The idea came from journalist Riccardo Barlaam, an enthusiast of Africa, who is presently working at the on-line desk of the Sole24Ore.com and collaborates with Nigrizia, a monthly magazine edited by the Combonian missionaries. Mr. Barlaam won the Baldoni Prize with his article entitled Bye Bye Africa. Now, together with a network including Italian and African colleagues, he has created AfricaTimesNews, a real-time news site in French and English.
Mr. Barlaam first conceived of the idea during a work trip to Fontem to teach a journalism course. Invited by the coordinator of the Digital Bridge Project in Cameroon Martin Nkafu, Riccardo Barlaam taught a course on basic communication and advanced web journalism techniques. Thirty people attended the journalism lessons, including teachers, an electronic engineer, students and journalists from a local radio station who wanted to start a blog for the many Bangwa emigrants.
In a post written on January 14, Barlaam wrote: “My crazy idea is to create a network of African journalists, a network of people that from their countries can publish their daily news. All that is necessary is a password and a minimum of computer knowledge, besides of course an understanding of what is newsworthy and speed. We will take our first steps from here.”
A few days ago, Barlaam published the full version of his Reportage, a travel diary to Fontem on Agorà, the blog of Sole24ore.
In the meantime, the posts are multiplying on AfricaTimesNews …
The satellite internet connection, created by the Digital Bridge Project, is beginning to produce its expected results...
For further information:
- Digital Bridge in Cameroon
- Digital Bridge, Fontem is on-line
- Digital Bridge, what the protagonists have to say
- Food and Technology, what Africa needs according to Martin Nkafu
