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The International News Safety Institute (INSI) has trained twenty journalists from Rwanda on risk awareness, first aid and trauma from 17 to 18 April 2005 in the lakeside town Kibuye located at 125 kilometres from the Rwandan capital, Kigali. The accelerated training, provided by TOR International, included skills in handling civil disorders, weapons awareness, hostage taking, road blocks, mines, and first aid. But for the first time, a trauma session organised by INSI for Rwandan journalists and cameramen, has again underscored the imperative for media organisations to help relieve journalists and particularly conflict reporters of the devastating trauma that many of them are grappling with. Hundreds of journalists particularly in Africa are traumatised while covering conflicts on the continent or as residents and witnesses to horrible events in their countries. But unfortunately, not many of them are fully aware of the consequences of trauma on their daily lives or have access to trauma specialists that can help them. "I believe many of you gathered here today have dreamt several times about crowds of people chasing you with sticks and machetes trying to beat you, break you into pieces and kill you for reasons unknown to you," said Dr Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu, the Rwandan professor of clinical psychology, to the journalists in his session. "Or better still, most of you have dreamt several times also whereby you find yourselves majestically driving an elegant Mercedes Benz car, haven't you?" he asked. "Ouaï (yeah)" the participants responded in a loud chorus amidst thunderous applause that ostensibly indicated appreciation for a belated but most welcome two hour-long session that highly solicited their attention to the end. "Don't worry, I'll drive away all those bad people chasing you in your dreams …and if you are not yet driving one (Mercedes Benz car), you'll soon do so in heaven," Professor Dusingizemungu jokingly assured the INSI trainees. Journalists who cover war and other horrible events, are manhandled, harassed or terrorised in one way or the other, are very likely to suffer from a serious mental depression that will negatively affect their input both on the job and in their personal lives, the psychologist explained. "For a long time," says the Rwandan trauma specialist, "and not until trauma patients are completely de-traumatised, those awesome and violent memories will haunt them everywhere and at anytime: at work, while at the breakfast table, while undertaking physical exercises and especially at sleep. …The dreadful memories deal a quiet but very devastating blow to the morale and physical wellbeing of persons having experienced those difficult episodes," the Professor went on. "Rwandan journalists are certainly among the most traumatised in the world as a result of the April 1994 genocide…no human atrocity is harder than genocide," he said and assured them of his readiness and other reference trauma specialists (whose contact addresses he gave out to the trainees) in order to help de-traumatise them and thereafter continue normally with life. He then challenged media organisations to provide assistance for conflict reporters in order to rid them of the various degrees of trauma and mental depression they are very likely to suffer through debriefing and other psychological means. During the session, many of the participants seized the opportunity to publicly speak of their experiences for the first time, and expressed thanks to INSI and the trauma specialist for organising the occasion. The pain, separation, trauma, hatred and vengeance caused by the April 1994 genocide is still very much alive and conspicuous in the lives of millions of Rwandans in spite of the reconciliation process brokered by churches, the government and the international humanitarian and philanthropic organisations. Many local inhabitants believe that genuine forgiveness is still a far cry as long as the authors of the crime, both local people and foreigners are still roaming around and are not demonstrating any remorse at all for the crimes they have committed. To Lucie Umukundwa, one of the six women journalists, the trauma session was a beginning of a diagnosis and therapy of a long and deep-seated depression that many Rwandan journalists and media personnel are enduring. Lucie, one of the renowned women conflict reporters in Rwanda and in the Great Lakes region (Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo) said the session was also a brilliant opportunity for participants to speak out their experiences publicly and find out the level of support that journalists will give to the ongoing reconciliation process. INSI, through its Africa regional office located in Dakar, Senegal and local coordinators, has offered safety training to 100 journalists from Africa since January 2005 in Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. These training have been made possible through the financial assistance of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the International Federation of Journalists, the Swedish International Development Agency, International Media Support, the Open Society Institute, and UNESCO. INSI is a non-governmental organisation that was established on 3 May 2003 by a unique coalition of news outfits, journalist support groups and humanitarian campaigners to serve as an effective safety net for journalists and other media staff working in hostile environments. INSI, whose headquarters are in Brussels, has regional offices in Africa, Latin America and South East Asia. For further information about INSI or the Africa training please contact: Rodney Pinder, Director, INSI +44 20 7737 7628 or +44 7734 709 267 e-mail: rodney.pinder@newssafety.com Or Tamba Jean-Matthew III |