One World/British Council fellowships 2003

"something one cannot afford to miss." Mustapha Braima, Acting Controller of News and Current Affairs, Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service

Senior broadcasters from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean took part in a Fellowship programme in the United Kingdom from 24 November to 10 December 2003.

The 2003 One World/British Council Fellowships drew 70 applications from 20 Commonwealth countries, a considerably greater spread than in past years.

The five eventually selected to participate in this year’s programme were: Mustapha Braima, Acting Controller of News and Current Affairs, Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service; Deepa Chandra, Director of Programmes, Doordarshan DD-1 national channel, India; Armindo Chavana, Director of Programmes, Televisão de Moçambique; Kitso Mosiieman, Deputy Head of Production, Botswana Television; and Milton Walker, Manager of News and Sport, CVM Television, Jamaica.

The Fellowships sought to create a dialogue between senior broadcasters from the Commonwealth, enabling them to share ideas through discussion sessions and location visits in the UK. The intention of the scheme is to support those broadcasters who are committed to positive change in their own countries by providing exposure to the latest developments and thinking, both in their own arena and in the wider industry.

Mr Braima said the Fellowship programme “has rendered me the service of not only learning from host broadcasters but also learning from the deeper perspectives presented by me and my colleagues. It was something one cannot afford to miss.”

Topics discussed included: production of accurate, investigative news and current affairs coverage; editorial and structural independence from government and other powerful lobbies; new and innovative ways of carrying the HIV/AIDS message; technology in the newsroom; regulation in a changing world; maintaining and improving journalistic standards; realities of war and peace reporting; and the making and handling of live productions.

As well as the One World Trust and the British Council, the Elizabeth R Fund and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association assisted with funding for the programme. The Elizabeth R Fund is supported by the Commonwealth Media Development Fund, which is funded by the Governments of Australia, India and the UK.