Musicians, politicians, sports persons and financial patrons have their fans clubs. It is rare however for journalists to be given the type of honour received by Kebba Camara which he shared with other radio journalists.
Every morning, hundreds of thousands of Gambians will glue their ears to their radio sets or grab their newspapers to find out what is going on in the country. Many hardly know that a whole team of presenters, editors and technicians enable them to receive news and other programmes.
The award ceremony organised by Kebba Camara fans club to celebrate his contribution to radio journalism confirms that the general public are beginning to acknowledge the important role journalists play. In the words of Halifa Sallah who was invited to be a guest speaker at the award ceremony, journalists are breakers of mental chains. According to him there can be no freedom of the mind without freedom to give and receive information.
We therefore hope that this culture of honouring journalists will be continued in order to implant in them a sense of self-esteem. This will encourage them to elevate their ethical principles and professional standards.
