By Kemo Cham
Sierra Leonean journalists are
mourning the death of one of the country’s best known female journalists.
Manja Parkinson, better known as
Manja Balema Samba, died on Sunday, according to sources.
She was Deputy Station Manager of
the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation in the southern city of Bo.
In a statement attributed to the
management of SLBC and distributed via social media, the Corporation said Mrs
Parkinson had for the past few months gone unusually slow with seldom TV
appearances. It said she felt embattled by ill health but showed no signs of
succombing anytime soon.
“Manjia’s distinctive voice, sense
of humour and hard work are reasons why her memory shall never be extinguished
from our minds,” the statement said.
Manjia joined the former Sierra
Leone Broadcasting Service in 1999. She would later join the United Nations
Radio in 2004 and became part of the SLBC when both entities (UN Radio and
SLBS) were merged.
Manjia is fairly traveled both
within and outside the country, including Europe and the US. She was one of the
African journalists who covered the 2012 US Presidential Elections.
The SLBC statement also described
her as having a friendly and jocular personality “mixed fun and drama with
Broadcast Journalism.”
Some of her colleagues took to
social media to express their condolence.
Amadu Lamarana Bah of Star Radio and
TV described her on facebook as “a dedicated and hardworking journalist who
will not mind breaking through traditions to get her story. She was a role
model to most of us especially her female colleagues.”
Fayia Amara Fayia said: “I have to
miss you for the rest of my life. RIP Manjia Parkinson. [She] was so hard
working and dedicated.”
© Politico 27/07/16
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