By Nonhlanhla Ngwenya
Some interactions change the way we see the world. Sometimes, they do so quietly, not through grand declarations or dramatic moments, but through conversations that challenge long-held assumptions, uncomfortable questions that remain long after the room has emptied, and the collective willingness to admit that perhaps we have not always told the whole story.
From 30 June to 2 July in Kigali, Rwanda, journalists, editors, broadcasters and media development practitioners from across 27 countries in Africa and Asia gathered for the Global Media Seminar organised by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) under the Women and Youth Democratic Engagement (WYDE) Women’s Leadership Initiative.
What unfolded was more than another international conference. It was an opportunity to reflect on journalism itself, its power, its blind spots, and its responsibility in shaping democratic societies where women and men can participate equally and meaningfully.
One sentence stayed with me throughout the seminar.
“We have learned. We have unlearned.”
It was a simple reflection by Annette Ana Camara, President of the Women Journalists Association of The Gambia. Still, it quickly became the thread connecting many of the conversations that unfolded over the following days.
“The past 72 hours have been very intense. We have learned, we have unlearned,” Camara reflected.
Learning is often celebrated. Unlearning, however, is much harder.
For journalists, unlearning requires confronting the invisible biases that influence how stories are selected, framed and told. It requires questioning why women in politics are often introduced through their appearance, family roles or personal lives before their policies, expertise and leadership records are examined.
It requires asking why women leaders are frequently judged against standards that are rarely applied to their male counterparts, why assertive women are often labelled as aggressive, and why leadership qualities in women are sometimes interpreted differently from the same qualities displayed by men.
These were not abstract questions. They were questions directed at us, the media.
Throughout the seminar, participants examined how journalism continues to shape public perceptions of women in politics, leadership and decision-making. Discussions highlighted how discriminatory gender social norms continue to influence political participation, how technology-facilitated gender-based violence is increasingly being used to silence women in public spaces, and how media institutions have a responsibility to report these realities ethically, accurately and without reinforcing harmful stereotypes.
For Camara, meaningful change begins with transforming the mindset of journalists and newsrooms.
“We need a mindset change, in terms of how we frame women in leadership and how we frame women in politics,” she said.
“What is relevant is how we frame them in a very positive light, which speaks about their policies, their agendas and what they offer, not who they are, where they come from, or whether they are competent or not.”
Her comments challenged one of the persistent problems in political reporting: the tendency to reduce women leaders to narratives of identity rather than competence.
Women politicians are often asked questions about balancing family and leadership responsibilities, their personalities, their clothing or their emotional responses, issues that rarely dominate coverage of their male counterparts.
Such patterns do not merely influence public perception; they shape the environment in which women participate in politics.
International IDEA Principal Adviser, Democracy Inclusion, Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu, shifted the conversation away from blaming audiences for women’s political underrepresentation and towards examining the systems that continue to privilege men in leadership spaces.
She challenged one of the most common narratives surrounding women in politics.
“The issue is not underrepresentation of women,” she said. “It is the overrepresentation of men.”
Her reflection highlighted a deeper reality: the absence of women from political spaces is not because women lack capacity, ambition or ability. Rather, it is linked to historical, social and institutional systems that have normalised male dominance in decision-making spaces.
Across the room, similar reflections emerged from different corners of the continent.
For Mabinty Magdalene Kamara, Editor of Politico Newspaper and Vice President of Women in the Media in Sierra Leone, the seminar offered more than ideas; it offered practical pathways for change.
“The past three days have been very resourceful, full of challenging and thought-provoking insights about our work as journalists,” she said.
She reflected on discussions ranging from harmful gender social norms and misogyny to technology-facilitated violence against women, expressing hope that the lessons from Kigali would extend beyond the participants and influence newsrooms across the continent.
“If we actually work with what we have been told and follow it, I think we will have a more transformative society in terms of gender equality.”
One of the seminar’s most tangible outcomes was the collaborative development of a Media Guide designed to support gender-transformative reporting across newsrooms.
Rather than prescribing solutions from the top down, participants drew from their own experiences, challenges and cultural contexts to co-create practical guidance that can support journalists in challenging stereotypes, improving representation and ensuring that women’s voices are reflected more accurately in public discourse.
Kamara believes its impact could extend well beyond those who attended.
“I think that is going to be a powerhouse,” she said. “My only hope is that it spreads across countries and media institutions so that they adopt it and work with it. I think that would be a great game changer for women in leadership positions.”
From South Sudan, journalist Ann Nyang brought another perspective to the discussion.
Reflecting on women’s leadership in her own context, she noted that the conversations in Kigali mirrored challenges faced by many women seeking positions of influence.
“Women are being undermined,” she observed.
Her appeal was straightforward yet powerful: women journalists and women leaders must be encouraged, supported and treated equally with their male counterparts.
The reflections echoed one of the seminar’s strongest messages — changing media narratives is inseparable from strengthening democracy itself.
As one of the lead discussants, I joined conversations on violence against women in politics and the growing threat of technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
Increasingly, online harassment, cyberbullying, coordinated disinformation campaigns and AI-generated deepfakes are being weaponised to intimidate women in public life. These attacks do not simply target individuals; they seek to discourage participation, silence voices and weaken democratic representation.
For women who choose careers in politics, journalism or activism, the digital space has become both an opportunity for participation and a battlefield where gender-based attacks are amplified.
If journalism is to remain relevant in this evolving landscape, it must do more than report these abuses. It must examine the systems, attitudes and power structures that allow them to continue.
It must question who gets visibility, whose voices are amplified, whose experiences are ignored and whose stories are told through the lens of stereotypes.
As the seminar ended, I found myself returning to Camara’s words.
“We have learned. We have unlearned.”
Perhaps that is the true work of journalism.
Not simply telling stories, but constantly questioning how those stories are shaped, whose realities they represent and whether they contribute to a more equal society.
Because the stories we choose to tell about women — and the stories we choose not to tell — have consequences.
And in a world where democracy depends on equal participation, journalism cannot afford to remain neutral in the face of inequality.
