Yassin Juma reports from the rebel territory (NTV)

“Most think the OLF documentary was the series of the year, and it has been the talk of the town everywhere you go in Kenya, in the parliament, on the streets, mosques and churches, coffee houses, you name it.” -Yassin Juma

Yassin Juma is a Kenyan reporter working with NTV, a popular television station in Kenya. In Kenya, he’s known for his excellent reporting on the conflicts in Somalia, among other areas of coverage. Late July 2009, NTV started promoting Yassin Juma’s upcoming documentary titled “Inside the Rebel Territory – the Oromo Liberation Front.” Soon after that, the documentary about his epic journey into the rebel territory in southern Ethiopia gave rise to an epic diplomatic row between Ethiopia and Kenya with the former demanding to silence the series, and to an epic show of solidarity for free press from across the globe.

The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), an organization that has been fighting against the rulers of Ethiopia and for the self-determination of the Oromo nation since the mid-1970’s, was the subject of Yassin Juma’s documentary. With the goal of telling about the “shadowy” OLF rebels for the first time, Juma chronicles his 2-week stay in the rebel territory in the documentary. The controversy surrounding the documentary has revealed to the world, once again, the undemocratic and repressive nature of the Ethiopian regime.

Hell-bent to hide the truth about OLF, authorities in Ethiopia, where independent press has long been shut down and closed, made frantic moves to stop Kenya’s NTV from broadcasting the documentary. However, the Kenyan media group refused to meet Ethiopia’s demand. Even the Kenyan government sided with Ethiopian authorities after citing Kenya’s “national interest” of business and diplomacy was at stake.

The events took yet another turn when the OLF faction led by Mr. Dawud Ibsaa discredited the documentary saying it was not “OLF’s.” As presented in the documentary, Yassin Juma worked with the OLF faction led by General Kemal Gelchu.

Delayed by a couple of days, but never completely silenced – and under extreme controversies, NTV finally aired the 4-part documentary – much to the delight of those standing up for free press in the Horn of Africa.

Gadaa.com talked to journalist Yassin Juma about his experience working on this documentary, and its aftermath. The conversation is presented below.

Gadaa.com: Who was the audience for the OLF documentary?

Yassin Juma (YJ): I have been doing stories that are relevant to our region, and this one was no different. It was first meant for the Kenyan audience, including the Oromo refugees and the Oromo Diaspora. I scripted the documentary to ensure the rest of the world would also find it relevant. I think anyone would watch “Inside Rebel Territory” as the struggle in Oromia, and lifestyle of rebels is universal – whether it’s in Colombia or Yemen or Chechnya. It has been so before and after Che Guevara.

Gadaa.com: What was the goal of the documentary?

YJ: My goal was to demystify OLF.

Gadaa.com: Do you feel you have accomplished what you set out to do?

YJ: Yes, it did. I was able to tell the untold story of the struggle despite the challenges and outrage from the Addis administration and my government. The reaction it had, both locally and internationally, tells it all.

Gadaa.com: How have some of the audiences reacted to the documentary? Besides the Ethiopian government.

YJ: I heard this story about an Oromo refugee in Nairobi’s Kariobangi neighbourhood; he crashed his television a week before the documentary went on air just because his TV set was not receiving NTV clearly … just an example of the enthusiasm that was shown by the Oromo community in Kenya that followed the documentary religiously regardless of which [OLF] faction they backed.

I think the majority saw this as a historic and journalistic milestone. A few, though, were stuck in the political differences within OLF – forgetting my mission was just to tell the untold struggle to the world and the simple life of fighters in the bush like Gurache and Falimatu.

Well, for so called “national interest” – business and diplomacy – and the fact that our crew could easily sneak into Ethiopia; it was a bit uncomfortable for the Kenyan government as it showed a major security lapse on its border. A cabinet meeting had to be convened twice and, in both instance, it decided that the story should not go on air. The President and the Prime Minister backed the decision to have the series “killed” – as we say in the media . But then again, Kenya has free press and our [NTV] board decided to air the documentary.

Well, for the rest of Kenyans, there has been an overwhelming reaction … they were seeing for the first time footage they had never seen before; the OLF had been demystified. They got to understand why the Oromos fled their country. Most think the OLF documentary was the series of the year, and it has been the talk of the town everywhere you go in Kenya, in the parliament, on the streets, mosques and churches, coffee houses, you name it.

I am also told, in Oromia, people are making long lines just to watch the documentary in Cybercafes!

Gadaa.com: Was it a right thing to announce the airing of the documentary since the advertisement has reached some unintended audience?

YJ: Was it right to advertise it before? Yes and no.

- Yes, because when I stepped out of the bush, I knew I had story that would linger in the minds of many for many years to come … We had to promote it way before I edited it; I don’t think many knew that, but we wanted as many viewers to watch as possible, and yes, indeed many kept on asking when it would run.

- No, because of the early protest from the Ethiopian government and pressure from my government. I edited the documentary under a lot of pressure and security concerns, not for myself only, but also for my tapes!

Gadaa.com: Should Oromo Diaspora expect DVD releases of the OLF documentary? Will this be in its “original” form or in the “altered” form that is now available on YouTube? Or even a screening tour with you?

YJ: I am sorry, but I don’t think there will be a “release” of the DVD, not quite, because I am not a freelance journalist; NTV has the rights to the documentary, and whatever is gotten from the documentary goes to my media station, not me.

Oromo in the Diaspora should not expect a release, but at the request of many Oromo in the Diaspora, I intend to showcase most of the footage I was unable to show because of time constraints here. The raw footage takes them through the lifestyle in the bush, and without forgetting, there is plenty of war-songs by the rebels. I am compiling them, and they will soon be on YouTube … very entertaining. I am planning to make a tour to the US and other countries.

At this point, I think it will only be fair to clarify that there had not been “original” or “altered” version because, even at the time the promotion was on air, I had not edited the documentary. But, I can say we did as much as possible to be professionals by considering all journalistic ethics, especially trying not to be one-sided that’s why we had to include the Eritrean ambassador, the Ethiopian statement. It was my name on the line, and i had to be fair as a journalist – giving chance to all sides to be heard. The Ethiopian government, however, declined an interview.

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Gadaa.com would like to thank Yassin Juma for taking time from his busy schedule for this interview.

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Yassin Juma was also a guest at the PalTalk room: “Mana Marii Tokkummaa Ummata Oromoo.” Here’s that conversation (courtesy of VoiceOfOromia.com):

* Read also – Media Watchdog Groups React to the Silencing of Kenya’s NTV