IJAMBO: “Speaking Truth” Amidst Genocide

Abstract

In the fall of 1997, Alexis was invited to Harvard as a Shorenstein Fellow, to reflect on his experience and its implications for the scores of other conflict-ridden regions of the world, where local journalism is ultimately called upon at its best to do more than simply “report the news” as if covering a city hall meeting in a nation at peace. There are no simple answers at the end, but Alexis does leave us with a set of questions— about journalism’s role in a changing Africa, and the potential aid Western governments, foundations, and news organizations could give in helping the continent enter a new century with new hopes. Whether those hopes will be fulfilled—or dashed once again—remains the most profound, and arresting, question we as Alexis’s readers must ultimately help answer.