Overview
- Lesson Title: VOA Journalism Workshops in Nigeria - This is a report about a workshop for journalists in Nigeria on Avian Flu.
- Language: Hausa
- Topic: Culture/Society
- ILR Level: 1+/2
- ACTFL Proficiency: Advanced-Mid, Advanced-Low, Intermediate-High; This ACTFL rating is an approximation based on the ILR level
- Modality: Reading
- Learning Objective: Maintenance & Improvement
- Subject Area: Language
- Material Type: LO
- Publication Year: 2008
- ObjectID: HAUS_12426
CONTENT SOURCE: MD Usman (2007, February 02). VOA organizes meeting to discuss Avian Flu prevention program. VOA Hausa . Washington, DC: Voice of America. http://www.voanews.com/hausa/archive/2007-02/2007-02-02-voa1.cfm
You selected a Learning Object that offers practice on this objective: Demonstrate your comprehension.
Content Description: This is a report about a workshop for journalists in Nigeria on Avian Flu.
Transcript
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
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VOA ta shirya taron bita akan shirin yaki da cutar murrar Tsuntsaye Ita wannan Hukuma, uwa ce ga Muryar Amurka, kuma ta bada tallafi ga ayyukan hana yaduwa cutar murar Tsuntsaye ta hanyar shirya kwasa-kwasai a cibiyoyi 6 a nahiyar Afirka, cikin watan jiya watan Janairu, 2007. Uku da cikin cibiyoyin bada horon, suna Nigeria, a garuruwan Kano, Abuja da kuma Lagos. Darektan sashen bada horo ga ‘Yan Jaridu na kasa-da-kasa, Joan Mower, wacce ta jagorancin shirin horaswan, tace makasudin gudanar da horon ga “yan Jaridan Nigeria game da cutar Murar Tsuntsaye, shine a kara ilmantar da manema labarai su san meye ita wannan cuta domin sabuwar cuta ce a Duniya bakidaya masanman a Afurka. Ta ce muddin ana bukatar wayar da kan jama’a a kasashen da cutar Murar Tsuntsaye ta bulla, wajibi ne ‘yan Jaridu su sami cikakken ilimin wannan cuta da sahihiyar hanyar watsa labarai masu sosa rai ga jama’a batare da sun firgita ko damuwa ba. Kwas din, ya hada da dauko tarihin cutar Murar Tsuntsaye, asalinta, yadda take yaduwa tsakanin tsuntsaye. An kuma bayyana wa mahalarta taron cewa cutar tana iya yaduwa daga tsuntsaye zuwa Alade (alhanzir) ko kuma daga tsuntsaye zuwa Dan Adam – wannan shine mafi muni a ciki domin yana kisa farar-daya kuma ga saurin yaduwa a tsakanin al’uma, muddin dai ba a dauki kwararan matakan hana yaduwar cutar ba. Abin sha’awa da wannan kwas din, an samu shahararrun Yan jaridu biyu – wato Dan Rutz, tsohon mai bada ruhotannin kan harkokin kiwon lafiya a gidan Talabijin na duniya wato CNN dake Amurka, wanda yanzu yake aiki da Cibiyar binciken cutuka da hana yaduwarsu ta Amurka da shugaban Sashen Hausa na Muryar Amurka, Mr. Sunday Dare. Dukkan su sun gabata da kasidu kan sabbin dabaru da sahihan hanyoyi fadakar da jama game da muggan cutuka masu saurin yaduwa da hanyar kwakulo labarai daga jama’a. Bangaren Likitoci kula, akwai Shahararren likitan Dabbobi, Dr Shehu Bawa, wanda shine Mukaddashin Darektan hana yaduwar cutar Dabbobi ta Jihar Kano da kuma likitan daya kware a fanin cutuka, duk sun gabatar da lacca kan yadda lamurra suke da hanyoyin samun nasarar yaki da su. A karshen kwas na ko wace cibiya, an jagoranci ‘yan Jaridun da suka halarci taron zuwa kasuwar kaji don yin hira da masu sayar da kaji. Galibin tambayoyin, sun ta’allaka ne akan wuraren da ake sayo su, ko ana bincika lafiyarsu a kasuwar? Shin ko sun san alamomin cutar murar tsuntsaye ? kuma in kaza ta harbu, me yafi dace wa suyi? Manufa a nan shine, su gane cewa cutar murar tsuntsaye tana yaduwa ta hanyar sufuri daga gonar da kaji suka harbu zuwa kasuwa, kenan sayen tsuntsaye da akwagi masu ban-sha’awa daga kasuwa akai gida, na iya yada cutar, muddin dai sun harbu da cutar a kasuwa. Babban abinda mahalarta taron suka karu da shi, shine sigar yin tambayoyi ga kwararru don samun sahihin amsa, dabarun kwakulo labarai daga mahukunta da maaikatan gwamnati, wadan da basu son hira da manema labarai. Wannan ya kara taimakawa wajan gaggauta fadakar da jama’a game da abinda ka’iya cutar da su. An kuma gargadi ‘yan Jarida, da kada su dauka su kwararru ne don suna da masaniya game da ko wace irin cutuka. Abu na karshe shine dai-daita labarai, ma’ana – a sanar da bullar cuta, inda ta bulla, wadanda ta sha, illarta ga al’uma da kuma matakan da hukuma ta dauka don magance lamarin duk cikin ruhoto guda. |
VOA organizes meeting to discuss Avian Flu prevention program This agency, the parent organization for Voice of America, supported efforts at preventing the spread of avian influenza by organizing courses at 6 centers in Africa last month, January 2007. Three of the training centers are in Nigeria, in the cities of Kano, Abuja, and Lagos. Director of International Media Training Joan Mower, who was in charge of the training program, said the goal of organizing this training for Nigerian journalists on avian influenza in Africa was to further educate them on this new disease. She said that because of the importance of public information in countries where avian influenza has appeared, it has become crucial to equip journalists with adequate knowledge about the disease, and methods of sharing life-saving information with the public without frightening or worrying them. The course included lectures on the history of avian influenza, its origins, and how it spreads among birds. Workshop participants were informed that the disease could spread from birds to pigs or humans. This is especially troubling since it kills immediately and spreads rapidly through the community, unless professional steps are taken to prevent the disease from spreading. An interesting feature of the course was the presence of two well-known journalists: Dan Rutz, former health affairs correspondent on international television—that is CNN from The U.S.—who now works at the U.S. center for disease research and control [Centers for Disease Control]; and Mr. Sunday Dare, the chief of Voice of America's Hausa-language service. Both of them presented papers on new strategies and methods of enlightening the public about terrible and rapidly-spreading diseases and how to gather information from The public. As for doctors, there was the well-known veterinarian, Dr. Shehu Bawa, who is the deputy director for the Kano state committee on preventing the spread of animal diseases and also a doctor who is an expert on the topic of disease. They presented lectures on the situation and ways for the campaign to be successful. During the last course, the journalists in attendance at each center were brought to the poultry market to interview chicken merchants. Most questions focused on where the chickens were purchased, whether their health was checked at the market, whether the merchants knew the signs of avian influenza, and if a chicken was infected, what was the most appropriate action to take. The goal here was for them to understand that avian influenza spreads by transporting poultry to market from farms where they have been infected, and that purchasing exotic birds and ducks to bring home can spread the disease, if they have been infected by the disease in the market. The main feature that benefited workshop attendees was the opportunity to question experts in order to obtain real answers and strategies for extracting information from government officials and employees who don't like being interviewed by reporters. This would further assist in quickly enlightening the public as to what they could do about the disease. The journalists were also warned not to consider themselves experts with knowledge on every kind of disease. The final point dealt with accurate information—that is, announcing the presence of the disease, where it has appeared, whom it will affect, the danger to the community, and steps taken by officials to confront the situation, all in a single report. |
Glossary
| Hausa | English Meaning |
|---|---|
| taron bita | "Discussion meeting," "information meeting," "workshop" |
| cutar murar tsuntsaye | "Avian flu" |
| kwasa-kwasai | "Courses" or "lectures" (singular is _kwas_, from the English "course") is equivalent to _horo_ (training). |
| cibiyoyin bada horon | "Training centers" |
| manema labarai | "Journalists" |
| na kasa-da-kasa | "International" |
| ilimatar da | "Educate," "teach" |
| wayar da kan jama’a | "Sensitizing the public" |
| sahihiyar hanyar watsa labarai | "An effective news dissemination strategy" |
| masu sosa rai | "Emotional," "disturbing" |
| mafi muni a ciki | "Worst of all" |
| kwararan matakan hana yaduwar cutar | "Strong measures against the spread of the disease" |
| hana yaduwar cutar Dabbobi | "Preventing the spread of animal diseases" |
| kasuwar kaji | "Poultry market" |
| masu sayar da kaji | "Chicken retailers" |
| alamomin cutar murar tsuntsaye | "Avian flu symptoms" |
| mahalarta taron | "Meeting participants," "attendees" |
| dabarun kwakulo labarai | "News collection strategies" |
| dai-daita labarai | "News report organization" |
| sabuwar cuta | "New disease" |
| tarihin cutar | "History of the disease" |
| asalinta | "Its origin" |
| yadda take yaduwa | "How it spreads" |
Notes
1. The report was broadcast by the Voice of America (VOA), the official international broadcasting service of the United States federal government and one of the largest multi-media news-gathering organizations in the world. Its primary task is to inform the world about the United States, its policies and its people. As one of the most cited primary sources of news in the world, VOA regularly gives training to journalists in developing countries not only on journalism, but also on social issues such as health, gender, environment, etc.
2. Avian Flu is one of the latest diseases that the world has come to know in the last three years. Pockets of infection have been found in Asia and Africa. As a "new" disease, it has been at the center of many news broadcasts on international radio stations such as the Voice of America, who have led training sessions on this "new" disease to journalists around the world.
http://www.ringsurf.com/online/2203-history_of_avian_flu.html
XML
<activity>
<problemset>
<problem>
<stim>Who is this report addressing and why?</stim>
<fdbk>This report is addressing Voice of America listeners in order to instruct them on the activities of Voice of America abroad and on the Avian Flu.</fdbk>
<hint>Consider the source of this report. Please refer to the Notes for more information about the source.</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<stim>What is the major goal of the VOA training in Africa?</stim>
<fdbk>The workshop is meant to help journalists understand Avian Flu as a new disease in the world, and in particular in Africa.</fdbk>
<hint>Consider the meaning of expressions "ilimantar da" and "sabuwar cuta". Refer to the Glossary for more information.</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<stim>Why is it important for journalists in Africa to understand Avian Flu?</stim>
<fdbk>It is important for journalists to understand Avian Flu so that, once they obtain a fuller knowledge of the disease, they are able to find effective ways to report emotional news on the topic without scaring their audience.</fdbk>
<hint>Note the remarks of Joan Mower. Look at the Learn More Notes for more infromation about her. Also check the Learn More Notes for the grammatical use of "wajibi ne ...".</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<stim>What key points did the training focus on for the African journalists?</stim>
<fdbk>The key points that the training focused on are: 1) history and origin of Avian Flu, 2) Its symptoms and its transmission to birds, from birds to animals such as pigs, or to humans, 3) new ways of informing people of terrible and fast spreading diseases and ways to obtain news from people and 4) the spread of Avian Flu from poultry markets to humans.</fdbk>
<hint>Skim the text. Also check Learn More Notes on organization of the text by paragraphs.</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<fdbk>The main idea of the text is to underline the effort of VOA to raise awareness on the spread of bird flu, and the role of journalists as an important source of information and intermediary in sharing information between health professionals, authorities, and populations.</fdbk>
<stim>What is the main idea of the text?</stim>
<hint>Consider the purpose of VOA and its goals as an organization. Refer to the Notes for more information.</hint>
</problem>
</problemset>
<instr type="eng">Read each question and type your response in the box provided. Click CHECK at the bottom of the screen to view the model response.</instr>
<instr type="target" />
<bgnotes>
<bg>
<category>Background Information</category>
<note>1. Nigeria is often referred to as "The West African Giant" because of its leading position in the region, mainly economically and demographically. Also, the highest numbers of Voice of America Africa correspondents are located in Nigeria. The cities of Kano (most populated Hausa city in the north), Lagos (former capital) and Abuja (current capital) are well known for their large populations and for hosting various international organization headquaters. As a result, it is not surprising that 3 of the 6 centers where the VOA organized training on Avian Flu for African journalists were in Nigeria, one in each of the above mentioned cities.</note>
</bg>
<bg>
<category>Culture</category>
<note>1. Joan Mower: Communications Coordinator of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), effective Jan. 7, 2002. The BBG supervises the broadcasting activities of the Voice of America (VOA), Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), and its grantees, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio Free Asia (RFA).
As Communications Coordinator, Ms. Mower is the Board’s chief advisor and primary representative in all areas of external relations, including media relations and external constituent relations. She works with the broadcasting entities to promote, enhance and reinforce U.S. international broadcasting.
2. Dan Rutz serves as Enterprise Communications Officer for the Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases and as Special Assistant for Communications to the Director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA. His primary focuses are emerging infectious diseases and bio-terrorism issues. In addition to serving as a communications lead for outbreak response, Rutz is involved in developing communications strategy as an integral component of crisis preparedness. To that end, he is involved with the World Health Organization (WHO) initiative to establish an international standard for outbreak risk communication, and is assisting in the development of the WHO pandemic influenza response plan, as well as counterpart plans for CDC and HHS. To the extent that NCID is most commonly the lead CDC component to respond to acute public health events, Rutz is experienced in coordinating the Agency’s communications response through CDC’s Emergency Communications System (ECS), which has played key roles in the management of the influenza vaccine shortage, West Nile virus, SARS, and monkey pox.
3. Sunday Dare is the Chief of the Voice of America’s (VOA) Hausa-language service, which broadcasts to an estimated audience of 6 million listeners per week, principally in Nigeria.
Prior to his appointment, Dare completed a one-year Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University in June 2001. In addition, under a 1998 Freedom Forum Fellowship, he was a visiting scholar at New York University’s School of Journalism. While participating in these fellowships, Dare served as a columnist and correspondent for the Nigerian paper The Nation from 1998 until 2001.
4. Dr. Shehu Bawa, Famous Nigerian Veterinarian and Disease Expert, currently Kano State Deputy Director of the Anti-animal disease spread in Nigeria.</note>
</bg>
<bg>
<category>Grammar</category>
<note>1. The expression _wajibi ne_ (it is necessary that ...), which can be found in the second paragraph of the text, this is used at the beginning of a subordinate or independent clause that is attached to a main clause that starts with such expressions as _idan..._ (if...), _Muddin..._ (as long as, so far as, if...). In this case, the structure of the complex sentence will look something like _Muddin..., wajibi ne...._ (so long as ..... then it is necessary that). The complex sentence in this case expresses a cause/effect phenomenon. In this particular case (paragraph 2), the sentence can mean "She said [that], so long as one needs to sensitize people in countries where there is an outburst of Avian Flu, then it becomes necessary that journalists receive full knowledge on the disease and [information] on the best ways of broadcasting emotional news without scaring and disturbing the populace."</note>
</bg>
<bg>
<category>Text Organization</category>
<note>1. This text is organized in paragraphs that each deal with specific information; the first, second, and third paragraphs introduce what the training is about (and to whom it was given) and highlight its aim and objectives. The fourth paragraph mentions the method of transmission of Avian Flu, while the fifth paragraph focuses on the important internationally known experts who gave presentations at the training. The sixth reports on the presence of Dr. Shehu Bawa, a famous veterinarian in Kano state (Nigeria), and his presentation, while the last paragraph reports on field trips that the attendees took.</note>
</bg>
</bgnotes>
</activity>