Young women changing the face of African media

PORT LOUIS ( Mauritius): A new generation of 30somethings with brilliant careers, feminist convictions and, above all, confidence, are spearheading an assault on African media, using social networks as a launchpad.

“I do not understand what ‘no’ means,” Peace Hyde (pic), one of the most highprofile members of this club, said in an interview on the sidelines of a conference on African media in Mauritius this month.

The Britishborn Ghanaian taught physics and chemistry in Britain before moving to Africa in 2014 to try her hand at journalism.

In the traditionally maledominated world of the American financial media group Forbes, she quickly became head of digital media and partnerships at its African subsidiary.

Hypertelegenic, Hyde grabbed an audience by creating and fronting the talk show My Worst Day on CNBC Africa, in which she persuaded powerful Africans to disclose their biggest failures, and what they learned from them.

She has a growing personal audience with 380,000 followers on Instagram and 63,000 on Twitter.

At the recent NexTV CEO Africa conference in Port Louis, her popularity could be measured by the number of selfies she was asked to pose for, especially by young women who seem to see her as a role model – which this individualist rejects.

“There is a heavy focus on feminism and women having a voice from a feminist point of view, but I have always believed I am an individual with a voice,” said Hyde.

“By default you will empower others and inspire others to follow in that same respect.”

“Succeeding in media in Africa as a woman is a lot of work, it is not for lazy people. You have to constantly prove yourself, you have to constantly work against the grain,” said Nigerian presenter Chinenye Nnoli. — AFP