Can you tell us about your career as a woman in the media?
I don't have a "traditional" career path. I didn't graduate from journalism school because I chose to study finance and marketing at Sciences Po in Paris, even though I quickly realized that finance wasn't for me. So I decided to take a gap year to figure out what I wanted to do. During that time, I was hired as an intern at Direct 8, my first real job as a journalist.
The advantage, and also the big disadvantage, of this profession is that careers are decided by chance encounters and gut feelings. After finishing my studies, I continued in the audiovisual field, but gradually I began to wonder what really motivated me. From there, I wanted to discover Africa.
So I joined the editorial team at Jeune Afrique, where I worked for four years. After they opened an office in Abidjan, I was sent there to cover news in Côte d'Ivoire. I then replaced Le Monde's correspondent for two years.
When I arrived in Côte d'Ivoire, I immediately noticed that there was a strong need for audiovisual content. Based on this observation, I co-founded a production company called OJIII Production, with which we created content for local audiovisual players. Following a dispute with my partner, the company was put on hold
last year. In the meantime, I worked for the CANAL+ group as editor-in-chief of the program "Le Chœur des Femmes" broadcast on CANAL+ Elles. I left that position last December. Today, I work as a freelancer.
What difficulties have you faced as a woman in the media industry?
The problems I have encountered as a woman have evolved over the years and with experience. At the beginning of my career in Paris, like everyone else, I had to build my network and make a place for myself in an environment where, as a young woman, you are not immediately taken seriously. But all women in this profession will tell you that. With experience, you learn to counter this kind of prejudice and, above all, to live with it.
Based on my experience in Abidjan, I haven't had to face this kind of difficulty, but it's hard for me to put myself in the shoes of a woman who has spent her entire career in Côte d'Ivoire. I come from abroad and, inevitably, whatever people say, that matters. The network I was part of in Paris was very useful to me in Côte d'Ivoire.
If we were to take stock of the women who hold positions in the media in Africa… In your opinion, do they manage to reach positions of responsibility?
Objectively, I don't think so. Let me give you an example. I had to work as a consultant for a media outlet that wanted to expand in Côte d'Ivoire. At a certain stage of the project, the editorial team had to recruit nearly 80 journalists and content managers. Out of all the resumes I received (200-300), I was able to observe and analyze many profiles working in the media world. It is clear that there are many journalists in Côte d'Ivoire… But it is a very male-dominated profession, and women very rarely become section editors, let alone editors-in-chief… I also understood that the reason this profession was predominantly male was because many women started careers in journalism but quickly gave them up. There are many reasons for this: lack of consideration, lack of prospects, prejudice once you become a mother. I invite you to read a study published in December 2020 by the African Women in Media association, which revealed that 66% of African women journalists surveyed suffered from a lack of prospects and opportunities in their careers.
We often talk about the under-representation of women in the African media, or about unfair representation. What do you think about this?
It's completely true. As there are few women journalists in decision-making positions, they have less say on editorial lines, on the topics covered or on how to cover them. When a newspaper or television program has to cover topics related to certain public policies, the economy, health, or education, the sensibilities of the editor-in-chief and journalists matter enormously. As women, as Africans, because of our experiences, we do not analyze certain social phenomena in the same way as an African or European man. We will not have the same questions, we will not necessarily interview the same people or use the same sources. This does not mean that our points of view are better or worse, it just means that they are different and therefore have added value.
However, for just over a year now, we have been experiencing an extraordinary moment, with the proliferation of 100% African women's television programs. Thanks to shows such as Le Chœur des Femmes (CANAL+ Elles)
, which I had the opportunity to direct, but also Life Weekend
(Life TV) and Les Femmes d'Ici
(NCI) in Côte d'Ivoire. Women express themselves freely, without any inhibitions. Some are outspoken feminists, others are not at all… And I think that's great! Even if not everyone likes it… Because these shows are very divisive, both among women and men, who consider that these formats set a bad example and lead to the Westernization of African women, etc. I find these criticisms trite, coming from people who still haven't understood that in 2021, African women are diverse and lead their lives as they see fit, drawing on African traditions or religion when they want to, and on a globalized (not just Western) culture when they feel like it.
How can we contribute to change so that the media world becomes more inclusive?
We need to increase the number of audiovisual and digital projects led by women. If the heads of television channels and media outlets place even more trust in women, we will be able to bring about change. And I hope that women who produce original content and have a large following on social media, such as Paola Audrey and her excellent Debrief, will soon be propelled onto leading TV channels. There also needs to be much more mutual support among women in the media in this French-speaking region of West Africa. In this regard, what is happening today in the English-speaking countries of the continent is very interesting. Women there are much more organized, in organizations such as African Women in Media, and therefore have much more impact.