Official People
What journalist tell us about Africa’s ability to govern itself
It is no secret that northern Mali, has not been an example of peace this year. The Tuareg rebellion that cited many grievances against the government began in January with the return of fighters from the Libyan conflict that resulted in Qaddafi’s ousting. However, reading the Christian Science Monitor’s piece titled: Arms, drugs, and human trafficking: What does the future hold for northern Mali, addressing the violence, ethnic conflicts and Mali’s attempt to handle a quickly escalating situation, paints a devastating picture that seems irreversible.
Brendan Harrison, the author, a Program Associate at Freedom House, a blog run predominantly by white men and women working to expand freedom through the world, with a Western democracy is right emphasis, spent 698 words on the country’s decent into violence, and the militia’s inability to contain the northern rebellion. Casually placed among the words of gloom is Harrison’s opinion that “it remains unclear whether this government will be more successful than its predecessor in restoring constitutional rule to either the north or the south.” So, in an article heavily weighed down by the realities of a nation in turmoil, Harrison takes a moment to let the reader know how inadequate, if not naïve, the government’s attempts are, given the difficulties faced by the previous administration.
That being said, I am sure he studied journalistic integrity and would not, knowingly, put forward an image of Mali that is not grounded in either a turbulent history, or an understanding of ethnic or religious turmoil. However, it is important to note how political problems can be documented and written about in different ways.
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