As Ethiopian media repression deepens, graduates and colleges quadruple

By T, Staffer of De Birhan Media

03 July 2012

Senaiet, personally known to this writer, graduated in Journalism and Communications from the University of Addis Abeba with BA Degree in 2009. Soon after graduation, she produced an up-to-date CV and started looking for journalism jobs all across Ethiopia.  

“You don’t know how times change” she speaks to De Birhan. 

“Times have changed. Even the smallest sized local media are very selective these days. There is an overflow of journalism graduates and there are fewer media to employ us. I suffered a lot looking for a job in the mass media. Were it not for my aunty, who compassionately shelters and supports me, I would have died by now” Senaiet gives out.

Directionless, using the 5000 birr financial credit she received from the City’s Credit Institution, Senaiet opened a small grocery in 2010. 


“A journalist turned grocer” she calls herself humorously.

The business ran for two years with little profit. “I am born to be a journalist not a business person” she says.  Unable to cope with loss, deficit and debts, she closed the business and began working as a typist in a small Stationary in Piassa, Addis Abeba. One of Senaiet’s four best friends after finishing her BA in Journalism got married to a European man and now lives in Europe while her two  other friends live with their families in Addis Abeba still searching for media jobs since graduation. Their Journalism Degrees gracefully hanging in their bedrooms. 

Journalism training in Ethiopian Universities  

Terje S. Skjerdal’s 2011 paper, Teaching journalism or teaching African journalism? Experiences from foreign involvement in a journalism programme in Ethiopia, states that Ethiopia got its first permanent journalism school in 1996 when the previous Ethiopian Mass Media Training Institute (EMMTI) (formerly known as MMTI and MMTC) established its diploma programme. The Institute took 80% governmental journalists and 20% private applicants until it was finally incorporated as an undergraduate division of the Addis Abeba University School of Journalism and Communications in 2006 and was renamed AAU SJC. The Faculty of Journalism and Communication at Addis Ababa University in 2010/2011 accommodated approximately 70 students in the graduate division and approximately 600 students (full-time and part-time) in undergraduate programmes, according to Terje S. Skjerdal, 2011.

Before that, Ethiopian journalists either took part in short courses or went abroad to specialize in the field. It has been the trend within Ethiopian media that for one to be employed as a journalist in broadcast media the requirements were good voice and appearance while writing skills for print media. Most journalists were self trained with little or no academic training. The most famous case is journalist and author, Pawlos Gnogno . The late  Pawlos   studied only up to fourth grade but was one of the most accomplished Ethiopian journalists and was author and translator of several books. He was self-taught.  


During the times of Emperor Hailesellasie, Mal Goode, the American “Dean of black journalism”, had reportedly trained many journalists (obviously as propagandists of the empire/ror). The Marxist Derg regime (1974-91) effectively used media and journalists as ‘indoctrination channels of communism’.

Today, in 2011, journalism courses or degrees (BA, diploma or single courses) are offered in at least eight regional universities (Axum, Mekelle, Debub, Bahir Dar, Dilla, Hawasa, Arba Minch and Jigjiga). Journalism and communication courses are also offered at two private institutions: Rift Valley University College and New Generation University College. Unity University College, also a private institution, opened a diploma study in journalism in 2000 with assistance from two American universities, but the program currently has a very small student body. (Terje S. Skjerdal, 2011).

Today, there are over 3000 journalism students in Ethiopian higher institutions potentially joining the media market in the next couple of years as fresh graduates. De Birhan’s partners in Ethiopia recorded from their visits in these universities that except Addis Abeba University the other six public universities don’t have laboratory, news room and studios where students can practice. Over 80% of the course is theoretical while 20% is practical.
De Birhan spoke to a prospective graduate of Journalism and Communications majoring in Broadcast Media, according to the student, the problem of Ethiopian journalism students is not only that they couldn't find media jobs in Ethiopia but also that they over 80% of the students didn't choose the field when they joined University. 

Almost all (85 or 90 %) of the students do not join the field by their choice to study. My first choice was not journalism. We were forced by the Ministry of Education and we perform bad in the study. Most of the students including me are not capable of writing or editing any piece of writing because  we didn't have any experience and interest to it from the start, but imagine we have spent 3 years studying Journalism. 

The student also complains about the capability of journalism educators in Ethiopia. He said that most of them  either had no related academic background to journalism or experience. This further kills the hope of being a journalist in Ethiopia added with the repressive media atmosphere. 

The following table shows the name of Ethiopia public universities that offer Journalism and Communications courses and/or plan to start one soon.

S.No	Name of the University	Training programs	Course in Journalism
1	Arba Minch University	Planning to launch BA in journalism in extension program in 2012	Three  journalism courses  for English and Amharic  Language and Literature students
2	Addis Ababa University	BA Degree in Journalism and MA in journalism and communication	Three  journalism courses  for English and Amharic  Language and Literature students
3	Axum University	Planning to launch BA in journalism in regular  program in the future	Three  journalism courses  for English Language and Literature students
4	Ambo University	Planning to launch BA in journalism in regular  program in 2011	Three  journalism courses  for English Language and Literature students
5	Awassa/Hawassa	Planning to launch BA in journalism in regular  program in 2012	Three  journalism courses  for English Language and Literature students
6	Adama University	Planning to launch BA in journalism in regular  program in the future	Three  journalism courses  for English Language and Literature students
7	Haromaya/Alemaya	There are also courses called “Agricultural Journalism” for rural development students	Three  journalism courses  for English and Oromo Language and Literature students
8	Bahir Dar University	Post-Graduate Diploma in Communication with select courses of journalism   and BA Degree in Journalism	Three  journalism courses  for English and Amharic  Languages and Literature students
9	Dilla University	BA Degree in Journalism	BA Degree in Journalism
10	Dire Dwa University	Three  journalism courses  for English Language and Literature students	Three  journalism courses  for English and Amharic  Language and Literature students
11	Debre Markos University		Three  journalism courses  for English and Amharic  Language and Literature students
12	Debre Birhan University		Three  journalism courses  for English and Amharic  Language and Literature students
13	Jimma University	Planning to launch BA in journalism in regular  program in the future	Three  journalism courses  for English ,Amharic  Oromo Language and Literature students
14	Mekelle University	BA Degree in Journalism	Three  journalism courses  for English  Language and Literature students
15	Mada-Wallabu University		Three  journalism courses  for English Language and Literature students
16	Mizan-Teppi  University		Three  journalism courses  for English Language and Literature students
17	Wello University	Planning to launch BA in journalism in regular program	Three  journalism courses  for English Language and Literature students
18	Woliyeta Sodo University		Three  journalism courses  for English Language and Literature students
19	Wellega University	BA Degree in Journalism	Three  journalism courses  for English Language and Literature students
20	Semmera University		Three  journalism courses  for English Language and Literature students
21	Jiijiga University	BA Degree in Journalism	Three  journalism courses  for English Language and Literature students

   Compilation by De Birhan Colleagues in Addis Abeba, June 2012 

The Ethiopian Media Environment

The Ethiopian media is fully monopolized by the State media. Upon the coming to power of the current regime in 1991, the regime promised and relatively allowed the press freedom to flourish. Innumerable newspapers and magazines mushroomed. Although promising, it was not rosy. The first journalist to face the tyrannical hands of the regime was, Eskinder Nega, who still languishes in Kaliti prisons. As the years went by and the press got stronger voice and power, the regime increased its pressure and repression equally. More journalists left the country, more papers ceased publication and the regime got  harsher. 

Upon the 2005 election and media crackdown, the Ethiopian regime signed a communion with itself not to allow any press freedom in the country. Several journalists were arrested, harassed and exiled. Many papers were closed. Different laws were promulgated to stifle and repress the free press. Post 2005 Ethiopia has seen one of the worst eras in Ethiopia's press history and the future looks no better. The laws have been stifling, the market has been dying, seasoned journalists have been fleeing, and the number of media have been plummeting. Yes Press Freedom means journalist safety. There would be no free journalist or press in the absence of press freedom. Present day's Ethiopia media is a response to reaction. 

The next table shows some of the so called "commercial" broadcasters in Ethiopia. From the list only Sheger 102.1 FM media can relatively be labelled 'commercial' compared to the other five. Although Sheger FM is still accused of having links with the ruling party heavy weights and one of the major reasons why it was given permission to open its FM Radio Station, is still by far 'private and commercial', an informal audience analysis of this writer carried out  finds out. Afro FM 105.3 plays only entertainment and social issues via the English language. Most of its program times are slotted to music thus can't be assessed in any the categories.   The other three media are all party owned and an analysis of their contents reveal that they are 'anti independent voices and pro ruling party' at times advocating the 'arrest of certain free press journalists'.

Commercial Broadcasters in Ethiopia
1.	Adey Tensaye Media & Entertainment	Sheger 102.1 FM	Commercial	Addis Ababa &Surrounding	Amharic	Addis Ababa	On Service	011-111-9848	251-111-119955	23592 Addis Ababa
2.	Zami Public Connection	Zami Radio 90.7	Commercial	Addis Ababa &Surrounding	Amharic	Addis Ababa	On Service	011-554-3318	251-115-543320	2951 Addis Ababa
3.	Radio Fana Share Company	Radio Fana	Commercial	National	Amharic,Oromifa, Somaligna,Afarigna	Addis Ababa	On Service	011-551-6777	251-115-515039	30702 Addis Ababa
		Fana FM 98.1	Commercial	Addis Ababa &Surrounding	Amharic	Addis Ababa	On Service	011-550-9152	251-115-517851
4.	Dimtsi Weyane Tigray	Dimtsi Weyane Tigray	Commercial	national	Tigrigna,Afarigna ,Kunamigna	Mekele	On Service	034-441-0545	251-344-405485	450 Mekele
5.	Afro FM 105.3	Afro FM 105.3	Commercial	Addis Ababa &Surrounding	English, French Arabic	Addis Ababa	On Service	0911-402158		2357/1000 Addis Ababa Go top

  Source : Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority, 2012 

በሚያዚያ ወር 2004 ዓ.ም የጋዜጦችና የመፅሔቶች አማካይ ስርጭት መጠን (Average weekly circulation rate of Ethiopian newspapers and Magazines in April 2004 )

1. Newspapers 

ተ.ቁ.	የህትመቱ ስም(Name of Newspaper)	ቋንቋ	የጊዜ ሰሌዳ	ይዘት	ሳምንታዊ አማካይ የስርጭት መጠን (Weekly Circulation rate)	ምርመራ
1	ሪፖርተር	አማርኛ	በሳምንት 2 ጊዜ	ፖለቲካ ኢኮኖሚና ማኅበ ራዊ ጉዳዮች	10,712	የእሁድ        ዕትም
					9,233	የረቡዕ ዕትም
	The Reporter	እንግሊዝኛ	ሳምንታዊ	"	3,140
2	አዲስ አድማስ	አማርኛ	"	"	12,000
3	ሰንደቅ	"	"	"	1,060
4	ኢትዮ ቻናል	"	“	"	2,250
5	ነጋድራስ	"	"	"	1,000
6	መሰናዘሪያ	"	"	"	960
7	ፍትሕ	“	“	“	21,750
8	ፍኖተ ነፃነት	"	"	"	1,983
9	የኛፕሬስ	“	“	“	1,000
10	The Sub Saharan Informer	እንግሊዘኛ	"	"	1,200
11	ፕሬስ ዳይጀስት	“	“	“	230
12	The daily Monitor	“	ዕለታዊ	ንግድና ማስታወቂያ	1,690
13	Capital	"	ሳምንታዊ	ፖ/ኢ/ማህበራዊ       ጉዳዮች	5,625
14	Fortune	"	"	"	7,750
15	ሜዲካል	“	"	ጤናና ስነልቦና	2,345
16	ዎርልድ ሰፖርት	አማርኛ	ሳምንታዊ	ስፖርት	6,300
17	ሊግ ስፖርት	"	"	"	2,833
18	ኢትዮ- ስፖርት	"	"	"	10,333
19	ሀትሪክ	"	"	"	3,633
20	ኢንተር ሰፖርት	"	"	"	6,400
21	ዘገነርስ	"	"	"	3,867
22	አል ቁድስ	"	"	ሃይማኖት	1,700
23	ሠለፊያ	«	“	"	8,000
24	ሰውቱል ኢስላም	አማ/እንግ/አረብኛ	“	“	2,270

2. Magazines 

ተ.ቁ.	የህትመቱ ስም (Name of the Magazine)	ቋንቋ	የጊዜ ሰሌዳ	ይዘት	ወርሃዊ  የስርጭት መጠን (Weekly circulation rate)	ምርመራ
1	ንግሥት	አማርኛ	በየ15 ቀኑ	ባህልና ኪነጥበብ	8,500	በየ 15 ቀኑ የሚታተም ሆኖ የወሩ ድምር ነው፡፡
2	ቃልኪዳን	"	በየ15 ቀኑ	“	4,000	በየ 15 ቀኑ
3	ዕንቁ	“	“	“	8,000	በየ 15 ቀኑ የሚታተም ሆኖ የወሩ ድምር ነው፡፡
4	ቁም ነገር	“	ወርሃዊ	“	3,000
5	ማራኪ	አማርኛ	በየ15 ቀኑ	“	5,000	በየ15ቀኑ የሚታተም
6	ሎሚ	አማርኛ	በየ 15 ቀኑ	“	12,000	“
7	ቆንጆ	“	“	“	10,000	“
8	ሊያ	“	ወርሃዊ	“	2,500	ወርሃዊ
9	አርሂቡ	“	“	“	2,500	“
10	አቦል	“	“	“	3,000	“
11	ዞማ	እንግሊዘኛ	“	“	300	“
12	አዲስ ጉዳይ	"	በየ15 ቀኑ	ማህበራዊና  ኢኮኖሚያዊ	20,000	በየ15ቀኑ የሚታተም ሆኖ የወሩ ድምር ነው፡፡
13	አዲስ ታይምስ	“	ወርሃዊ	ኢ/ማ/ባ-ኪነጥበብ	2,000
14	መዝገበኞች	“	“	ፍልስፍናና ስነ-ፅሁፍ	2,000
15	ኢቦኒ	“	“	ፋሽንና ሞዴሊንግ	5,000
16	ላይፍ	“	ወርሃዊ	“	4,500
17	ፋሽን	“	“	“	1,500
18	ፓሽን ሰፖርት	“	“	ሰፖርት	250
19	ናሽናል ኮንሸራክስን	“	ወርሃዊ	ኮንስትራክሽን	3,000
20	ሙሐዝ	አማ/እንግሊዘኛ	“	ፖ/ኢ/ማህበራዊ	500
21	የሙስሊሞች ጉዳይ	አማ/ኦሮሚኛና እንግሊዘኛ	“	ሃይማኖት	5,000
22	ጌሤም	አማርኛ	ወርሃዊ	“	10,000
23	አል-ኢስላም	አማ/አረብኛናኦሮሚኛ	በ15 ቀን	“	2,500

  Source : Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority, 2012 

As the above tables show, there are a total of only 24 newspapers in  circulation in Ethiopia today. Two were reportedly closed since April 2012 making them only 22. The newspapers include daily and weekly, English and Amharic media.  Most of the contents are entertainment and culture orientated. The case is similar with magazines. There are 23 magazines in Ethiopia today, with 90% of them focusing on art and culture. 

Only one Newspaper has more than 20,000 weekly circulation rates, Feteh Newspaper. The Amharic weekly is famous for its assertive and authoritative political commentaries and News items. Still, compared to newspapers that were published in and before 2005, it is still doing inferior. Before its closure, Eskinder Nega's Menelik Newspaper alone had a circulation rate of over 100,000 per week. Today, all the newspapers published in Ethiopia struggle to make 100,000 total weekly circulations in amalgamation. 

The above tables also show that Ethiopia has one of the most smallest numbers of  media houses and circulation  in Africa. If a country doesn't have a lucrative, accommodating, promising, growing and free media, journalists would find it difficult to perform. A look at neighboring Kenya supports the above discussion. 

Kenya 

Regarding the Kenyan case, we refer to Kenyan Journalism Studies blog, http://kenya-features.blogspot.com. The blog in its 2011 entry titled About Journalism Training in Kenya states that colleges that offer journalism courses are growing in parallel with the opportunities, 

Jomo Kenyatta University College offers best diploma and degree courses. Other colleges which provide journalism and mass communication education in Kenya include; The University of Nairobi, Moi University, Maseno University, Daystar University, Catholic University of Eastern Africa and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and technology. Kenyatta University offers degree programs in Film & Theatre Studies. Other universities include St Paul Theological College, Africa Nazarene University and Presbyterian University. Beside the universities, several public and private middle level colleges also offer journalism and media studies. Notable among them is the East Africa School of Media studies, Kenya Polytechnic among others. The positive development is that the field is open to scholars and communication researchers.

According to the compilation by De Birhan, there are more than 90 FM stations, 14 TV stations and four daily newspapers, and several weekly and monthly newspapers and magazines in Kenya. Similarly, Kenya has one of the most vibrant online media with some of them having regional coverage and readership. 


“For the most part, the media is under private ownership; print, broadcast, and Internet outlets are numerous and varied; and the nation’s press institutions are well-established and vigorous. In fact, Kenya is a beacon, and in some cases a home, to journalists in exile from repressive neighboring countries.” Ron Singer under the title “how free is the free press in Kenya” wrote in August 2011 on Open Democracy. 


This composition and strength of the media in Kenya has attracted prospective journalism graduates not only from Kenya but from neighboring countries. The media market in Kenya is not only marketable to journalists but to journalism graduates that would work in research, teaching and analysis of the sector. Some of the international and regional media organizations are also headquartered in Kenya. 

Vs

When Ethiopian media and universities are comparatively analysed with Kenyan media and universities, Ethiopia lags behind in many terms. The Ethiopian regime enrolls a large number of students with a mere focus on quantitative growth. Upon graduation these fresh graduates find no media environment/market that accommodates and absorbs them. It is also severely restricted and a dangerous field of work to be on.  Where as, as the colleges intake of media students grow, the Kenyan media market simultaneously grows in size, form, saturation and freedom.   

Background Info of Mekelle University Department of Journalism introduction reads as follows,

“The role played by mass media and press agencies in promoting democracy and development of a given country is indisputable. As a developing nation, engaged in bringing tangible social and economic change, Ethiopia needs well-qualified journalists and communicators. The country has long been in a need of such professionals. However; until very recently, none of its higher institutions offered a Journalism and Communications program as a separate field of study. Thus, it is with this vision in mind that the department of Journalism and Communication was established in 2005 under the then faculty of Education." 

The other Ethiopian universities also have similar background and visions. They promise to produce "well-qualified journalists and communicators". As the Ethiopia enjoys, construction boom longing for more engineers, the large number of engineers coming out of these universities are being accepted with open arms by the market. However, the case is reverse in the case of media graduates. As large number of students graduate more and more media houses close their doors and the atmosphere gets stifled. 

“Most journalists in Ethiopia work in the state-owned media. Of the estimated 1700 practising journalists in the country, 1300 are employed by the state media in some form. The largest institution, Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency (ERTA), employs 512 journalists in television and 560 in radio (Desta, 2007). Ethiopian News Agency has 125 journalists in total (Teshome, 2007: 1), and the four newspapers published by the state-owned Ethiopian Press Agency (Ethiopian Herald, Addis Zemen, Berissa and Al-alem) employ approximately 120 journalists (Nebiyu, 2008: 27f). The journalism community in Ethiopia, like in many other African countries, could then (somewhat provocatively) be said to comprise of mainly ‘government workers’.” writes Terje S. Skjerdal, 2008 in Conflicting professional obligations among government journalists in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian private media is the next employer after the government but it still employs quite a small fraction of the graduates. The government media doesn't seem to grow except mutating itself like an amoeba dividing into branches of same corporation. There are also few international media and media focused NGOs/centers in Ethiopia to recruit the fresh graduates. Websites and blogs run by the Ethiopian Diaspora and could have potentially employed local readers were all blocked in Ethiopia. According to a recent analysis by an Ethiopian based blogger, there are 109 websites and blogs blocked in Ethiopia, most hosted outside Ethiopia.

  

Conclusion 

Few years ago the major challenges of Ethiopian media emanated from three major sources:  attack by governmental and nongovernmental agents (arbitrary arrests, censorship, mafia attacks, intimidation and other forms of assault and laws), media business challenges (funding, adverts, paper costs, restrictive directives on state journalists, backward technology, absence of a neutral press council and problems related to the profession itself) and financial (poorly salaried journalists,  lack of media jobs, zero investment on media and the like). Today, Ethiopian journalists suffer from countless injuries and live in fear anticipating severe consequences for their work. This writer knows few journalist colleagues of himself who stopped communicating with him via e-mail since the successive of arrests of Ethiopian journalists last year citing their personal email exchanges as evidences by the prosecutor.

“Ethiopia: Journalists Live in Fear of 'Terror' Law” was the title of ChARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT’S 19 June 2012 article. Charlayne says, 

 When I visited Ethiopia earlier this month with a colleague from the CPJ and the continent-wide project called the African Media Initiative, journalists we met with told us they all live in fear, calling the terrorism law a "game changer." One foreigner working in Ethiopia told me: "There is a red line. The problem is, we don't know where it is." 

Similarly, William Davison on his recent article that appeared on The Christian Science Monitor said,

One leading local writer doesn't answer phone calls from abroad any more, unless it's family calling: Contact with banned organizations based outside the Horn of Africa countries was part of the evidence used to prosecute other local journalists this year under a 2009 anti-terrorism law.

In the middle of this media chaos, extremely narrowing media space and gloomy future of Ethiopian media, Ethiopia graduates and plans to be the main hub of journalism studies in Africa. This year alone over 1000 Ethiopian journalists have  graduated from Ethiopian universities.  When the seven universities open their Journalism Departments in the next couple of years, Ethiopia will have a total of 13 universities that graduate students with BA in Journalism and Communications.In the next three years over 2500 students of Journalism and Communications will graduate. Then, Ethiopia becomes the leading source of numerous journalists in Africa with BA and MA degrees in the field. But, where and how will all these journalists work in Ethiopia. Ethiopian journalists throughout the past two decades anticipating and experiencing the repressions and poor working atmosphere, have exiled themselves making the country number one in the world with exiled journalists, says CPJ's 2011 report.  As the figures above tell, almost all veteran, energetic and seasoned Ethiopian journalists have either fled or changed their profession. 


The profession has become a “No Fly Zone”.  

Ethiopia’s   Anti-Terrorism Proclamation of 2009 has bunged the future of Ethiopian journalism. Be it an entertainment or a critical political media, if any Ethiopian medium/journalist mentions the name of an opposition party/leader that the regime deems “terrorist”, it is bound to prison life. A self censorship made in an attempt to evade arrest, kills facts and the beauty of journalizing.  Yes, it is under such media environment and future, that six Ethiopian universities currently are training over 2500 undergraduate journalism and communications students. This number will doubled as seven more universities open their departments.

And once again, where, what and how will these prospective journalists work?


"Love Wins!!!"