(WAJA/IFEX) – The following is a WAJA press release: STATEMENT BY WEST AFRICAN JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION (WAJA) TO MARK WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY-MAY 3, 2001 On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day which also marks a decade of THE WINDHOEK DECLARATION that called for a pluralistic, independent and free press, the West African Journalists Association, […]
(WAJA/IFEX) – The following is a WAJA press release:
STATEMENT BY WEST AFRICAN JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION (WAJA) TO MARK WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY-MAY 3, 2001
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day which also marks a decade of THE WINDHOEK DECLARATION that called for a pluralistic, independent and free press, the West African Journalists Association, wishes to congratulate journalists in the sub region for the strides they have made over the past ten years.
While recognising that there have been advances and positive trends on the media landscape in Africa, it is quite lamentable that there are still in existence many disturbing signs that undermine any gains made so far in the struggle for freedom of expression.
It is pertinent to observe that in a number of West African countries, the practice of journalism is as risky today as it was a decade ago. In The Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone, to mention a few, reports of press freedom violations are still being made.
It may be recalled that only a decade ago, many countries in Africa were still languishing under military dictatorships and one-party rule. Today many of these countries have made the transition to constitutional rule, but the suffocating presence of laws inhibiting the practice of journalism is a reality that is making the realisation of the dream of a pluralistic, independent and free press unachievable.
WAJA hopes that as the world marks the decade after THE WINDHOEK DECLARATION, all laws that hinder freedom of expression in the sub region such as criminal libel will be repealed.
As we move into the second decade after the declaration, WAJA hopes that in spite of the daunting challenges confronting the media in West Africa, the profession will continue its job of highlighting the issues that confront the continent in an environment free of intimidation.
Kabral Blay-Amihere
President
May 2, 2001
