In July 2018 the British Council offered me a fellowship to participate in the Future News Worldwide (FNW) 2018, but this is not where the story starts, let me take you to the very beginning.
In 2017, I saw an advert online for a British Council journalism fellowship in Scotland. I applied casually on deadline day, and I got a mail after a few months saying I got in. Of course, I was super excited! Got invitation letter and applied for the visa. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and by July 4th, 2017 the day the conference kicks off, my visa was yet to come. Halimah, the fellow Nigerian delegate also waiting for her visa, and I kept waiting and hoping. The Conference ended and we could only partake in the Whatsapp photos and social media posts. However, we consoled ourselves and continued to engage with other delegates who made it to the conference in 2017 through the Whatsapp and Facebook groups. Eventually, I got my UK visa 2 weeks after the conference.
2017 + 2018
In December 2017, Kwasi, my Ghanian brother and fellow FNW delegate who also had visa issues in 2017, Halimah and I created a Whatsapp group — sorry guys I’m giving out our secret. We actually composed an email together appealing to Sarah Gorman — coordinator of the FNW Conference for the British Council Scotland — that we’re given the opportunity to partake in the 2018 edition. Sarah thought we deserved it, and so we were given automatic slots to attend FNW 2018. I’m not sure, but I think we’re the first in the [not so long yet] history of the fellowship to be given slots twice in 2 years.
Although this time Kwasi and I got the visa, and on time, Halimah didn’t. It really broke our hearts and I hope she’s given the opportunity to attend the 2019 edition — if she would like to try again.
My experience in Edinburgh is beyond what words can describe, so I decided to use alphabets to share key highlights that would stay with me forever.
If you’re a young journalist reading this and you haven’t applied for Future News Worldwide before, trust me you really want to apply for the next edition. It’s indeed an opportunity of a lifetime.
Hope you enjoy the highlights.
A for Arthur’s Seat
Such a beautiful mountain which could be seen from the Scottish Parliament — where FNW 2018 held — and most parts of the city. My only regret is not being able to make it to the summit of the mountain due to cramps. If I ever get the opportunity to visit Edinburgh again, that’s the first thing I’ll do.
B for Brae House
Brae House is the student accommodation FNW delegates stayed in throughout the Conference. About 2–3 minutes away from the Parliament. Very cozy place, just that I didn’t understand why they had only a heater, not an air conditioner — which I’m used to in Nigeria. I later understood that it gets usually very cold in Edinburgh that people literally need heaters to stay alive. I also love their kitchen and common rooms, and also the fact that it’s not so far from the parliament.
C for Chef
During the welcome reception, ‘dinner’ looked like what we call appetizer in Africa (Lol). We — other African male delegates and I — couldn’t stand it anymore so we went out to find condiments to cook something close to what we eat at home. Kwasi and I became emergency head chefs :) And of course, Rabie, Farai, and William were there to support. In about 45 minutes we had rice and tomato stew ready with fried chicken — that tasted so good by the way because I fried it (I know, I’m proud ^_^). It didn’t exactly taste like home because we didn’t even have a blender or rice cooker plus the pepper/chili tasted so bland, it was like a tomato. However, we had more than enough to eat that first night and it kept us alive for day two.
The British Council provided rice on the second day of the conference, and our joy (African delegates) truly knew no bounds! Dom just kept laughing at how excited we were to see rice.
PS: This is not to say the food served by the British Council wasn’t good, in fact, there were several tasty selections. The only snag is they were in small quantities and didn’t have a lot of calories the way our African foods do.
D for Dom
Sarah Gorman, FNW Coordinator which I mentioned earlier, was on maternity leave so she couldn’t do much during the pre-FNW logistics planning — although she joined us during the conference. Dominic Hastings was the guy that took all the heat. Calls, emails, texts, Whatsapp calls, Whatsapp group messages, unsolicited Whatsapp video calls, etc. He faced all of it in his quest to coordinate activities that led to the participation of 100 journalists at the program this year. On behalf of the group, I’ll like to appreciate you, Dom, for your effort. Much Love, and I hope you visit Nigeria soon!
E for Edinburgh City
Everyone kept saying the Edinburgh weather during our stay was ‘fake news’. It was good though, I wouldn’t lie. Sunny, mildly cold, and less windy than usual as the Scots confirmed. What I like most about the city are the ancient buildings that have a touch of modern and classy. Walking in the midst of so much heritage and history felt so good.
F for Facebook freebies
On the second day of the conference, we broke into groups. I was in Group One, and we took turns to circle round 3 workshops organized by Facebook, Google, and the Dart Center for Journalists. The Facebook session was mainly about how young journalists can leverage Facebook’s products — Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp — to build their personal brands and promote their stories. My contribution during the session was to inform delegates that they can access free certified courses designed by Facebook and partners using a bitly link I created bit.ly/fbjournocourse
G for Google Tricks
Understanding that the logic behind Google searches is Boolean algebra (+ and -) made my life a lot easier thanks to Matt Cooke who facilitated the session sponsored by Google.
He also showed delegates how to do reverse image searches and some other tricks we can use for news verification and dissemination.
H for Holland Biscuits
Mereoni and I really enjoyed the dutch biscuits from Nick de Jager. FNW is also a good opportunity to share your culture, food, and gifts with other delegates. I gave out handmade bracelets from Nigeria even though I didn’t have enough to give everyone.
But ah, men… that dutch biscuit is still fresh in mind….it tasted like waffles dipped in honey.
I for Ice Cream
Mereoni, Koroi, and I went to the city center a day before our departure to see the city and have ice cream! It was super, the ice cream and sunbathing tasted really good :)
Just like we see in movies, we had Street musicians performing with the mini speakers to the admiration of passersby.
J for Jackie Killeen
If you’re on Twitter you should seriously follow her! Jackie is such an amazing person. Not just because she’s a fellow Arsenal fan (yup, up gunners!) but also because she’s really humble and engaged with all delegates like colleagues despite her huge role with the British Council in Scotland and the UK.
K for Kilt
Having seen men wearing it in movies and videos online. Seeing the kilt (and maybe wearing it) was surely one of the top to-dos on my Scotland travel list. When we had our networking dinner at the Hub, this wish became a reality! Guess what? The man was wearing the kilt and also serenading us with Music from his bagpipe. It was such a beauty! Sadly, I didn’t get to wear one but it’s surely on my list for next time.
L for Love ❤❤❤
Nope, not me. I didn’t fall in love in Edinburgh. However, I know people that had a crush; those that are still crushing; and those that were crushed. Yup, we were there for just 3 days — apparently more than enough time for love :) I’m not snitching on them, don’t worry guys your secret is safe with me!
Apart from the crushers, two people from our class of 2018 fell in love. It’s so beautiful as I am their biggest fan and hope to see where love leads them! Just quick advice to future delegates. If you come to FNW single, trust me, knowledge might not be the only thing you’d be going home with.
M for Macintosh
While in Scotland, I got the wonderful privilege of interviewing the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Rt Hon Ken Macintosh on my interview series, The Stroll Live. Ken told me about the unique Scottish parliament (trust me, it’s an architectural marvel), and his decades of media experience before joining politics.
N for Netwooooooorking
My advice to future delegates of FNW is to ensure they connect with as many delegates as they can because therein lies your international social capital. Usually, at events and conferences, everyone is rushing to exchange business cards with the special guests and get selfies with the keynote speakers (which is cool, by the way) but what #FNW18 taught me is that the best people to connect with are our fellow delegates. Their stories their experiences, their future, are all resources that will be definitely useful to you — and yours to them.
So, connect!
O for One Hundred
Such an amazing photo, I’m grateful to be part of.
100 amazing people from over 50 countries; future rock star journalists, future Ministers/Commissioners of Information, future Editors, future Presidents, future Dads, and Moms, etc.
Investing in human resources is still the best way to ensure national growth and development, and I can assure you that it won’t be too long before the British Council begins to see the dividends of its investment all around the world through the Future News Worldwide Fellowship.
P for Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is one of the most modern parliaments you’ll find in the world. Located in Edinburgh, the parliament — in my opinion — is the perfect location for the Future News Worldwide Conference. Beautiful Eco-friendly halls and an amazing balcony that gives you a good view of Arthur's seat.
I can assure you that the delegates really enjoyed their time there as well.
Q for Queen Elizabeth
Coincidentally, while we were in Scotland, Her Majesty, the Queen was just a few meters away from us to mark Holyrood Week.
According to the Royal Family’s website, each year, The Queen spends a week visiting various regions in Scotland, meeting Scots from all walks of life and hosting thousands at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in recognition of their good work. Known in Scotland as ‘Royal Week’, and to others as ‘Holyrood Week’, these visits celebrate Scottish culture, achievement, and community.
During the week, Her Majesty is based at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, her official residence in Scotland. Literally, Holyroodhouse is just 1 minute away from Brae House.
I smiled at the Queen’s guards every day I passed by the Palace — which is adjacent to the Parliament.
R for Royal Mile
We had a very fancy dinner at the Royal Mile as part of activities to mark this year’s conference. Jackie Killeen explained how the British Council Scotland gets really busy during the Summer for the Edinburgh Fringe events which happen at the Royal Mile and throughout the city.
Word has it that Edinburgh is the second most-visited city by tourists in the UK after London.
S for Selfie Journalism, Skippers Bread
Prior to this time, one would often think of snapchat as an app for teenage girls to add an artificial flower to their hair and dog tongue filters, etc. However, Mobile Journalists (MoJos) like Yusuf Omar have revolutionized how the selfie camera can be used to tell stories in a way that is unique, fresh, and easy to relate with.
Expanding my horizon regarding MoJo was a major takeaway for me because I’ve been fascinated by the 4th Industrial revolution and how it would disrupt my career in journalism. As Yusuf says, journalists can no longer win the ‘breaking news game’ because there are a lot more smartphones than TV stations.
I have experienced the power of mobile journalism firsthand, following the success of my interview series,The Stroll Live which I started with my Nokia java phone and has so far featured over 120 world leaders and experts from 30+ countries including Amina J Mohammed (UN Deputy Secretary-General), Malala Yousafzai, Crown Prince Hakoon of Norway, Stephen Sackur of BBC, to mention a few.
I’m a Breadie (an urban word I just created while I was writing this, for a person that likes bread ^^). I like my bread in a certain texture and a certain taste, so don’t judge me for ‘smuggling’ two loaves of Skippers loaf from Port Harcourt to Edinburgh because, my bad habit is, I don’t trust anybody else’s bread — except I have no other options. Yes, I belong to #TeamPeanutButter too!
T for Trauma, Talks
Professor Stephen Jukes and Gillian Moreton from the Dart Center for Journalism took attendees through the delicate art of interviewing victims of truama, ensuring that their mental health is taken into cognizance, and a comfortable aura is created to ensure that they speak with ease.
Some other resource persons from the two-day conference include:
Catherine Gicheru who spoke about data journalism and the amazing work she’s doing at Code for Kenya.
Mary Hockaday, the controller of BBC World Service, encouraged delegates to embrace digital media tools to join the fight against fake news.
Donald Martin played an editorial game with attendees having us decide whether we would or not publish a certain story/image while giving reasons for and against. It was fun because it gave us an idea of the tension Editors face while deciding what the lead story should be.
Carrie Gracie of the BBC stated that journalists are the voice of those who cannot speak for themselves. She said there’s a thin line between advocacy and journalism asking that delegates pursue truth-telling above all else.
Melissa Bell of Vox Media says the “Why” is always the most important element of the story. Most stories focus on “What, Where, When, and How”. However, according to Melissa, the “Why” is what will separate journalists from citizen reporters in this digital media age.
Lucy Freemen stressed that journalists should think of their safety and life while pursuing stories all around the world. She also explained how the Media Legal Defense Initiative is offering legal support to journalists around the world who are being oppressed by Governments for saying the truth.
David Pratt explained the power of photography and its ability to capture the story in ways words cannot. He commended the British Council for the Future News Worldwide initiative citing the recent successes of FNW17 delegate, Tafadzwa Ufumeli, who recently received the Ian Parry Scholarship as a result of the exposure he gained at FNW and will exhibit his work in London.
U for ‘’Use your Voice”
All sessions and talks at this year’s Future News Worldwide conference had something in common: the call to use our voices to change the world.
This was my overarching lesson — my voice is powerful, the world wants to hear it!
V for VR
Although the photo above is from my visit to the World Bank in Washington DC, few months after FNW18, I also got to use a VR headset for the first time in Scotland (sorry I don’t have a photo to capture the moment).
Seeing that Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are the future of media consumption, I believe it is important for journalists to begin to get acquainted with such interactive tools in order to prepare their stories to suit latest technologies.
W for World Cup
Lucky us, while we were in Scotland the biggest football tournament in the world was on! Yes, the World Cup. No offense, but the Brits were so proud of England that almost all of us from other countries were happy to heat “they’re going home…” as they kept bragging with “Football is coming home…”.
The biggest world cup story out of FNW though is of the reconciliation between Uruguay and Ghana following their tensed 2010 World Cup match which left a lot of bad blood between the two countries.
Imagine watching the world cup with over 30 diverse people bringing insights from their various countries to the discussion! It was surely one to remember. Only FNW 2022 delegates will be able to relate, sorry :)
Y for Yusuf Omar
Meeting Yusuf in person finally was another high point of my #FNW18 experience. We’ve connected and shared mobile journalism resources and passion for over 2 years via Facebook and Twitter and it just felt surreal seeing him facilitate the session on MoJo tools and tips.
We were all inspired by how he’s used his mobile phone to cover stories at the Hindustan Times in India and his current media startup he co-founded with his wife, Hashtag Our Stories
Z for Zoo
I recall riding past the Edinburgh Zoo on my way to the airport, and just admiring how central it was in town and attractive with so much light and colour. If I get the opportunity of visiting Edinburgh again, this is definitely a must-visit on my list.
I believe back at home we can take a cue from Edinburgh to make our zoos a lot more colourful and bright!
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Fellow FNW delegates, you’ll notice that there’s no memory to share using X (such a strange alphabet ^^). I’ll be happy to edit this piece if you can remind me of anything below in the comment section!
Thanks for reliving Scotland with me, and I definitely wish to visit again soon!