When Paul Adepoju asked me “how do you report and go to this conflict and volatile areas? Do you ever worry about your safety? Has anything gone wrong? All in one breath 😀
Q1: I do not honestly know how I do it. I hit the ground and I start doing it. If this is what you are called to do, you will find a way to do it
Q2: I am aware it is risky, the danger is palpable but I don’t put that in the fore. I do not allow my fears to cripple me, otherwise I won’t be able to get the work done
Q3: Oh definitely things have gone wrong sometimes 🙂. We (my camera guy, the fixer and I) escaped an attack by Boko Haram terrorists in April on our way to Chibok. We had to run into another village to hide for 2 hours. 40 persons were killed including women and children in that attack.
We were caught in a cross fire in Jangebe, Zamfara State when the Government Girls Secondary School students abducted by bandits were released.
There are many others, but these two etched in my memory.
Thank you for the session especially having to share experiences with an amazing and even more courageous journalist Teresa Rehman.
Go look for her book Bullet Proof. You would love it. She is doing amazing journalistic work in North East India.
#WomenInJournalism
#ConflictCorrespondents
#WomenOnAMission
#frontlinejournalists
