Changing Attitudes, One Journalist at a Time: An Interview with Zeinab Ayan of the Puntland Women in Media Association

Somali media – mirroring Somali society – has traditionally been male-dominated. The Puntland Women in Media Association (PWMA), based in Bosaso, works to empower female journalists, combat negative traditional stereotypes and to bring attention to women’s rights and concerns. PWMA also operates a school for female journalists. Last year, in conjunction with the We are Women Activists (WAWA) network, PMWA sponsored a peace poem competition in Bosaso.

Zeinab Ayan, a journalist since 2006, heads up PWMA, which she established because there was perceived to be a gap in representation of women in Somali media outlets. Even as young women received journalism training, she noted that they faced challenges in gaining employment in media outlets due to “a lack of acceptance from the community.” Moreover, a “lack of professionalism” in Somali newsrooms has led to many journalists chewing qat, an addictive narcotic substance, while working, and social barriers prevent women from working where qat is chewed. PWMA works to improve women’s representation in Somali media through a combination of training and advocacy. “We develop human capital and engage qualified journalists,” Zeinab Ayan says. PWMA students “gain knowledge and skill on all aspects of the media sector” at PWMA’s journalism school, where 70% of graduates are currently employed. She continues, “We develop peace and advocate women’s rights and combat all violence against women through dialogue and debates broadcast on television and radio. This improves the freedom of the press by raising the profile of these important issues among the public as well as the Puntland government.”

The Puntland media environment is in a continual state of evolution. Since 2006 when PWMA was established, Zeinab Ayan notes that there has been an increase in the number of media houses and associations and that improvements in “the quality of the press and its freedom” can be observed. More broadly, efforts are underway between independent media and the Puntland government to continue developing “increased solidarity between Puntland line ministries and freelance journalists” as well as “common understandings on press freedom in the Puntland Constitution.”

To promote press freedom in Puntland, Zeinab Ayan urges parties to work towards “common understanding on the issues of press freedom” and to “improve working relationships” among themselves. Along the way, Zeinab Ayan and PWMA are leading by example.