Useful experience I gained during future journalists program and highway Africa conference

by Lusizo Ntshinka
Before I say anything I would like to appreciate a warm welcome I got from future journalists program co-ordinators, my colleagues and all people who were involved in making highway Africa conference possibly may God bless them, thank you. I never thought highway Africa and future journalists program would be useful like this. It was wonderful experience to see entire Africa and certain parts of Asia and Europe gathered together to share ideas, skills and experience in South Africa.

Have you ever been exposed to first class share of knowledge? If not I would like you to join highway Africa conference next time because is the only place you can get knowledge from different well-known people around the continent, that is Africa. Being part of highway Africa conference and future journalists program is the wonderful experience you will never get anywhere. I thought journalism is all about sending and receiving news, I never thought that journalism is so broad. Who would think journalism is the life blood of any democratic country even though politicians see journalism as the threats which expose their personal lives. The point here is that future journalists program and highways Africa have given me wonderful experience I needed to progress as future journalist. It was a great honour to meet former Ghana president Mr John Kufuor for the first time and he taught me things that helped me to see certain situations differently, that is kind of experience you would not get anywhere except in highway Africa conference. Highway Africa and future journalist program were really carrier building especial to future journalists like myself. I had a five minutes meeting with A24 media chair person Mr Salim Amin who told me to believe in myself, concentrate on what I’m doing and always expect criticism. I never thought that I could meet my role model Yvonne Chaka-Chaka who has inspiring voice and to me is the fountain of knowledge.

Journalists from around Africa were gathered to share the challenges facing them as well as African media and ways of solving them constructively. As the future journalist I had to listen attentively so that I can be prepared for challenges that I would face as journalist in few years to come. The important thing to me is that the experience I gained through African journalist gathering in highway Africa conference helped me to see journalism as the source of freedom in African countries particularly in those countries which are yet to get freedom, and that encouraged me to believe in myself as future journalist. I never knew that freedom of expression is still problem in many African journalists because of their governments, which really taught me that journalism is not as easy as many people would think. It would be a great pleasure for me to come and attend highway Africa and future journalist program once again as it is the only place I can get different knowledge from different people. Lastly I would like to encourage people more especial future journalists to attend highway Africa conference next year if they want to get wonderful experience I got.