NUMEC’s remarkable journey: Journalists in northern Uganda celebrate milestones

In his iconic play “As You Like It,” English poet William Shakespeare metaphorically describes the world as a grand theatrical platform.

“All men and women are merely players,” he says, but each individual has a role to “play many parts” during their lifetime.

Indeed, Shakespeare’s poetic passage is reflective and introspective; it aptly depicts life’s fleeting nature, the importance of recognising victories—and the small wins—professional growth and transformation. But most importantly, this literary work resonates with the stories of many journalists in northern Uganda.

Journalism in northern Uganda has come a long way. Three decades ago, the war-scarred region was among the most unsafe places on earth as military trucks constantly rumbled on dirt roads and heavy gunfire echoed through villages. The roads were poor, and the internet was spotty or not there.

Yet journalists still risked their lives to inform the public. At the time, due to the instability, the journalists formed an association known as the Gulu Press Club where journalists shared ideas, expertise, and experience on how to navigate the dangerous region. This pioneering association eventually evolved into the Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC), a media development organisation that empowers journalists through capacity-building training, advocating for their press freedom and rights, and providing media grants.

Their hard work and resilience laid a firm foundation for the current crop of journalists in the region, whose remarkable achievements we see today. Now, these journalists continue to soar higher in many places and in many aspects. Many have won awards—both at the national and international level—many have scooped media grants and scholarships, and they have also covered several international events on global issues such as climate change.

“Northern Uganda, especially the Acholi sub-region, had several journalists at a high level in the past, but the number dwindled in the 1990s when the war in northern Uganda was at its peak,” says Mr. Chowoo Willy, a two-time award winner.

But around 2007, Mr. Chowoo narrates, as communities began to resettle back from the internally displaced camps to their homes, a myriad of post-conflict issues, such as environmental destruction, began to emerge. At that time, NUMEC was already established, and so, he adds, this gave journalists in northern Uganda, especially those in the Acholi region, a favourable working environment—through capacity building, providing media grants, and a conducive working space with internet connection — to work effectively.

“We were able to let the world know what was happening in the [war-scarred] northern region through storytelling,” Mr Chowoo states.

Now “we have been recognised and appreciated because of our hard work in the media for reporting issues in northern Uganda as they evolve”.”

Mr. Peter Labeja, who is the Manager of Radio Rupiny in Gulu City, agrees with Mr. Chowoo. Having won numerous awards, both at local and continental levels, Mr Labeja reiterates that journalists in northern Uganda are “being recognised for their journalistic works,” saying that it has also “raised their professional profile in Uganda and across the continent.”

The other reason, Mr Labeja adds, is that “journalists in northern Uganda have been telling truth power” through their story, adding that this has shown “their determination of journalists and the credibility of their work.”

Indeed, last year the Earth Journalism Network (EJN), a project under Internews that has been supporting environmental journalism across the globe, recognised NUMEC for its work in media development by jointly celebrating its 5th year anniversary with alumni journalists, who are also members of NUMEC, in Gulu City.

“Northern Uganda‘s journalists have a unique perspective, [and] their stories resonate with authenticity,” said EJN’s Program Manager, Mr. Kiundu Waweru, to journalists in Gulu last year at the fireside chat, where journalists shared ideas and career experiences on improving environmental journalism.

“Your work matters… Is northern Uganda rising again from the ashes of the [LRA] war?” Mr. Waweru asked.

Good journalism creates impact— “The plaque is a bonus.”

Indeed, journalism goes beyond weaving beautiful stories, emphasises Ms Caroline Ayugi who won three awards –one at the continental level – in a space of three years.

“Good journalism is not [just] getting the award; it is about writing that creates an impact on the lives of people in the story—the plaque is a bonus.”

Out of the three awards, Ms Ayugi notes, her best achievement was when she was recognised at the Uganda National Journalism Awards (UNJA) in 2022 “as an inspiring female journalist who has been consistent in reporting public affairs in rural Uganda.”

This “gave me the courage and boosted my morale to do better stories,” she adds.

To some journalists, like Arnest Tumwesigye, who works for Vision Group, their success is attributed to two things: discipline and persistence. Initially a high school teacher by profession, Mr. Tumwesigye, has over the years been polishing his journalistic craft and riding on this experience. This has enabled him to improve at a professional level, adding that his blueprint has been “focusing on enterprising stories that are solutions-orientated rather than just alarming the people” about the issues at hand.

“I am also inquisitive,” by nature, adds Mr. Tumwesige, who won the Uganda National Journalism Awards (UNJA) for his story “From Captives to Fighters of Survival” under the “local reporting category” in 2023. This trait, he adds, has also enabled him to “uncover many hidden issues” in the community.

The beauty in collaboration

Mr. Tumwesige shares another simple trick: collaboration. For years, many financially stretched-thin newsrooms have been struggling due to the dwindling revenue streams as advertisers, who would sponsor adverts on traditional media platforms, are instead opting for social media platforms.

In recent years, however, media experts have been mooting sustainable revenue models that can enable media houses to produce quality journalism despite operating on show-string budgets. Although it has not been easy to stay afloat, many are collaborating to produce journalistic content. Collaboration is crucial in this online era since journalists are able to produce in-depth content which can be shared for a wide readership.

NUMEC has also been promoting this method too. In 2022, shortly after the pandemic, NUMEC towed this line too. Financially backed by the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), NUMEC embarked on training and awarding grants to journalists in northern Uganda to produce investigative stories by collaborating among themselves. (More than eight stories were produced through collaboration.)

For Mr. Tumwesige, last year he scooped a 2,000-dollar media grant together with a Malawian journalist. The pair did an in-depth report on the nefarious charcoal dealers that was published in both Uganda and Malawi.

“A journalist needs to look and apply for opportunities because many newsrooms are contained in terms of resources,” he advises.

Other journalists like James Onono Ojok, the founder of The Elephant News, also collaborated with a Nigerian journalist. The pair produced an investigative piece titled “Into the Woods” that exposed the illegal charcoal trade in Uganda and Nigeria. Their story co-won the ACCER continental award, and both journalists are now preparing to cover an international climate conference—the United Nations Forum for Climate Change’s COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November this year.

Add to that, Jesus Okello, a freelance journalist who is based in Gulu City (Acholi sub-region), worked with Fredrick Dramadri in Arua City (Wet Nile sub-region) on a wildlife story, which won them the Uganda Conservation Media Awards recently.

“Our collaboration was amazing,” says Mr. Okello, his eyes positively beaming. “I worked on improving the story idea while my colleague, Dramadri, was able to get and arrange all the contacts [of the news sources].”

Amid all these achievements, older journalists in northern Uganda want the younger ones to steer in the same direction. Denis Omony, who works with Mega FM and won the Uganda Conservation Media Award in the radio category last year, advises young journalists to focus on improving their skills rather than “running for workshops for transport allowances.

His younger colleague, Ivan Toolit, who came in second in the recent Uganda National Journalism Awards, is picking lessons from Mr. Omony at their workplace –Mega FM.

“I am happy that I was recognised after three attempts,” Mr Toolit says. “I am focusing on enterprising stories and improving my story-telling techniques. I want to be there on top”.

And as Shakespeare ends his poetic passage, he reminds us that life is marked by significant transitions where both the old and young “have their exits and their entrances.”

The young journalists in northern Uganda, thanks to their mentors, are following in their footsteps.

On December 15^th this year, NUMEC will host an end-of-year party in Gulu City, where all journalists in northern Uganda will be recognised and celebrated for marking these major media milestones.

Below is a list of some journalists (attached to NUMEC) who have major awards at the national and international levels.