British Foreign Minister celebrates Anas "brave", others

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British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt congratulated investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas for his fearless denunciation of corruption and human rights violations on the continent.

Speaking at World Press Freedom Day celebrations organized by UNESCO on Thursday and organized by the African Union in Addis Ababa, he congratulated Anas for congratulating him, saying that 39, he would have had the privilege of having met in Ghana.

The Foreign Minister also highlighted the contributions of his compatriots Patrick Gathara and Ugandan Charles Onyango-Obbo to their work.

World Press Freedom Day

The UN General Assembly has declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day or simply World Press Day to raise awareness of the importance of press freedom.

The day is set aside to remind governments of their duty to respect and enforce the right to freedom of expression enshrined in Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It also marks the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration, a statement of the principles of the free press developed by African newspaper journalists in Windhoek in 1991.

Why celebrate Anas?

Anas Aremeyaw Anas, better known as Anas, is a Ghanaian investigative journalist whose goal is to "name and shame" the wrongdoers in society.

He is famous for using his anonymity as a tool of his investigative arsenal and very few people had seen his face.

A non-politicized multimedia journalist, he specializes in print and documentaries and focuses on human rights and anti-corruption issues in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa.

Anas has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fight against slavery. His investigative work has earned him worldwide attention.

Progress force

In his speech, the British Foreign Minister said that "… freedom of the media is not a" Western "value, let alone a colonial-style imposition, but a force of progress that everyone advantage. "

"Indian Nobel laureate, Amartya Sen, has defined" the expansion of freedom "as what he called" the ultimate goal "of development."

Below the transcript of his speech

I am delighted to be in Ethiopia, where the new government led by Prime Minister Abiy has transformed the political discourse by enabling the creation of hundreds of websites, blogs and newspapers.

Since the prime minister took office last year, Ethiopia has risen by more than 40 places in the world press freedom index of 40 places and shows all that is possible to do when the political will exists.

In a world where 99 journalists were murdered last year – and another 348 blocked by governments – some of the brightest spots are perhaps the ones we least expect: here in Africa.

The Gambia, for example, climbed 30 places in the index. Namibia has made further progress to maintain its position as a country with the freest media in Africa.

As we celebrate World Press Freedom Day, I want to start by celebrating the best of African journalism.

Be it the courageous inquiries of Anas Aremeyaw Anas, whom I had the privilege of meeting in Ghana,

or Patrick Gathara's vision of Kenyan politics, Charles Onyango-Obbo's incisive commentary on Uganda,

or the caricatures of Gado in East Africa and Zapiro in South Africa, which show that a clever caricature is worth a thousand words.

Whether publishers who publish independent newspapers against all odds? journalists who brave threats and intimidation; or bloggers who keep a watchful eye on their leaders; All know better than anyone that a living and free media offers the best possible protection against corruption and bad rules.

I congratulate BBC Africa for its investigation in Cameroon last year, which established that the army had murdered two women and two children during a mbadacre perpetrated in 2015 and repeatedly denied by the authorities .
As a result, soldiers were arrested and brought to justice.

And I pay tribute to the memory of Kenyan photojournalist Mohammed Amin, who strove to spread the word about the plight of Ethiopians in the 1980s.

A force of progress
Today, my argument is simple: freedom of the media is not a "Western" value, let alone a colonial style imposition, but a force of progress that benefits everyone.

Indian Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has defined the expansion of freedom as what he called "the ultimate goal" of development.

Far from being in tension, he showed that freedom and development were one and the same, and that a flourishing medium was to be considered part of a nation's more general progress.

Whatever we say politicians during election campaigns, no party, no leader or no philosophy has the monopoly of wisdom.

On the contrary, the progress of humanity clearly shows that wisdom flows from open competition between ideas when different views are offered the necessary oxygen to fight freely and equitably.

And by testing these ideas – including the authorities involved – ordinary citizens also get something else: the precious dignity of being able to decide for themselves what they think of the future of their country, then to decide with because of their leaders.

When everyone is able to exchange ideas freely, a society does not only benefit from the brains of the people at the top, but from the originality and creativity of the entire population.

That's why half of the ten most inventive countries, ranked by the Global Innovation Index, are also in the top 10 in terms of media freedom.

It is also for this reason that, even if, in fashion, in some countries, the model of authoritarian development is ultimately flawed.

For even if you reject the dignity of the human spirit as an end in itself and consider that the only priority of a poor country should be economic progress – this progress itself requires innovation which in turn requires creativity, but also openness.

Thus, the argument that a free press is a "luxury" that developing countries could "adopt when they are ready" fundamentally ignores the role it plays.

A free press is simply the first sure foundation of prosperity in a world where innovation and technological progress are the essential conditions for progress.

Thanks to their courage and determination, the Sudanese have had the opportunity to reject the authoritarian model and achieve the democracy they deserve. Nobody should get in the way.

But progress – as we regularly see with the displacement of entire industries – is inherently disruptive, which brings me to the second key benefit of a free media.

Because it also provides a channel for people to express their discontent without resorting to violence.

If problems and tensions are resolved, they are more likely to overflow.

Preventing journalists from reporting a problem does not make it disappear.

In February, the Dar es Salaam newspaper The Citizen announced a drop in the value of the Tanzanian shilling. What was the reaction of the Tanzanian government? Forcing the newspaper to close for a week.

It may have helped the government to express its frustration, but it did nothing to rebadess the shilling.

The truth is that when governments start closing newspapers and suppressing the media, they are more likely to create problems for the future than to preserve harmony.

And far from being a cause of instability, responsible journalism and free media should help to avoid it.

Corruption is one of the biggest sources of anger in many countries.

But much more effective than the repression regularly launched by authoritarian regimes is the sun of transparency – it is enough to note the striking overlap between the least corrupt countries in the world indices and those with the most free media.

Indeed, no less than seven of the ten cleanest countries in the world, clbadified by Transparency International, are also among the top ten for press freedom.

And there is no mystery why. Powerful people care about their reputation. They are therefore much less likely to abuse their positions if there is a real risk of exposure.

But I make these arguments as a person who grew up in a country with a free media. However, I am only timidly following in the footsteps of many brave African writers, thinkers and journalists who fought for the cause of media freedom at their own peril.

Chinua Achebe, the late Nigerian author, said his country needed a "flourishing free press, able to counterbalance and stabilize anti-corruption laws."

And perhaps the greatest freedom fighter that Africa has known, Nelson Mandela, has described a "critical, independent and investigative press" as "the engine of any democracy".

He added: "Only such a free press can temper the appetite of any government to gain power at the expense of the citizen … It is only such a free press that can relentlessly expose excesses and corruption. "

Campaign for Freedom of the Media
I hope that Britain also plays its part in defending media freedom.

I joined my Canadian counterpart, Chrystia Freeland, in launching a global campaign to protect the journalists who do their jobs and promote the benefits of a free media. In July, we will hold the first global ministerial summit on media freedom in London.

Amal Clooney will be my special envoy, bringing her expertise as a human rights lawyer. It will convene a group of experts to recommend ways to strengthen the legal protection of journalists.

On this subject and others, we wish to work closely with the African Union and UNESCO, whom I thank for having hosted our host.

Our overriding goal is to shine a spotlight on the abuse and to increase the price of those who would murder, arrest or detain journalists simply for practicing their profession.

At the same time, we should not forget the international context

Channels like RT, better known as Russia Today, want their viewers to believe that the truth is relative and that the facts will always match the Kremlin's official narrative.

Even when this story keeps changing. After the Russian state conducted a chemical attack in the British city of Salisbury last year, the Kremlin presented more than 40 separate accounts to explain this incident. Their disinformation weapons have tried to spread these stories to the world. The best defense against those who deliberately sow lies is independent and reliable news outlets. The UK government is taking concrete steps to help media professionals improve their skills.

In Ethiopia, our embbady has trained international experts to 100 journalists over the past two years.

And today, I can announce two other elements of support.

First, Britain will donate £ 15.5 million to support next year's elections in Ethiopia, including helping the National Electoral Council organize a free and fair contest.

Secondly, I invite you today to apply for a new Chevening Africa Media Freedom Scholarship.

This will enable 60 outstanding African journalists, over the next five years, to gain experience in the press rooms of major British media organizations. This year, candidates from 11 African countries will be eligible, including Ethiopia.

Conclusion
Let me end with the words of the South African novelist, A. C. Jordan, who wrote in the Xhosa language and whose books have only recently been translated.

In his book Anger of the Ancestors, Jordan describes the "truth" as a formidable wrestler struggling with the "lie."

He writes, "But the truth exists without a doubt. And it's the greatest strength of all. For no matter if you beat him with your sticks, however, I swear to you that there will be a moment when the truth will escape from its chains and throw you to the ground, hurt and shameful. "

It simply describes what the best journalism is. By helping the truth to prevail, a free media ultimately helps us to prosper.