Raziah Quallatein Mawanga: Meet AWiM 22 Pitch Zone winner

Each year, during the annual African Women in Media Conference, female journalists drawn from the continent are allowed to pitch stories in the five categories to organisations that have partnered with AWIM to create a platform for female journalists and other media practitioners to engage and discuss key issues of the day.
The AWIM Pitch Zone is unique in that it provides journalists with a setting where they can showcase their creativity and ultimately be awarded the funding that will support their ambitions to see their stories come to life and give a voice to the communities represented in their final work.

Raziah won in the category of Re-branding Africa – Changing Narratives and perceptions –  related to Agenda 2063, Aspiration 7.

Bio

Raziah is passionate and experienced media, communications, gender, development, grants, lobbying and advocacy project management analyst and expert. Strong proven track record of working in media for communication, development, and policy advocacy for change. Boast 24 years of proven track record of managing and delivering project management and impact solutions through working with media, civil societies, and international development partners to provide sustainable media and communications solutions to the most challenging social issues to impact and influence social change and transformation.

AWiM News had the following chat with Raziah following her win:

What difference will this award make in your career?

The award will broaden and expand my career trajectory from covering local stories and issues to international stories and increase my area of specialization. To reach more audiences with positive African continent stories that inspire and celebrate African innovation and diversity solutions to solve African challenges. To change and challenge negative global perceptions and perspectives of African ability to provide sustainable technology solutions to its development challenges.

 What difference have you made as a journalist with respect to the subject area of this award?

I have always advocated and promoted responsible, accountable, and solutions-based journalism through investigative and analytical stories that give the public the opportunity to have the best information to make informed decisions.

My award *Re-branding Africa – Changing Narratives and perceptions* is a great opportunity for me to go global to emphasize, amplify and emphasize Africa’s superpower position as a strong, united, resilient, and influential global player and partner with a significant role in world affairs. I want to give the world a glance at Africa they don’t know, they should know and learn from it because it has more to offer than the negative narratives against it.

What contribution have you made to the journalism profession that is most meaningful to you? 

Giving grants to journalists and building their capacity to specialise and promote media governance and accountability through the creation of quality media content, creating sustainable media business modules to increase media revenue and independence. Media capacity development changed and transformed journalist careers from being low-paid correspondence to sort after journalists, senior journalists and editors and independent media owners. Promotion of gender equality in media houses that contributed to the creation and mainstreaming of gender policies in media houses, more women media managers and editors and strong independent women journalists in Tanzania and the creation of better media laws through the Tanzania Media Fund and Foundation.

How would you use being the recipient of this award to influence others, and how would it 

impact your career?

To remind them that the power of the pen is mightier than the sword. That what they do matters, and it has an impact although it might not be seen and felt now, it is doing something to add value, change and transform lives and systems and they should continue working and become so relevant you cannot be ignored. “If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.” Chinese proverb. They shall reap if they don’t faint, that everything has its own time and season and when given an opportunity, they should take it and prove themselves as King Solomon emphasized in Ecclesiastes 9:11 ‘’That the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all’’.

 What is your greatest career accomplishment? 

Being who I am and doing what I love, journalism with a passion, and being a product of being mentored and standing on the shoulders of great Tanzanian women journalists and Activists mentors who have shaped my life and career like Fatma Alloo, the Founder and Founding Members and Directors of  Tanzania Media Women’s Association(TAMWA), Pili Mtambalike who introduced me to journalism, Dr Annanilea Nkya, Rose Haji Mwalimu Founder International Association of Women in Radio and Television Tanzania Chapter.

Other great Gender activists, Mary Rusimbi, Former Director of Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP), and Dr Monica Magoke Mhoja, Founding Director of Women Legal Aid Center (WLAC), have mentored and inspired me on media and gender equality and empowerment and inspired a daring spirit to use my career, skills, and knowledge for Gender Equality, public good and making a difference.

If you could do one thing, leave one mark, on the journalism profession, what would it be? 

To use journalism as a tool, weapon, and agenda to make the world a better place, where journalism gives the public the right information to make informed choices and decisions on how their lives, rights, resources, and livelihoods are managed and utilized for their good and the opportunity to participate in their own development. Use journalism to hold those in power accountable to properly serve and manage public resources equitably and sustainably.