Press release
Trust Africa, in partnership with the Dutch Embassy in Dakar, is organizing a media training on transitional justice and international criminal justice in the Gambia from Nov.12-16 at the Kairaba Beach Hotel.
The purpose of the training is to build the capacity of the media, from select West African countries, to effectively report on and generate constructive public debates on transitional justice developments and international criminal justice at the local, national, regional and international levels. The media’s engagement in generating constructive public debates on accountability will in turn ensure that the media is strategically placed to advance the democratization process in The Gambia. Ultimately, the trainings will promote a victim focused approach and inculcate a culture of responsible and analytical reporting among Gambian journalists on issues relating to transitional justice and international criminal justice, enabling them to disseminate relevant, factual, and credible information on accountability processes. This training fits within one of the main goals of TrustAfrica’s ICJ Fund, to increase knowledge and understanding of transitional justice in Africa evidenced by improved media coverage of TJ issues in select countries. In pursuit of this goal, the Fund acts as a hub for exchange and collaboration to advance TJ in Africa.
The specific objectives of the training are:
1. To improve and broaden the level of knowledge of journalists on transitional justice and international criminal justice (including the International Criminal Court);
2. To share the experiences of the sensitization / training programs deployed around other international
criminal proceedings in Africa, highlighting the role of journalists and methodologies for better dissemination of information;
3. To better understand and seek solutions to overcome the difficulties encountered by West African
journalists in covering accountability efforts; and
4. Explore ways and means to develop synergies and contacts between relevant actors for better sharing of information and future cooperation. It is expected that the attorney General Babucarrr Tambadou and possibly IDD prosecutor Fatoumatta Bansouda will attend the opening day.
