Voices From Africa: The Challenges of Covering COVID-19

After a slow start, the coronavirus pandemic is picking up speed across Africa with more than 37,000 reported cases. Like elsewhere in the world, it has forced drastic behavioral changes and wreaked havoc on economies and jobs. But COVID-19 threatens to be particularly devastating on a continent battling poverty, weak health infrastructure, conflict and a spate of other deadly diseases.  For African journalists, this means big stories to cover — but also big challenges. Voice of America is featuring three of them, and their thoughts about covering COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.  Covering two conflicts in Burkina Faso: Kalidou Sy, France 24As the Burkina Faso correspondent for international TV channel France 24, Kalidou Sy is no stranger to covering crises. The country’s escalating fight against Islamist terrorism is regular story fare.  Now he has shifted his attention to this newest threat. Instead of protecting himself against attacks, he’s equipped with masks, gloves and disinfectant gel.  FILE – Kalidou Sy, France 24 correspondent in Burkina Faso, is pictured during pre-coronavirus days. (Courtesy of Kalidou Sy)“Both are dangerous subjects to cover, so you prepare before going out,” Sy said, adding that his conflict experience helps him cover COVID-19. “You do your homework on the area you’re going, decide the people you’re going to interview ahead of time. You do the maximum preparation to be efficient on the ground.”As of Saturday afternoon EDT, Burkina Faso had 641 confirmed coronavirus cases and 43 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus dashboard. It’s a tally higher than those of many other sub-Saharan African countries, but dwarfed by those from such nations as Djibouti, Cote d’Ivoire and South Africa.The coronavirus is straining an already weak health infrastructure, and further threatening access to education in a country where jihadi attacks have shuttered hundreds of schools.And it has pushed out other important news stories.Terrorism persists“The terrorism and attacks continue,” Sy said. ‘But it’s no longer a priority, and we have less access to information.”Sy himself is self-isolating, venturing from his home only for work or shopping. He opts for Skype interviews only as a last resort, preferring coverage in the field, although he avoids large crowds.One plus: Interviewing people has become much easier, he said, especially since the country eased lockdown rules last week.“It’s difficult to find witnesses willing to speak to you when you report on terrorism,” Sy said. “That’s not the case with coronavirus. People talk about it very easily.”“They’ve experienced terrorism and poverty,” he added. “They take coronavirus seriously, but it’s not going to stop them living their lives.”Poverty and press freedom threats in Zimbabwe: Thomas Sithole, Zimbabwe Center for Media and Information LiteracyThe coronavirus has turned Thomas Sithole into a refugee of sorts. In Kampala for a conference in late March, the Zimbabwean journalist found himself unable to return home after Uganda imposed a lockdown that continues to this day.Even so, he is covering the news back home, working with a team of citizen-journalists on the ground.Paris-based Malian journalist Moise Mounkoro works on stories for his new online website. (Courtesy of Moise Mounkoro)On a recent day he was interviewing leading African experts and businessmen on the fallout of COVID-19 and how the continent can rebound. The videos and podcasts to be streamed on Upendo will target a young audience.  Based in Paris, Mounkoro covers his stories remotely, using the internet and his smartphone for his reporting. There are few precautions to take, unless he heads out to snap photos of a locked-down French capital.  He tunes into webinars for expert insight on the crisis, scouring Facebook and Twitter for story ideas and the fake news that’s trending. He makes calls to Africa to cross-check and dig further.“In many African countries, governments don’t want to publish news that’s not coming from them” about the pandemic, Mounkoro said, ticking off several accused by media watchdog groups of press freedom violations in recent weeks. He fears they will only become worse.Digging for newsBut he also pushes African colleagues to go beyond the official news.”Generally, journalists in Africa face the same problem as those in the U.S. and France,” Mounkoro said. “Do you just swallow what the government says, or do you dig for the news?”  Like France 24’s Sy, Mounkoro is worried about the many stories that go unreported in Africa these days.  “We’re no longer covering the big wars in Mali and elsewhere,” Mounkoro said. “We’re just focused on COVID-19, and that’s a big problem for me. I think we also need to focus on these other issues, even if COVID-19 is a big one.”
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