk, Buduburam Refugee Camp on the outskirts of Accra, Ghana, has always been a place of transit for Liberians. Camp dwellers are like expectant passengers on a flight whose destination is still undetermined. Most of them hope to land in America, or…
NN’s Mae Azango is Awarded the Minnie Lee Walker fellowship
NN is proud to announce our reporter Mae Azango, of FrontPage Africa, has been awarded a newly created reporting fellowship in honor of Minnie Lee Walker. The fellowship is given by the Alliance for East Africa, an organization that supports grass roots programs in Africa. It was started by Mrs Walker’s daughter Jean Wr. The…