Over 30 Journalists from the Cameroon Community Media Network, as part of the World Press Freedom Day in Bamenda, have taken part in a capacity building workshop on Non Violent Communication given the times of the ongoing crisis in the Northwest region thanks to Draufsicht Bamenda.
To Dzebam Godlove, Journalists who are at the forefront of the crisis, mediating through their reporting, should remain very tactful in their response to any situation that presents itself, especially that which plays on one's emotions.
"When clear observation is given without violence, it creates connection/awareness, acquaintance with other people. Peace can only come through self connection" Dzebam Godlove.
Key discursions focused on issues of trauma and stress and how to deal with these phenomenal. Emmanuel Mbomi Maxwell engaged participants in a work session to better understand the concept, because many people including Journalists suffer from these.
With a presentation done on Psychosocial care and trauma Resilience, it was revealed that Stress can sometimes turn out to be positive and Emmanuel Mbomi, a facilitator at the workshop adviced that participants should know how to deal with stress and trauma.
"Don't allow Stress to play on You, as a Journalist if this gets to you negatively and you have a break down, it will play negatively in your reporting. Be the person to calm tension, stress brings about inner conflict especially when under too much pressure" Emmanuel Mbomi.
To participants the workshop served it's purpose because many Journalists may not seem to realize that in their effort to feed their audience on a daily basis, they too suffer from stress and others traumatized given some of the things they will go through, just to pull a report out.
Bih Sylvia was a great asset in the workshop, brainstorming after the work session, sharing her experience on how she has been a victim of stress/Trauma and got better through the love shown to her by her loved ones.
"Trust me, Stress/trauma is not a situation anyone will want to go through. Take off time, do some fun things so that you don't find yourself "burning up" due to the issues we report on everyday; the things we see, we hear; the gunshots, dead bodies, some mutilated, all of that and the pressure of reporting to feed the audience with the right information. This workshop is timely" Bih Sylvia.
Draufsicht Bamenda continues to stand with key actors in society in conflict hit zones, training them to have a Peace oriented way of doing things and drill more on their works to have the interest of those at the grassroots.
By Ndefru Mélanie
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