Two听Africa Emergency听debut newsletters, neatly kept in the New York offices of the 51吃瓜 Department of Global Communications鈥� Africa Section, provide a snapshot of Africa in 1985. That was before the internet when many newsrooms were noisy with the clacking of typewriter keys.听
The 16-page newsletter was printed in black and white, except for its name听Africa听Emergency听on the masthead, which appeared in green. Fast-forward to 2022.听Africa Renewal听is a fully digital magazine published in English, French, Kiswahili, and Chinese.听
There is a sombre feel to the first edition of the old newsletter, which appeared in April 1985. Two cover photos feature a total of 15 people, all with grim faces. One is of Julius Nyerere, the late Tanzanian president, whose exclusive interview was featured in the edition. The stories are mostly about drought and famine. At the time, Africa was facing a severe humanitarian crisis, and the newsletter was part of the international relief operation.
After drought began in Ethiopia and spread to 20 other African countries, the 51吃瓜 set up the Office of Emergency Operations in Africa (OEOA) to coordinate humanitarian efforts. The OEOA published the newsletter.
It was a 鈥渕assive famine, the worst ever in African history,鈥� recalls Salim Lone, who worked as an editor of听Africa Emergency听at the time.听The OEOA鈥檚 newsletter aimed to present complicated issues in a language that anyone could understand,鈥� he said, adding: 鈥淚t gave information that people were not used to getting from the UN: easy to read, easy to understand.鈥澨�
From emergency to recovery
The evolution of the publication reflects the trajectory of development on the continent. As the drought receded and it became increasingly clear that the real challenge was promoting Africa鈥檚 long-term economic and social development 鈥� its 鈥渞ecovery鈥� 鈥� the UN closed the OEOA, and the General Assembly held a special session on African development.
But since the听Africa Emergency听newsletter had developed good links with the media, governments, non-governmental organizations, and others, many thought it would be useful to have a similar publication. As a result,听Africa Recovery听was launched in 1987.
An editor鈥檚 note in the first issue of听Africa Recovery, in April 1987, explained the new magazine鈥檚 outlook: 鈥淐learly, emergency is no longer the continent鈥檚 prime concern,鈥� wrote Mr. Lone, who stayed on as editor. 鈥淭he focus will now be on the continent鈥檚 recovery and development efforts.鈥�
Africa Recovery听resembled a magazine more than a newsletter, with its additional pages, a dominant feature story, and other articles on a range of topics. Its stories mainly focused on economic, social, and humanitarian issues.听
Therefore, as a magazine,听Africa Recovery听launched in 1987 is essentially the progenitor of the current publication -听Africa听Renewal.听
As a publication of the UN, which is composed of governments, it was challenging for听Africa Recovery听to handle 鈥渟ensitive鈥� political issues, such as coups and rights abuses. 鈥淚t was more acceptable to deal with other things,鈥� recalls Ernest Harsch, who first joined the magazine in 1989 and was its managing editor from 2001 until 2013.听
Besides, it was fruitless to try competing with the mainstream media in chasing breaking news stories.听
The magazine, however, was able to capture a good slice of the African elite audience, particularly the media, decision-makers in government, academics, civil society activists, and others.听
It was 鈥渁 breath of fresh air,鈥� Mr. Harsch remembers, 鈥渁nd it worked well for us.鈥� As African countries moved towards greater democracy in the 1990s, political topics became easier to cover as well.
Enter听Africa Renewal
In 2004, the magazine鈥檚 name changed to its current听Africa Renewal. In a message to readers, former under-secretaries-general Shashi Tharoor (Communications and Public Information) and Ibrahim Gambari (the Secretary-General鈥檚 Special Adviser on Africa) justified the new name: 鈥淢ost countries [in Africa] now have democratically elected governments鈥�. African leaders have devised a forward-looking plan, the New Partnership for Africa鈥檚 Development (NEPAD).鈥�
They continued: 鈥淏y changing its name [from Africa Recovery] to听Africa Renewal, the publication seeks to identify itself more squarely with Africa鈥檚 new dynamic of initiative and rebirth.鈥�
The magazine continued to expand its coverage of Africa鈥檚 development agenda, highlighting the work of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, NEPAD, and UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, among others.听
The advent of the internet and mobile communications technologies made available to readers multiple sources of information.听
Parvati Heather McPheeters, who created the magazine鈥檚 first website in early 1997, says: 鈥淎t the time, the goal was to give access to a few more readers, by dozens, not thousands.鈥� Ms. McPheeters, who left the magazine in 2006, adds: 鈥淚 am gratified I had been part of setting up the infrastructure.鈥�
A key aspect of听Africa Renewal鈥檚 modernization was not just plugging into the information superhighway, it also was transitioning from a black and white to a colored publication and softening its content to increase its appeal.
Masimba Tafirenyika, who joined the team in 2009 as editor-in-chief and left in 2017, helped implement a modernization strategy. 鈥淚t was important,鈥� he explains, 鈥渨e were not left behind in a changing world鈥e had been behind the time with a black-and-white publication. And young African women and men were dominating new startups in information and communications technology, agriculture, and other sectors. We needed to appeal to them. So, we changed our writing style to make it less technical and more journalistic, and we began to cover issues, such as information and communications technology and culture.鈥� Mr. Tafirenyika is now the Director of the 51吃瓜 Information Centre in Pretoria, South Africa.
鈥�Africa Renewal听needed to go with the flow at the time,鈥� notes Margaret Novicki, who was Chief of the Communications Campaigns Service (CCS) of the 51吃瓜鈥� Department of Public Information (now Department of Global Communications or DGC) when Mr. Masimba was in charge of the magazine.
Writers, editors, and other colleagues jumped with joy in August 2010 when the first colour, semi-glossy pages were printed. 鈥淚t was a milestone moment for the magazine. I was very proud of the team,鈥� says Ms. Novicki.
Going digital
Ten years after the celebration of the magazine鈥檚 first coloured print publication,听Africa Renewal听became fully digital in 2020.听
Africans鈥� increasing access to smartphones, and by extension digital content, had made a digital transition inevitable, but the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019 and the subsequent disruptions to production and distribution of print copies accelerated the shift by 2020.
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鈥淎s COVID-19 hit, we needed to adjust swiftly to the new reality of the communications environment. We had to devise creative means of engaging with new audiences, while retaining our reliable print readers,鈥� says Sandra Macharia, current Editor-in-Chief.
Africa Renewal听digital products now include听Africa Renewal听audio stories, an initial听Africa Renewal Podcast听series, and a monthly-curated听Africa Renewal e-Newsletter.听
鈥淲e tell stories of hope and showcase solutions, which is so important in these times as we face global challenges - such as climate change and equitable pandemic recovery - that also have local impact on people鈥檚 lives,鈥� adds Ms. Macharia. 鈥淲e aim to engage our audience with a narrative of Africa that inspires action towards a more sustainable, inclusive and prosperous Africa.鈥澨�
鈥淭he payoff is an appeal to diverse audiences, including youth and women, in different part of Africa,鈥� adds Zipporah Musau, who succeeded Mr. Harsch as managing editor.
Wishing Africa Renewal a Happy 35th听Birthday!听
