Our team has the floor!
Episode 1: Henrik Ahrens, at the crossroads
Henrik is German, works for a French operator, lives in Amman and works on a daily basis with journalists from Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Palestine. Does that make sense? Henrik tells us all about it, from his studies in Germany to his arrival at CFI as the Qarib project director in 2021.
Henrik, what was your career path before joining CFI in December 2021?
After studying political science, philosophy and Islamology in Berlin and Cairo, I worked for around ten years in the world of development and media support. I worked for MICT(Media in Cooperation and Transition) as editor and country director in Iraq for four years, then for Democracy Reporting International and, finally, Internews Europe as project director for the North Africa and Middle-East region. It was in the latter environment, during a project in Syria, that I established my first links with CFI. From 2017, I carried out several assignments as an independent consultant, always in the field of media development. When I saw CFI's advertisement for the position of director of the Qarib programme, I thought this was the job for me: I speak French, I know the region well, and the project really suits my field of expertise. I applied, and took over leadership of the project in December 2021!
Can you tell us about Qarib, the project you are now running from Amman in Jordan?
This is a project funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) to support social cohesion through the media in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine. More specifically, the aim is to improve the representation of certain marginalised or minority groups and topics within public debate. Today, certain genders, ethnic groups or socio-cultural and economic categories are almost invisible in the media of these countries. Our role is to give them the right to participate as citizens through better journalistic coverage , and to thereby help improve social cohesion in the region: here, as everywhere, the media are key players in communicating values and representing identities; as such, they are powerful tools for social transformation. We are also working to raise the profile of a number of topics that are not yet covered in great depth, or at all: climate change and its effects on the environment, local governance, elections, etc...
Could you give us a few examples of concrete actions you and your team have taken as part of this project?
We carry out a wide range of actions in the field: financial support is an absolute priority, because the independent media are in an almost structural crisis due to political, legal, regulatory and economic circumstances. This topic is also at the crossroads of the debate on decolonisation, which should be taken very seriously by a player like France. But beyond these broad topics, our approach is based on the idea that each medium has very specific needs, which we need to meet in the most individual and tailor-made way possible. This involves training and advice in all areas, from journalistic and editorial support to digital marketing and business consultancy. We are also setting up programmes to enable our partners to cover certain events (e.g. COP28 and 29). We created a network of partners to encourage the exchange of expertise, best practices and cooperation, etc. Finally, we support the structuring and improvement of legal and regulatory frameworks in the countries where we work.
What are your greatest sources of satisfaction in your current role?
To be honest, it's not always easy to get any satisfaction from my work, given the current wars and conflicts. Because we work with journalists, we are very close to the news. Our partners live in war zones like Gaza and are directly affected by the suffering and destruction. But I'm lucky enough to work with an incredible team who are very committed to the project, motivated and who know how to give their best, both professionally and personally. So I feel like I have a great team around me. I also really enjoy working in our multilingual and multicultural environment: I work from Amman for four different countries, and in our day-to-day work Arabic often mixes with English and French with the staff at headquarters. I appreciate this open, fluid environment. But my greatest source of satisfaction is to see the positive impact of our work, especially in difficult times: a thank-you from a journalist we support, an outstanding piece of journalism broadcast by our beneficiary media, a new story that emerges... For me, these are all precious signs that we are on the right path, and that our actions really do meet needs. It's the feeling of making at least a small contribution to positive development in times of crisis.
What's the most difficult issue on a day-to-day basis?
Obviously: the current war in Gaza and the possibility of regional escalation. I took over the project in peacetime and now we're facing a war. It's a huge challenge to transform our support to match the current needs of our partners. In Palestine and South Lebanon, for example, there are security and protection measures for correspondents, and in all the project countries there are competing narratives about local, regional and international perspectives on events, with misinformation playing an important role. As I mentioned earlier, the proximity of events also exposes us more directly to the coverage of violence; the psychological challenges and trauma for our partners and my team also need to be addressed. But there were also challenges before the war: press freedom and freedom of expression are severely restricted in all the countries where we work, for a variety of reasons. We have to deal with a series of conditions, restrictions and red lines in a sometimes complicated security environment. On a more operational level, we also have to deal with a certain amount of red tape, mainly due to the fact that the project is based on public funding, the use of which we have to justify. It often takes a long time, but we do our best to ensure that our actions can be pursued.
What are the main personal lessons you think you will learn from this project?
The Qarib project taught me how to manage a complex, regional-scale project with a substantial budget (€10m). It's the first project of this scale that I've managed from start to finish and, of course, it's been a great learning experience. It's also a very time-consuming and often stressful project: to get through it, you have to learn to manage your energy over time, take time out and look at things from a distance - and, when possible, with a sene of humour. Qarib is also teaching me to navigate between very different worlds and to know how to communicate with each of them: I already knew the world of the Middle Eastern media, but what was new for me was French diplomacy. For example, if someone sends me a message starting with “Unless I've made a mistake”... I understand now that they're not really asking themselves if they've made a mistake! Another example: at the start of my work, during a meeting at the French embassy in Amman, I was approached as a member of the “French team”. After all, my grandfather was a German soldier occupying France. In these times of crisis, when it's not easy to be optimistic, it shows in a way that peacebuilding is perhaps possible... but when it comes to football, I still support the German team!
Episode 2: Indra El Hage, making wonderful waves
Indra started as a Project Manager at CFI in 2020 before becoming Division Manager in March 2024. She has chosen to talk to us about a project that made a big impression on her: Sada, which was set up to support the Sudanese media. Sada sparked a great deal of enthusiasm among the beneficiary media outlets and proved to Indra that, with plenty of motivation and people determined to bring about change, a small project can have a huge impact!
Indra, how did you end up working for CFI?
I joined CFI in October 2020, after several years managing development projects in the Middle East. My experience includes working for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Beirut and then at the head office of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Copenhagen. In 2020, I decided that I needed a change in the form of a return to the field where I could take more direct action. I was very interested in media issues, which is why I decided to start a new chapter at CFI as a Project Manager.
What did your role as Project Manager at CFI involve?
I was tasked with coordinating projects – often several at the same time – from start to finish: writing the project, editing, coordinating with donors to obtain funding, planning, implementation, measuring its impact, communication, reporting etc. It's a very demanding role that requires good listening skills, juggling priorities, withstanding stress, interacting with a broad range of stakeholders (donors, implementation partners, local partners, beneficiaries etc.) and constantly adapting to change. However, it's also a very rewarding job, as our work has a direct impact on both society and people's lives.
Are there any projects that left a lasting impression on you?
Last year, before the armed conflict broke out in Sudan, saw the successful completion of a project that was very close to my heart: the Sada project. Sada (Arabic for "echo") aimed to improve the quality of information broadcast on the Sudanese airwaves and to focus on certain topics, such as the demographic transition, empowering women and young people to take part in public debates, social cohesion and respect for diversity. In Sudan, radio is the most effective means of accessing information for people in remote areas; it is therefore a highly strategic media. We spent just over 12 months training 40 journalists and chief editors from the various Sudanese states and helped them to produce cultural programmes – with a particular focus on gender, inclusion and social cohesion – and we also encouraged the various radio stations to share content and good journalistic practices with one another.
What conclusion did you draw from this project?
A very positive one, as we had more participants than expected and very good feedback on the content produced. In spite of the very challenging economic and political conditions in Sudan, I felt a great desire among journalists, especially the younger ones and women, to make things happen and change the mindset of their audiences. This was highly motivating for us. It spurred us to go above and beyond at each stage of the project. Of course, we would have loved to have gone even bigger and better, but we have already come a long way. From a personal standpoint, this project showed me that, even with a limited budget and difficult circumstances, we can accomplish great things, find solutions and reach as many beneficiaries as possible.
What qualities have been particularly useful to you in carrying out this project?
As is often the case, I needed good relationship-building skills in order to communicate effectively with the various stakeholders involved in the project: the CFI head office, the teams in the field, the donors, the beneficiaries etc. It is important to be able to juggle the various visions of the project and to cater to everybody's expectations. I also had to ensure good self-organisation in order to meet the objectives within the allotted time and adapt to the specific context of post-revolutionary Sudan.
Do you have an anecdote to share?
One young journalist, who had been selected and wanted to attend the training sessions, needed to breastfeed her baby during the sessions. We managed to secure the necessary funding to cover the costs of a nanny, so the young woman could participate in the project and continue to breastfeed her baby!
Episode 3: Laurent Moustache, fighting disinformation
Laurent entered the world of cooperation kind of by chance, when he was working as an international volunteer in Burundi. This one-year assignment changed the course of his career and gave him a taste for the exotic. From India to Senegal, via Togo, follow the journey of this man who is fascinated by fake news and is now a Division Manager at CFI!
Laurent, you worked on the Desinfox Africa et Desinfox Sahel. Can you tell us about these projects?
These two projects aimed to combat fake news in ten countries in West and Central Africa and the Sahel region. Disinformation techniques are becoming increasingly sophisticated in these countries, and they clearly pose ever-growing challenges in terms of democracy, stability and social cohesion. Our goal was therefore to train journalists – around 100 of them spread across 10 countries – in various fact-checking techniques. Both projects were funded by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. Specifically, we offered training on the basics of fact-checking, detecting fake news on social media, open-source intelligence (OSINT), the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) criteria and the use of specific tools and software. We also supported the production of articles, reports and columns through customised support. In the Sahel region, we also worked to create a regional network of French-speaking fact-checkers in order to pool the resources, skills and practices of journalists from the ten countries covered.
How did you end up working in this position at CFI?
That is a long story! I didn’t initially set out to work in media development or in development at all. I studied political science at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne university, specialising in political and public communication. My career seemed to be all mapped out: I was going to become a parliamentary assistant or a communications officer in a public institution. And then, in 2014, on a whim, I went to Burundi to spend a year working as an international volunteer for the United Nations. It was the first time I had visited Africa. It was a life-changing experience, one that marked a turning point in my journey. I then went to India as a microfinance project manager working to empower marginalised people, then to North Togo as a decentralised cooperation support officer. In 2018, I began working for Expertise France as a project manager within the Defence and Security Forces Reinforcement Division, working in connection with various countries – Côte-d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Jordan etc. However, after four years of assignments I wanted something different. At that time, I was running a personal Instagram account, debunking fake news. When I saw CFI's job advertisement for the Desinfox project in June 2022, I told myself that the position was made for me and that it was the chance for a fresh start!
What do you enjoy most in your day-to-day job?
I get to meet exciting people with incredible expertise and skills in my position at CFI. For example, I oversaw a week-long training course in Abidjan on Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT): I was impressed by what the trainer was able to do with online tools that anyone can use! A few months earlier, I didn't even know what OSINT was! I’m learning a great deal with the Desinfox programme, in both technical and human terms. I have never had as much contact with the beneficiaries of my projects before. During my trips out into the field, I come into direct contact with the reality facing African journalists, their concerns and their challenges. That helps to put things into perspective! I often tell myself that this profession makes me experience things that most people will never experience. I also really like the fact that I represent France on my assignments: behind each of our programmes, it is ultimately France's image that is at stake, and I find that very gratifying.
What are the most difficult parts of your job?
I do have to deal with a certain degree of stress on a daily basis, of course. As project manager, if there was the slightest problem that prevented a beneficiary from attending a training course, for example, I would be held responsible. It is therefore important to be extremely vigilant at all stages, to keep a cool head when there are difficulties (and there are many!) and to remind myself that there is a solution to every problem. Given that we manage public money, we need to ensure that it is used properly, in strict compliance with public procurement procedures. On the other hand, we often work in difficult environments, which can complicate our work, but also makes it exciting. There are days when I would like everything to be faster and more flexible!
What are the main qualities needed to carry out your duties?
First of all, it is important to be very creative in overcoming obstacles, think on your feet and invent new ways of doing things when those that were in place do not work. The second essential quality, in my view, is humility. We must be aware of our rightful place. We are certainly helping to improve people's day-to-day lives in the areas we cover, but we must not overestimate our role: at the end of the day, we have not saved anyone. Humility also allows us to avoid falling into the trap of ethnocentrism. Our mind has been formatted in a certain way, which is not always effective. It is important to learn how to change your frame of reference when necessary.
Do you have an anecdote to share?
On 31 May, I touched down in Dakar for the first time, on a one-week assignment. The following day, 1 June, violence erupted in the city after the conviction of the opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko. Dakar emptied, the messages I tried to send to my loved ones would not go through and CFI's head office swung into action and urged me to provide some news. In the end, it was more a case of being afraid than bad things happening to me, but that first day "in the field" in Senegal will stay with me for a long time!
