The African Press Club is an international community of journalists whose mission is to inform, inspire and connect people across the world. We spoke to their founder to see what it is all about.
Constance Ikokwu is the founder and president of the African Press Club, a new organization looking to connect journalists from around the world. Africa, of course, is the focus, but Constance also wants to use the club to foster best practices among young journalists, helping to inspire a new generation.
She’s now based in Barcelona to finish a doctorate in political communication, so the club hosts regular events here for journalists of all nationalities and creeds. We spoke to her to find out why she set up the club, who can join and what the future holds for the community.
You’re the Founder and President of the African Press Club. What’s it all about?
I founded the African Press Club last year and it became operational in January 2019, starting with our weekly blog. The African Press Club is a professional and social organization for journalists, writers, information managers, communication professionals and others in the business of news. The idea was to create a community where this group of people can exchange ideas, support one another, create opportunities for the advancement of their professional lives as well as engage with one another socially. It is not limited to practicing journalists: students at university and younger people interested in honing their craft can be part of the group, alongside professionals in other sectors too.
The focus is Africa, but anyone interested in African issues is also free to join. The watchword is “Inform; Inspire; and Connect.” As long as we’re creating those powerful partnerships that make things happen, within and outside the media sector, we’re happy. The focus so far has been on the weekly blog but we will have our official launch at the end of October. After that, we’ll have more activities coming, so keep your ears open for more information or visit our website at www.africanpressclub.com to stay informed.
Where did the idea come from?
Professionally, my background is in journalism. I used to work as a reporter in a national newspaper in Nigeria and later in radio. I started as a cub reporter and rose to become Deputy Editor, so I was really well cooked in the profession. I enjoyed every bit of it, including the difficult parts.
I set up the club for three main reasons: I wanted to remain in the media sector but in a way that did not subject me to the 24-hour news cycle. Secondly, I wanted to give back to the community, particularly with helping upcoming journalists and journalism students. Thirdly, I wanted to do something bigger than myself, something that impacted other people. I believe this project will have a huge influence in the lives of many people across the world.
What’s the response been like so far?
Very positive. We get a lot of responses to our blog articles. We had an event in July in Barcelona and we were really surprised by the turn out! It was a soft launch with the theme being Media and Culture, and the energy was out of this world. We got very positive feedback there and through the survey that we sent out to the emails of the people who registered with us.
Our next event will be the official launch, and that’s happening at the end of October. There will be a lecture and a cultural performance at the event, and we will also explain how to be part of the community, what we do and how to participate. After that, we’ll have more activities coming up soon. We’re excited for what the future holds, so keep your ears open for more information and make sure to check out our website and socials. You can join us on instagram, facebook and twitter under @africanpressclub.
What are the difficulties you’ve encountered in setting the club up?
Language is a barrier in Barcelona: if you don’t speak Spanish, you can feel a little bit out of the loop. Although it’s easy to meander within the expatriate community, you do need the language to go out further. For example, at our event in July, one of the main pieces of feedback we got was that some people felt totally left out because they did not understand English. I’ve taken note of that, so in future we will try as much as possible to use multiple languages.
The other thing is that it’s overwhelming trying to combine school and other projects. I am currently working on my doctorate which is a lot of work, but I am giving it my blood and sweat because I believe in it. Finally, finding the right people to partner with is a challenge. Bringing together the right team takes a bit of work, but it’s coming together gradually. You’re all invited to the African Press Club launch at the end of October, and we will send out fliers with information on venue, time and the exact date once they’re ready.