Asmaa James

Asmaa James is a Sierra Leone journalist and women's rights activist. According to the BBC’s list of “100 Women” for 2019, she is one of the 100 most inspiring and influential women in the world.

Quotes

• It was very interesting growing up because I am from a fanatic Muslim background. When my mom died, my auntie took me and brought me to Freetown, and I was with her until I started secondary school. Immediately after school, I went into journalism as a volunteer. And I have been there until now, growing myself and trying to put myself together professionally. So, I must say it was a bittersweet experience growing up. I did not actually enjoy growing up because you know what it means when you are in a foster home without your biological parents. But it is all the same, I grew up and they tried to give me the best. And here I am today, I own a whole media house.
• Yes. When my mother died, my mother’s friend took me and brought me to Freetown, and I have been here ever since. I go to the village. I am traditional. I believe in all the rights of being a traditional woman. So yes, I grew up in Freetown.
• I hold certain traditions very sacred, but I do not put them in people’s faces. I just believe in what my instinct tells me. That is why I said I am very traditional. I go to my people a lot, I visit them, and whatever is in the village or in anything to do, if I’m there, I participate. So that’s why I said I’m very traditional.
• I must say I had the best time in broadcasting and that is why I stayed for so long. Radio Democracy remains the station that you go to when you want to talk about democracy, good governance and human rights. I maintained that mantra of the station. Everyone had to listen to Radio Democracy and then the station manager was a woman, so she gave us all the support, all the opportunities. Many women were working there and so we maintained what the station was established for. In Sierra Leone, the media space is male-dominated and most of the media houses are privately owned by men. So, Radio Democracy is unique because it is owned by civil society.
  • Harnessing the Power of Media Advocacy – A Conversation with Asmaa James,By Yemisi Akinbobola
• One day, a lawyer called about a girl who was abused, and she insisted that I come in to see the girl. The lawyer said, “We believe in you and we know if you champion this case, it’ll go beyond just reporting.” I went and met this 5-year-old and I saw her lying on a hospital bed with all these tubes.
• I decided to start Black Tuesday, and I told people to wear black on Tuesday to raise awareness about this issue. We held a town hall and it was jam packed. There was nowhere to sit, people were standing outside. I brought in panelists and organizations that support adolescents, lawyers, and police.
• We tell parents to listen to their children if they bring up these issues and not to dismiss them as lies. We tell community leaders to end the blame game. Sometimes they tell people, “Why did you go there? Why did you wear this?” Yet, we’ve seen cases of sexual abuse of 6-month-old babies and 3 year olds.
• The voices of people are very crucial in this matter. When we go to communities, people come out and give testimonies. You can’t just hide a case now — there’s no way. My phone is always ringing with people calling to report cases.
• Overall, I feel fulfilled because my voice really added to the change we see today. I started it because action was needed, and action was taken. We’re growing stronger as a movement and we will make the change that we want to make.
  • Meet Asmaa James: Founder of Sierra Leone’s Black Tuesday Movement, By Jacky Habib, retrieved on February 27, 2020