Sabre Na-ideyam: patience and length of time...
Sabre Na-ideyam, 36, is passionate about fact-checking. An ultra-connected journalist with Tchadinfos.com, he has learned to control his impatience.
Profile by Emmanuel de Solère Stintzy.
In Chadian Arabic, "Sabre" means "patience". For the first few years of his life, the young Sabre Na-ideyam did not seem to match his first name... My nephew loved school, but he was sometimes at odds with his teachers because he liked to argue... So he was sometimes sent out of the classroom... Even within the family, Sabre likes to debate. He doesn't want to admit defeat! recalls his uncle, Kodjibaye Miangarkoh, with a smile.
Impatient to debate. And impatient to get out there. Even as a youngster, I was curious. Whenever anything came into my vicinity, I loved to go and see it for myself and write school reports for my mum, recalls Sabre Na-ideyam. At school, he could often be found in the library, where he discovered the news magazine Jeune Afrique and was inspired by the Cameroonian journalist Innocent Ebodé, author of the column Au fil du temps in the Chadian newspaper La Voix: This newspaper made me love journalism even more, as I was surrounded by good coaches who helped me write good stories.
After completing his baccalaureate, Sabre obtained a professional degree in business communications and began to train in social media hosting: RFI came to talk to us about blogging. I had my own blog and have created several accounts on social media. When you share information here, it travels much quicker than waiting for people to click on an article on the website of a media outlet. Even today, Sabre Na-ideyam is an ultra-connected journalist: I am starting to learn things on YouTube. I am also a community manager for NGOs and political figures. And, thanks to the training I have received from CFI (Editor's note: Désinfox Chad project), I have the tools to fact-check and identify false information that circulates on social media and incites hate."
"Being safe in order to provide better information"
After working as the website editor-in-chief and webmaster for the daily newspaper Le Sahel between 2020 and 2022, Sabre became a reporter for the online news outlet Tchadinfos.com: I told my bosses about fact checking and our old section called On a vérifié pour vous [We've checked it for you]. We are in the process of re-launching this section.
Madjissembaye Ngarndinon, his Director of Publication, values his dynamism: Sabre is a soldier that a boss can really rely on. He quickly heads out into the field and has the intuition of a good investigative journalist. He is not always very organised, but we're always able to publish in-depth and balanced articles.
Christian Allahadjim, a colleague at Tchadinfos confirms: "Sabre is a hard worker. With his excellent book of contacts, he's able to provide us with sources. We rely on him to verify certain information."
A passionate journalist, Sabre Na-ideyam seems to have reconnected with patience: My first name is appropriate now. When I have a story, I'm not in a hurry to release it. I take the time to verify it. It's a matter of credibility and also safety here in Chad. Sabre has not forgotten his family's recommendations to be prudent, especially in a country where journalists have been mistreated and threatened for years: For my own safety, I have to steer clear of certain subjects. I prioritise being safe in order to provide better information. And, if I feel that a story is going to cause me problems, I can entrust it to a colleague who is better placed to discuss it.
Patiently, El Sabrito, as his friends call him due to his love of Spanish songs, learned to slow down. Patience and length of time achieve more than force or rage... Just like the mouse in La Fontaine's fable, The Lion and the Mouse, Sabre Na-ideyam is a loyal friend, says Batraki Youssouf Djimi: He is very loyal and kind and always has time for me. But Sabre likes to mock too much. I get annoyed, but we make up. When you like debating, you just can't help it...
In 10 years…
Country and destiny unknown... In 10 years, Sabre could be a good investigative journalist as he's really nosy! But, it's hard not to be in the sights of our politicians due to their repressive mentality. So, if Sabre has opportunities to work for international media outlets, I don't think he'll hesitate, says his current colleague at Tchadinfos, Christian Allahadjim. Their Director of Publication, Madjissembaye Ngarndinon, sees Sabre Na-ideyam's promising future in almost the same way: He has progressed a lot with fact-checking. Whether at Tchadinfos or elsewhere, he's going to continue advancing.
In the words of his uncle, Kodjibaye Miangarkoh, he has one objective in sight: To be independent. Sabre is currently working for other journalists, but I hope that, in 10 years, he will be managing his own newspaper with his own resources. His nephew adds: My plan is to create an online newspaper. You need to keep up with technology. I want to create this so that I can provide jobs for others. It's because of what others have created that I have had a job... So I owe it to young people passionate about journalism to pay it forward.
To make his dream a reality, his friend, Batraki Youssouf Djimi, advises him to apply himself and be less distracted. In other words, to not spread himself too thinly.