Central Press bids farewell to Frances Black

 

By Lisa Bogler

After the two months Frances Black worked with Central Press, the paper bids farewell to her before she sets off to the Akuapem Hills for three months.

In his role as Board Chairman of Central Press Newspaper, Dasebre Kwebu Ewsie Vll, President of Central Regional House of Chiefs, presents Frances Black with her Certificate of Appreciation “for successfully assisting the paper in the gathering of news items in the Central Region”. This meeting between the Chief and Central Press is prompted by Frances Black’s departure and we are very grateful the chiefs’ president could share this moment with us before continuing his journey to Accra.

During her two months stay, the eighteen-year-old volunteer from the United Kingdom worked hard for the newspaper, gathering news, writing articles and working on the layout. This project with Projects Abroad, the volunteering organization she came to Ghana with, gave her the opportunity to gain experiences she would hardly get in her hometown London. In the UK, she says, it is difficult to find a place in a newspaper to get work experience as a journalist without connections. Working with Central Press, however, she could write a lot of stories and get a deep insight of how life as a journalist is. Her time in Cape Coast encouraged her to pursue her wish to become a journalist as she likes writing, the rather spontaneous work and meeting all these interesting people.

When she is asked about her most challenging moment with Central Press, Frances Black recalls her visit to Moree. Accompanied by only two other volunteer colleagues, she was dropped at the village by their editor, with the assignment to write a story on water and sanitation. Talking to the villagers on their own, in a place they did not know, was testing, but she seems to appreciate these challenges. It is especially these tasks that make the work interesting and exciting.

Her favorite story, for example, was about a community-led total sanitation project. This charity project aimed at informing people in rural areas about the dangers of the lack of sanitation facilities. They informed villagers about diseases they are risking by not using the provided facilities and how to improve the situation. Through her work, Frances says, she could experience things and visit events she would not have the opportunity to witness as a tourist. However, not only did she learn a lot about development issues in Ghana and other topics, but also her writing style improved and her skills in interviewing people, as she states herself. This work experience as a journalist is one of the things she will take home with her from this time in Cape Coast.

Patience is an important thing to bring along for work in the media, is Frances’ advice for future volunteers. Moreover, practitioners should be motivated to bring forward their own ideas and be enthusiastic. Much can be realized if it is worked on.

Before Frances Black heads back to London to start her studies in English literature and philosophy at the University of Leeds, she will spend three months in the Akuapem Hills in the Eastern Region at another placement with Projects Abroad. As she is therefore not leaving Ghana yet, she is eager to come back to Central Press for a story with the President who is expected to visit Central Region soon.