|
|
profile
Passports and press cards
by Liezel de Lange, Hein le Roux and Alexia Julius
"In the course of 20 years of chasing to and fro across the continent, I developed a profound love for Africa and all its peoples, despite, or perhaps because of, the terrible problems."- Chris Munnion, long time correspondent for The Daily Telegraph.
'Foreign' is too strong an adjective for these journalists - usually the term describes their employers, rather than the reporters themselves. After 21 years one can hardly call NOS Dutch TV‘s Eric van Ees a foreigner, and he has "no immediate plans to leave." When The Daily Telegraph changed hands in the mid-80s, management decided after 21 years on the continent, Munnion had been "too long" in Africa. He jokes that they wanted him to return to the United Kingdom for "re-education." He never did and never will. To him "South Africa is home".
Peter Hawthorne, Time’s man in Southern Africa, exchanged her Majesty’s Island for Africa in 1955. He has lived in South Africa for the last 32 years and plans to retire here. One year was enough for Donald McNeil from The New York Times to become torn between two continents. He and his wife arrived in Johannesburg in 1995, and today he says "we like it here and I am not sure if we want to leave.
Around the globe the foreign press is often criticised for broadcasting biased news produced by ignorant journalists. To call the foreign correspondents in South Africa strangers in a strange land, is not entirely accurate. Many seem almost more local than foreign. They have become part of society and comfortable with the diverse cultures
"I don’t believe you can get the feel of a country if you cannot read its poetry," says Van Ees, who is fluent in Afrikaans. He is currently trying to learn more than "the few phrases of Zulu and Xhosa " he knows. He firmly believes that "people appreciate it if you speak a few words of their language." McNeil was exposed to tribal tradition when he lived with a Zulu family for a couple of weeks to gain insight for a story.
Munnion does not understand the language, but he enjoys the Afrikaner culture: "the main problem was coping with vast quantities mampoer and hospitality and getting on with the job." Hawthorne is "able to read Afrikaans reasonably well" so he can keep up with the Afrikaans press. If all else fails, these journalists rely on interpreters. "I can’t read Beeld, I can’t watch television," says McNeil, "In rural areas it’s really difficult. I usually go with someone who knows the neighbourhood." Hawthorne says he rarely experiences problems because "most important sources are relatively fluent in English and if they have a story to tell they will tell it in Russian if they have to.
De Standaard in Brussels often sends Derk-Jan van Eppink on foreign assignments. "Preparation is half the job, especially for strange food," he adds jokingly. ABC News’s Nathan Thomas believes the only way to adapt to a foreign culture is with an open mind. To him the fascination of a country "lies in its difference, the more different the more fascinating." Working for United Press International, Patrick Collings believes one should "recognise the foreign culture and treat it with respect", but most importantly, one should never "go in blind."
According to Munnion: "the more homework you’ve done, the more likely you are to have quick success. People on the ground tend to object, understandably, if you have no knowledge of their country, its history and their problems.
Although all the correspondents claim to have made preparations before coming to the country, it seems some sources are more reliable than others: McNeil went to the State Department, to ask the South African experts for help - "This was not very helpful. You learn most when you are in the country itself." La Libre Belgique’s Philippe Delbrouck advises trying "to avoid as much as possible to behave like a journalist." International interest in South Africa has dwindled since the elections in 1994 - "As South Africa becomes more and more a normal country with similar problems to everywhere else, it’s becoming more difficult to sell stories from here." This does not imply that Thomas is bored, however. He is constantly on call to go anywhere in the world.
Van Ees admits that since the new government came into power sometimes "a week will go by when for my viewers, the news focus is elsewhere." Fortunately he is also contracted to write for Holland’s second largest daily, the Algemeen Dagblad. He has also kept himself busy writing four books, including one on his experiences as a foreign correspondent in Africa. Getting by-lines, however, generally depends on own initiative. According to all the correspondents, agencies rarely dictate stories.
The foreign correspondents’ globe trotter image, created by journalists such as Peter Arnett seems to be more the exception than the rule. "Lots of excitement, bags of copy, wonderful women throwing themselves at your expense account (in those days unlimited), maximum autonomy with minimum responsibility." This is how Munnion, describes their lives - back in the sixties.
As in many other forms of journalism, adapting their personal lives is the price many foreign correspondents have to pay. "This kind of work takes its toll on your private life, it’s one of the biggest disadvantages of the job" - Van Eppink explains way he is still single. Munnion "only married twice" but most of his colleagues are "on their fourth or fifth wives." Some manage to hang on to their families despite the disruptive nature of their profession. Van Ees’s wife and two children live with him in South Africa.
McNeil was a theatre correspondent in New York when his wife came up with the idea of becoming a foreign correspondent. They are now both reporters in South Africa, but never take on assignments simultaneously. They take turns to look after their children when working.
Clearly, many "foreign" journalists feel quite at home in South Africa. One reason for this is certainly that "South Africa for the most part is a very comfortable place to live in", in the words of Thomas. Van Ees agrees: "South Africa is from a communications viewpoint and style of living, a first world country to live in.
The big problem, it seems, lies in presenting a balanced view of South Africa in a few paragraphs of a newspaper or in two minutes on television. Says Delbrouck: "It is not easy to avoid being oversimplistic as you are limited by space in the newspaper." Eppink laments that print journalists are unable to compete with television: "TV gives people a very fragmented view of the world. The image of Africa in Europe is one of war and famine. People often refuse to believe anything written to the contrary.
Delbrouck believes the best way to avoid clichés is truly to understand the country. Judging by the batch of journalists represented here, we have little to worry about.
|
[ Tuisblad ] [ Publikasies ] [ Inhoud / Index ] [ Publications ] [ Home Page ] |
|