Hello READERS,
THE READERS HUB brings you SOCIAL CONVO tonight at exactly 8pm (Saturday, 25th April, 2020)
This activity is an interaction with people who are agents of change in our communities and are making impact. Social convo also features, experts who have excel in their careers and are willing to share with us, how structures work, what useful lessons to imbibe and how we can learn from them. We will invite them so as to interact and learn from them.
This evening we shall engage a prominent personality among us who has been successful in his field and has a signature tune that we all love to hear anytime he is on the job
Kindly stay tuned at 8pm tonight
“We must lead the peoples of the world to freedom. And what is freedom?
“‘Tis intelligence
Aloof from harm and hamper, grandly circling
Its native sun-lit peaks, the highest hopes
Heaved from the heart of man upon the earth,
In ranges long as time and soul endure.”
(Excerpt from Freedom, Truth and Beauty by Edward Doyle)
Tonight, Haadi (Moderator) brings you inspirations from a man who serves as light through whose lens the world appreciates our special circumstances. A man who has dedicated over 15 years of his life serving our communities with a quest to bring about civil liberty, equality and progress to our people.
This great personality to night is…… Rafiq Salam….. Waaaaaaa…
(Rafiq Salam is the Upper West Correspondent for Multimedia)
Enjoy the interaction!
Haadi: Good evening Sir, we are happy to have for this session
Rafiq Salam: Good evening. Thank u for having me
Haadi: Please kindly tell us about yourself
Rafiq Salam: My name is Rafiq Salam and I’m From Limanyiri Vuor, Wa in the Upper West Region
I am a desendant of Imaam Yaa Moro who migrated from Mande in Mali several centuries ago
Haadi: Kindly take us through your career path
Rafiq Salam: I started doing journalism during my tom brown school days at Wa Secondary School with the Press and Current Affairs Club (PACAS).
After Secondary School, I had an unsuccessful stint at the N.J.A. College of Education, Wa, and later joined Radio progress as a sports analyst.
After one and half years, I was made the host of the Morning Show and later Rafiq One and One, a show that I hosted for 8 years and until my appointment was revoked in November,2011.
I started with Joy fm late 2005 and have been there since.
I had a short course in broadcast journalism at the Ghana institute of journalism in 2004 and later the Wa Polytechnic.
Haadi: What a journey he has had so far..
Haadi: What motivated you to be a Journalist
Rafiq Salam: I have always admires the profession and listening to the BBC especially Alan Green and Mike Costello, motivates me.
Haadi: I remember u were the main source of Foreign Sports at Wa growing up before Kwabena Yeboah’s Sports Highlights on GTV
Rafiq Salam: No. Kwabena used to do sports highlights and had the foreign segment. He used to struggle with the pronunciation of the foreign names. So I had to call several times to correct him on the pronuciation. I vividly recalled when I corrected him on the name of the current Man United Coach, Solskjaer. He later called back and was wondering how I’m able to get it staying in rural Wa.
Haadi: Hahaha
Rafiq Salam: Hahaaa
Haadi: You were always walking around with radio listening to BBC before even the first Radio Station was set up in Wa. It only meant that u were destined to be a journalist. Kudos!
Haadi: Do u enjoy your career as journalist?
a. If yes, why?
b. If no, why?
Rafiq Salam: Yea
I have the passion for it
Haadi: Ok
Haadi: Not surprising though
Haadi: U have been with Multimedia for 15 years and counting, which story(s) will u single out as your best and why
Rafiq Salam: There was a story I did on Child Labour about ten years ago. It was about a ten year old who dropped out of school, selling sachet water to take care of her Septuagenarian grandmother.
Haadi: Wow
Rafiq Salam: And the other was last year on baby ages, the boy who was born with fluid in his head.
Haadi: Ohk
Rafiq Salam: They needed 12,000 Ghana Cedis for a surgery. When I did the story, they had more than enough
Haadi: Marvelous
Haadi: Radio really gets results
Rafiq Salam: And TV as well.
Haadi: What has been the most frustrating aspect of your Career as a journalist, if any?
Rafiq Salam: It has to do with lack of resources. There are times that you want to do a story but you don’t have the means to do it. Even if you have a means of transport, you will still need fuel.
Haadi: Aww
Haadi: Sir, What’s your advice for colleague Journalists who and anyone want to go into Journalism?
Rafiq Salam: My advice for them is that if they are looking for money, journalism us not a place to make money. You can have Social Capital and for them to succeed they must have the passion for the job.
Haadi: What is your succession plan? If you have one, and who are you mentoring to take over from you?
Rafiq Salam: In my office in Wa, I am not working alone. I have four (4) others working with me. So at least apart from the stipends that I give them, they are seriously learning the rudiments of the profession.
Haadi: Impressive Sir
May God replenish all u loose
Haadi: What would be your advice to other Senior Fellows in other career fields on career mentorship?
Rafiq Salam: My advice is that we would not be in the profession forever. So we need to give space to the young ones who in future will take over the mantle from us.
Haadi: Well taken
Haadi: What next after a life of Journalism?
Rafiq Salam: When we started, we didn’t have the best of treatment from our colleagues. They didn’t want to see us on assignment. I remember one time I was sacked from attending an assignment. My Senior colleague, Seidu Bomanjo, was removed from a car and prevented from attending and assignment. Same happened to the late Mustapha of Metro TV.
Haadi: Aww Too bad
Rafiq Salam: We can’t be in the profession for long but after some few years, we will take a bow but we will still be in the private sector
Haadi: We wish you well in all your endeavors after journalism
Haadi: The following questions are from the READERS (Members)
Haadi: Lawyer Shakur (Hammer) ask;
I want to know why he topped his class from P1 to JSS 3 and nearly dropped out of school
Rafiq Salam: No I have not topped my class from P1 to JSS 3. There were some occasions that I placed 6thand 10th. I got confused first with the systems; whether to be with the new system of education or the old system. Second was the course I pursued. I wanted to do General Arts and I was offered General Science. Wa Secondary School refused to offer me the change I wanted. I was told I would be transferred to Lawra Secondary and given my preferred Course, so I was no more studying and waiting for the transfer which never happened. So I faced the WASSCE unprepared and I failed woefully. I later have to reorganize myself and changed the subjects to general arts and wrote the O/ levels Nov /Dec and passed
Haadi: Hahaha, Sorry oo!
Lawyer Hammer: In recent times not too many people remain very natural and original in their presentation on tv/radio so how do you manage to stay very natural.
Rafiq Salam: I have always believed that I am a Waala man and can’t speak the English Language like Prince Charles. So I always wanted to speak the English Language the way that will properly identify me as someone from this part of the World.
Haadi: Hahaha, a true son of the land
Haadi: Samad asks…
Mr Salam, Journalists in recent times pander to the dictates of politicians in lieu of money, cars and other attractions. Indeed today, we have Journalists who are aligned to one party or the other when in actual sense, they should be seen to be neutral. How do you feel about this growing phenomenon alongside the media being the fourth estate of the realm in nation development?
Rafiq Salam: I am deeply worried to the marrow. However, we aren’t same. For me I believe both the NDC and the NPP are the same. For me, I believe that those who want to do politics should remove the journalism cloth and join the political wagon.
Haadi: Ok
Haadi: Madam Zainab wants to know…
Any story that has broken you down before?
How easy it is getting information to put up a good story?
Rafiq Salam: Never got broken down by any story. Sometimes I empathise with the people that are affected.
Haadi: Ohk
Rafiq Salam: It is really difficult to get information. The fact is that radio and tv are new in our part of the world. However, you need to up your game, work to gain credibility and after that not everybody will trust u but few will come to you when you are seen to be credible.
Haadi: The hazard of the profession.
Haadi: Satar questions…
Why Joy FM and how he got the opportunity ?
And why Waaaaaa as a signature sign off?
Rafiq Salam: I got the opportunity to work with joy fm after a couple of attempts. However, I got the green light a day after the sacking of Mac Banda, a former MCE of Wa Municipal
As for my use of Waa…. That’s my trade mark as I want to be different (laughs)
Hammer: I want to know if you have ever dropped or killed a story in lieu of personal gain
Rafiq Salam: I have never, but sometimes you look at the situation and what impact the the story will make and also, the peace of the community. Remember since I joined this profession, I never did a story on Chieftaincy, Religion and Litigation.
Hammer: Perfect.God bless you
Haadi: Shauqah also writes…
I can remember I was asked about Rafiq Salam during a scholarship interview last year, It was crazy, I had to do his ” Rafiq Salam reporting from waaaa” (laughs)
Haadi: We need to allow Rafiq to rest
I’m so sorry for those I couldn’t put their questions before Rafiq Salam due to time constraints
Rafiq Salam: Thanks for the opportunity and God bless you
Haadi: It is imperative to say that;
“The weapons with which the bourgeoisie felled feudalism to the ground are now turned against the bourgeoisie itself.
But not only has the bourgeoisie forged the weapons that bring death to itself; it has also called into existence the men who are to wield those weapons—the modern working class—the proletarians”
(Excerpt From, The Communist Manifesto by Karl Max)
This evening we heard from this great personality through whose voice our communities have found solutions to the socio-economic issues. This is setting the path to equate the rich and the poor. Better Media freedom for development. Radio & Tv get results indeed.
On this note we bring the Social Convo for tonight to a close and I say Barika yaga jaa Mbieri Rafiq Salam….Waaaaaaaaaaa!
Haadi: Hope READERS enjoyed the session. We bring another session same time next week
Stay bless!
Thank you!
