Twenty-seven years ago, Solange Ayanone made a “difficult yet rewarding” choice to leave her three-month-old baby in the care of her husband in order to attend a training programme for women in the media abroad. This decision played a significant role in challenging the perception that women are inferior to their male counterparts in the media industry. Ayanone, a seasoned journalist with 31 years in the media industry, described this as a defining moment in her career. ALSO READ: Press Freedom Day: Call for more female journalists in decision making positions She hosts talk shows on Radio Isango Star, including ‘Nayombi’ which focuses on good service delivery, and is also a correspondent of Deutsche Welle (a German public broadcaster) in its French department. She is also the Rwanda Country Coordinator at Women in News—an international programme that empowers female journalists in order to close the gender gap in the media. Rwanda is set to host the 6th Women Deliver Conference (WD2023) which will be held in Kigali and online from July 17-20, 2023, and according to Women Deliver— a global advocacy organisation that champions gender equality and the health and rights of girls and women — the conference will enable inclusive and co-created spaces that foster solidarity for sustainable solutions to gender equality. Speaking to The New Times, Ayanone reflects on her personal journey as a woman in the media industry, highlighting the advancements that have been made for female journalists. She also sheds light on the historical challenges faced by women in the industry and discusses the lingering obstacles that still exist, exploring potential solutions to these challenges and how to create a more equal and inclusive environment for women in the media. Excerpts: What inspired you to join the media, and how did you start? I used to listen to Radio Rwanda, news presenters, and people who host talk shows which I liked. They inspired me. I was lucky that the leader of the then ORINFOR – Rwanda Information Agency (now Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) – was my teacher in secondary education. After completing secondary school in 1991, I went to the ORINFOR office and told him that I wanted to be a journalist. I requested him to offer me an internship opportunity to get knowledge in journalism. My request was granted. I joined journalism as an intern at Radio Rwanda in 1992 for six months. Realising that I was capable, they (management) gave me a contract as a full-time employee. I started with the second channel of Radio Rwanda, which was focused on foreign languages including French and English. I was engaged in talk shows about entertaining people, preparing topics that can interest them and make them feel relaxed during evening hours when they leave work. In late 1994, I moved to news reporting, when I was appointed as the correspondent of ORINFOR/Radio Rwanda in the then Ruhengeri Prefecture (current Musanze District). I was 23 years old. ALSO READ: Why women remain few in Rwanda’s media sector What were the experiences and challenges faced by women practicing journalism in the past? When I joined the media, there was a significant gender disparity, with far fewer women than men. During my time, all the managerial positions in the media were occupied by men – from director to the chief of radio to programme manager. Women were not represented in the managerial positions. Also, when I joined the media, a woman would be assigned to work on topics related to social affairs, health, education, and social affairs. You found that men were working on hard topics, or what we can call hard news including politics, and economy. There was a significant gender gap in the media decision-making positions and content. In 1995, I was one woman holding the position of correspondent, compared to nine men – because there were 10 prefectures in Rwanda then, which had ORINFOR branches. And, prior to being given such an opportunity, I had to prove myself as they [leaders] told me no woman had ever represented ORINFOR, ‘how do you think you can do that?’ I told them to give me a three-month probation and I would leave the position if I failed to deliver. ALSO READ: Why women should claim their space in the media industry What do you consider outstanding in your career? I can say two things: Firstly, in 1996, there was a training opportunity for media women working in provinces in Francophone Africa. I was the only woman working in a province in Rwanda, and it was necessary for the country to be represented at the session held in Burkina Faso. The training lasted for three weeks. Yet, I had a three-month-old baby. The facilitation for the training included covering air tickets, but child-related expenses were not included. Yet, I wanted to take my child with me. I talked to my husband about representing my country at the training. I explained to him that if I didn’t go, no other woman would be given the same opportunity that I had. I realised they would argue that women are incapable, and if it were a man, he would have attended. We agreed that I would leave the child and he would buy milk, I would go for the training and breastfeed when I returned home. That also opened up opportunities for other women. There are many women who represent media outlets in provinces, but there were none before me. I consider that as outstanding because it showed others that women are capable. My husband was very supportive. Another thing that gratifies me is the talk show “Urubuga rw’Itangazamakuru” which I started [around 2012] and built with my colleagues. It is a talk show that was and is still liked. It is aired on Isango Star Radio and on other connected radios. It focuses on politics and policy analysis. We did not have many women who reported on political affairs, but because they used to see me do it – I did it for many years (about six or seven) – they felt motivated. It is a talk show that makes me happy when I see women who are doing it including Scovia Mutesi, and Ines Ghislaine Nyinawumuntu, daring to ask leaders questions. Apart from that, I also made progress in livelihoods through the media. Now, I own a media company – AFRI-MEDIA Ltd (which I started in 2010) – which I am proud of. I do consultancy in media and communication. I consider this an important achievement that resulted from journalism profession. What challenges did women face in the past? Challenges that existed in the past include that journalism was considered a profession for men. Overall, the then society applied a label to a woman who was in the media, because of the nature of this job – a woman who does not live at home, who even goes to work during weekends and nights. In a nutshell, they considered you ‘someone without good behaviour’ because of the many hours spent outside of the home as a result of the nature of the job. That was a major challenge that hindered women to join the media. Going forward, what challenges still remain and how can they be tackled, and how can the Women Deliver Conference help in this regard? Though progress was made, there is still a gender gap, especially in media managerial positions where you find that women’s representation is still low. There are over 30 radios and over 10 TV stations in Rwanda, but only two TV stations were either founded or co-founded by women. This helps to paint a picture of the state of a woman in the media. Again, you realise that the number of female journalists is smaller than that of their male counterparts. Still, the hindrances that impede women’s participation in the media include the nature of the work. This job that requires you to travel, including spending say a week outside Rwanda, is a major challenge that some men do not tolerate when their wives chose to do it. They tell them to leave it, that this job characterised by ‘frequent running’ is not decent. There is also another challenge that is more reported than in the past – sexual harassment – the way women in the media are sexually harassed. I think that Women Deliver Conference is a good occasion to discuss the challenges affecting women in the media and building advocacy so that they are addressed. ALSO READ: Sexual harassment: How can organisations encourage workers to speak out? The intervention we need most is advocacy so that all media outlets have what we call gender and anti-sexual harassment policies. If this is recommended during the Women Deliver Conference, it can be of great support, not only in the media but also in all institutions.
