Youth Press in Chad, a real challenge!
              (by Mini-Mini Medard)

In Chad, there's a saying that a good way to impoverish oneself is to create a newspaper. And when, on top of everything, a poor person creates a magazine, it can seem foolish. But it was nevertheless the quest upon which RAFIGUI Presse Jeunes first embarked ten years ago as young students without any sort of financial means in one of the world's poorest countries, where attending school is a luxury (even if tuition approximates 1 CAN $ a year in certain villages).

Fighting such evils as STDs and AIDS, environmental degradation, school violence, and child poverty, the young Chadians are not provided with a proper space in which to tackle these real issues. The existing communications network is very exclusive, concerned with primarily political matters, and only covers the capital city. It is in this context that a group of friends brought together by a pen pal community decided to put together a newspaper called " RAFIGUI Presse Jeunes " (RAFIGUI means 'my friend' in Chadian language), after one member participated as an intern in a workshop presented by the head writer of the magazine, Planète Jeunes.

Today, the unique magazine in Chad, "RAFIGUI Presse Jeunes", is created by youth for youth and has content that truly reflects their various tastes, interests and personalities. Through a series of sections including interviews, opinion columns, and games and freelance writing, RAFIGUI is the voice, the bridge and the starting point for bonds between young Francophones from all over the world, even though it fundamentally remains an educational paper in a country torn up by a series of social pleas.

However, the team of journalists' assets consist of nothing more than their own drive and their passion for the communications field. These forces resulted in the first two issues being hand-written, but the instant popularity of RAFIGUI and the broad involvement of their peers led the team to develop the paper's content and quality. In spite of all this growth, RAFIGUI still does not have access to their own tape recorder, never mind their own computer.

The membership fee and the actual price of the newspaper not being sufficient to account for the work and printing required to publish an issue, the team often depends on the generosity of local and international NGOs and individuals willing to lend them their technology. The lack of availability of such material at the right time can often result in projects being delayed and current affairs articles being suspended, which hinder the desired flow of activities.

After the finalization of the layout, the frame is presented to such organisations as UNICEF and UNFP. Funding from the former made it possible for RAFIGUI to publish three issues on the situation of children in Chad, whereas the contribution of the latter sponsored the special issue on Reproductive Sexuality for Teens, aiming at raising awareness around HIV/AIDS. Finally, the Coopération Française paid the bill for the printing of an issue on an African festival of visual and literary arts (Fest'Africa 2003).

Besides the actual newspaper, the association is now acting as a club promoting socio-cultural exchanges in various youth spheres. RAGIFUI organises short tutorials on writing for the press, which are animated by local professional journalists and include sessions that inspired the creation of mural newspapers in dozens of colleges as well as a more integrated media in Chad. These worthwhile initiatives are jeopardized by the inadequacy of the technological education of these youth who are forced into a daily survival struggle to pursue their vision.

In order to give a hand to RAFIGUI to gradually diminish their difficulties and to encourage their commitment and talent, two young Canadians (Five Minutes to Midnight representatives Émanuèle Lapierre Fortin and Wojciech Gryc) decided to fly to Chad in December 2005. This project aimed to provide the team with valuable computer materials and to train them in using them in a sustainable fashion, thus directly responding to a loudly-expressed need. This collaboration functioned on many levels to give a chance to the young Chadian journalists from RAFIGUI to receive help to continue their publications while it also offered the Canadians an opportunity to discover a new reality. In addition to the official training, the trip included debates, discussions, appointments with youth associations in Chad and a host of cultural exchanges. For all involved, this occasion was highly beneficial.

For a more detailed account of the events of the trip, read Émanuèle and Wojciech's blog at http://a13i.blogspot.com/.

[ issue contents ] [ fmm home ] [ send feedback ] [ tell a friend ]