DR. MARGARET Jjuuko is a professor at the University of Rwanda specialising in journalism, media studies and components of communication. The 50-year-old Ugandan scholar first came to Rwanda in 2003 as a visiting lecturer from Makerere University but later came back to work as a lecturer at the former National University of Rwanda (now University of Rwanda) in 2007 under the Carleton University Rwanda Initiative to develop the media industry in Rwanda. 

The eloquent PhD holder in Media Studies helped in streamlining the journalism curriculum when the school of journalism was still based in Butare.

In an interview with Women Today’s Doreen Umutesi, Dr Jjuuko talked about her journey in media and the future of women in the profession.

What do you have to say about the trend of female journalism graduates abandoning media for public relations jobs?

It’s not just a problem with females; boys are also embracing communication and abandoning journalism. We are facing the same issue at our university when it comes to specialisation. This is happening because students feel that public relations or being a communications officer is a more lucrative than journalism. It is also less demanding than journalism. But we always encourage our students and tell them that if they have journalism skills, they will do better than someone who specialised in communication. As for the females, we have realised that they don’t want to do "tough "jobs because they are sometimes lazy. I don’t know if it’s associated with cultural barriers, but girls here want to stay in their comfort zones. I always try my best to push my female students. The current fourth year class has a higher number of female students taking on journalism compared to previous years.

Why did you decide to major in media studies?

My child hood dream was to be a reporter or television presenter like CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. That, and the fact that my mother had respect for young girls who become journalists. So my mother encouraged me to join journalism. Many of my siblings are scientists.

My journey started after high school when I worked with Radio Uganda as a presenter of a farming programme; luckily, I got a chance and was sent to the United Kingdom for a diploma course in television at the Open University’s partnership with BBC in the areas of education for development. This was my entry point in the journalism field. I started out as a television producer when I got back to Uganda. But I wanted to get deeper in terms of theoretical understanding so I enrolled at Makerere University for a Bachelors degree in Mass Communication specialising in broadcast. Because of my early training at Open University with long years in broadcast, when I graduated, I was identified as a part-time lecturer.

I was also inspired to become a lecturer by my former professors Dr. Monica Kibita and Dr.Goretti Lindah Nassanga. They told me, "Margaret, we think your calling is to be a teacher.” They based this on the way I interacted with the lecturers and fellow students. So they encouraged me and I now enjoy lecturing. The same professors encouraged me to go higher, so I went for a Masters and a PhD at Rhodes University, South Africa.The support I got from my parents, husband, family and friends played a big role in making me who I am today.

How do you deal with the intimidation of being in a male dominated field?

I started with self-confidence and it helped me a lot. When I was pursuing my Masters, we were a class of fifteen, mostly men, but I was the first to complete and I was the only one that graduated that year. It required sacrifice and confidence and going the extra mile to complete the course. I was a mother of four but my husband, Eng. George Lwanga was supportive and took care of our children while I was away.

Regarding intimidation, if it’s a male dominated field, it can be challenging. We all feel intimidated at some point. If you’re intimidated by men don’t sink, try to stay afloat. It’s human to become emotional. You can even cry but don’t give up the fight with excuses that men are belittling you. When you sink, nobody is going to pull you up.

Sometimes we are supressed by lack of confidence; we sometimes think that certain things are beyond our capacity to achieve. Nobody was born to fail. If you have your goal and dream, go for it. The best way to achieve this is by managing your daily routines. Write down simple tasks that you will do every day. Take one step at a time. Start small and you will achieve big things.

What makes journalism a unique profession?

It’s the knowledge that one acquires. Journalism is the only profession where one has to be conversant with vast issues. Journalists can speak comfortably about issues to do with the environment, health, politics, judiciary, sports and entertainment, among other things.This is because a journalist is required to go deeper in research.

You have to know, for instance, the person you are going to interview before you even meet them.You need to be prepared so that you know the right questions to ask.

Describe your view of journalism in Rwanda.

We have come a long way. When I first came here, I would read an article or listen to a radio programme and the content didn’t make sense. But today when I get a newspaper, I can see that the content is informative. The main problem today is in the broadcast media. You find that journalists are trained but because the pay is not good, they are not motivated, eventually producing content that is lacking. Some broadcasting outlets are not serious, they employ someone with no journalistic skills since they will pay them less and the skilled ones are not given any opportunity because they will demand for higher pay.

Give possible strategies for gender mainstreaming in media and its impact on gender sensitive reporting.

We need to shift from allocating gender related topics to women in newsrooms. The thought that the word gender is related to women issues needs to change. Mindset needs to first change. We should not confuse women issues with gender. The issues related to gender should not only be handled by women in newsrooms. For example, in some newsrooms, women are assigned cooking programmes yet even men can do it, perhaps even better than women.

We need a sensitisation strategy amongst journalists. When the concept of gender is mentioned, we are not only talking about women but issues to do with equality.We need to shift the mind set of gender roles, but not competitively. We need equal representation because these issues concern us all.

What advice do you have for young girls who would wish to take on journalism?

I think the most important thing is to learn all the fields, especially in journalism and communication, because they are demanding. You have to think fast and be a little aggressive. Journalism teachers need to give girls tough assignments that demand going deeper into research so that they can get out of their comfort zones. Where do you derive your motivation?

When I meet a former student in the field or hear them on radio or watch a television programme produced by one, I’m happy and that keeps me going. I feel like my efforts didn’t go to waste.

doreen.umutesi@newtimes.co.rw