There was a time I used to wonder how the
New Vision Newsroom would look like; was there really space big enough to house
household names like Timothy Bukumunhe, Keturah Kamugasa, Jamesa Wagwau, Mildred
Apenyo, Lilian Barenzi, Esther Namugoji, Ernest Bazanye among others all under
one roof? That is like saying Michelangelo, da Vinci and Raphael could have sat
at the same table to break bread at some point in their lives. Scandalous to
even think about.
Seems I was right. I didn’t see Bukumunhe
or Barenzi or Bazanye although I had the pleasure of shaking the strong manly
hand of Jamesa Wangwau and I wasn’t disappointed. He fills up the room with his
presence and his signature laugh is a thunderclap. He is taller and larger than
I figured him to be. I found that I
couldn’t take my eyes off his signature sideburns.
Esther Namugoji is as sweet and humorous as
I imagined her to be. She took us round
the New Vision Newsroom and introduced us (Freelance Writing students sponsored
by Centre for African Cultural Excellence) to the Editors and journalists who
break sweat everyday over the successful publication of issue after issue of
New Vision that legitimises your office space.
The atmosphere, much to my surprise was
rather laid-back and hip---not with all the graffiti adorning the walls. The entire
newsroom ran smoothly like a well-oiled machine. I suppose that would have been
the image I would have had of how a Newsroom would have looked like, had I any
idea how one would look like. I drunk in the atmosphere with hungry eyes and it
tasted good.
Between July and August 2013, CACE held a
six-week freelance writing course at Makerere University. As part of the
project, the select ten students (I inclusive) toured the New Vision Newsroom
so as to see first-hand, the process involved in the publication of news
material. We also got a chance to be introduced to Editors and Journalists with
whom we could build a rapport to further our freelance writing careers. All in
all, one has to say that this was a very successful endeavour.
