Had to go to Togo!

This blog was really only an excuse to use the title...I love writing that -- to go to togo!

But seriously, we got back from a fabulous vacation in South Africa and the next day I was off to Togo to participate in a Media Foundation of West Africa/International Media Support mission to assess the media needs regarding training etc in Togo. It was an interesting few days where I also got to visit a number of radio stations and newspapers. If North American journalists ever feel they've got it bad they need to make a visit to Togo (or almost any other African country for that matter). I visited radio stations where their on-air board pots were held in place with bits of ratty cardboard thus enabling the pot to stay in place...thus enabling the sound to actually go out on the air.

Reporters write everything long-hand, there are usually only a couple of computers, ancient tape decks (ok, and a few Nagras), most newspapers don't have an office or a printing press (and yes, that does beg the question of how they manage to stay in business etc...well, a lot of them don't!)

It's a pretty dire situation but what impressed me the most was the passion and the commitment and energy of some of these journalists - they believe in what they're doing, in the fight for press freedom and remain optimistic. Pretty incredible.