David Widgington’s excellent South Sudan Info.net looks at post-conflict South Sudan, and questions like:
“What happens after peace agreements are signed and opposing armies retreat to their barracks? When do refugees return home, how do they make the journey and to where do they return after a lengthy absence? How are rebel armies disarmed, demobilized and reintegrated into civilian life? What is the role of the ‘international community’ in helping implement the peace agreement? How does a rebel movement make the transition to official government of a semi-autonomous region the size of France?”
Like many post-conflict states South Sudan attracts no international media attention despite the fragile peace and the many problems faced by its people.
January 9, 2010 marked the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the southern rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). The CPA ended 21 years of civil war, however, there remains the very real possibility that Southern Sudan could once again slip back into conflict.
Personally speaking one of the things I liked most about David’s excellent site were the videos of Rose Achan Beryl and Alberto Kuol Kuol Makuach, two workers for the IOM who reflect on their experiences of the war and their hopes for the future of the South Sudan. It’s nice to hear the voices of people often ignored by international media and debate.
Video Portrait #1 from Southern Sudan: Rose Achan Beryl from David Widgington on Vimeo.
Video Portrait From Southern Sudan #2: Alberto Kuol Kuol Makuach from widge on Vimeo.
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Respect to David for this important work.
Sadly I think Southern Sudan will only become a media story when another war breaks out.
“Research and anecdotal evidence suggests that, in a competitive media environment informed by the pursuit of readers, ratings and revenue, the media spotlight is drawn selectively to images of distress rather than issues of structural disadvantage, and is apt to roam quickly from one disaster or emergency to another.”
From this Nieman Lab article on the work of Simon Cottle and David Nolan.
http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/11/simon-cottle-and-david-nolan-how-the-medias-codes-and-rules-influence-the-ways-ngos-work/
Long, but worthwhile reading for anyone with an interest in NGOs, development and the media.
Its a no brainer isn’t it. The web hasn’t redefined the kind of content we want to receive, its just refined it. An image of someone in distress has an immediate impact. Bang. Now lets move on to the next one.
I’ll begin by thanking everyone for your comments. There is a little correction to the post above. Rose Achan Beryl does not work for IOM but rather is an employee of UNICEF.
cheers!
One of the reasons I decided to look closely at Southern Sudan was to get information about the post-war situation there that was not covered by most media; at least not covered in Canadian mainstream media. I had to dig for it. It trickled from a few news sources but non of the news made it into mainstream media here.
Although it is important to cover emergency stories like the situation in Darfur or the present earthquake in Haiti, it is eaqually important to follow through the coverage for the long term. This helps keep track of the situation and witness a place’s progression rather than let it bend slowly into a corruption that can come when all attention is directed elsewhere and political precarity lends itself to abuse of power.
So true.