First in the Room: Ajoa Yeboah-Afari on Journalism and Authenticity

Transcript excerpts from the video:

2:53-4:27

“I think that I'm in the grips of creative writing and journalism. I became a journalist because I wanted to be a writer, and I read somewhere the absolutely false direction that to be a writer, it's good to be a journalist. Because once you are in journalism, you are caught. Journalism just grips you, and it's very difficult to disentangle yourself. Anyway, as I said earlier, very early in my career, when I joined the Graphic Corporation, the staff - Where did you school for your journalism? - GIG, Ghana Institute of Journalism. That's where I did my training. In fact, I don't have a university degree. I have a diploma with distinction and a number of professional courses abroad. I joined ‘The Mirror’ in 1970 or '71, and then I was the journalist of the year in 1972. But in 1970, the ‘Spectator,’ ‘Weekly Spectator’ as it was then known, had organized a creative writing contest, short story contest, and I won the second place. So that was before winning the journalist of the year. So you see what I mean when I say that I'm in the grips of the two. Yeah. Creative writing, journalism.”

38:32-40:19

“When journalists realize that your byline can get you to the height of any ambition, your byline gives you a lot of respect. I told you I worked at the Commonwealth Secretariat. I was headhunted when I started freelancing. One day after how many years, I was in my office, Palmer House, and a call came. ‘Are you so and so?’ I said yes. ‘Oh, this is the Commonwealth Secretariat. We have an opening for a public affairs officer, and if you are interested, we will send you information.’ Of course, they had not met me, but they knew my byline. They heard of me through BBC and then West African and all the other outlets I'd been reporting for. So it was my byline that gave me that opportunity. So they sent me a ticket to go for an interview. Imagine, interview in London, hotel accommodation, per diem. And then I came back and a couple of weeks later the call came, ‘Congratulations, you have won.’ So I was the first public affairs officer of the Commonwealth Secretariat based basically on the byline. Otherwise, how would they have known? This small girl from Domahinkrah. How would they have known to contact me? So I think when colleagues realize the importance of gaining respect through your byline, that is half the work done because the other half is maintaining your professionalism, and we are aided by the availability of information through the search engines.”