By Mua
Patrick Mughe in Yaounde
The emblematic presenter and vision bearer of one of CRTV’s flagship programmes, Globewatch,
Charles Ebune has emerged Cameroon’s most daring journalist for the year 2015.
The exceedingly intelligent journalist who has served Cameroon’s state
broadcaster, CRTV for over half a
decade was crowned at an event Saturday June 18 in Kumba organised by The Scoop media group.
It was the director of Administration and Finance of the
Kumba city council, personal representative of Kumba government delegate,
Victor Nkelle Ngoh, who handed the award to Charles Ebune amidst thunderous
applause.
Even before receiving his award, the Publisher /editor of The Scoop newspaper, Larry Esong Akang
had said Charles Ebune who was one time presenter of “The World This Week”- a
current affairs programme, emerged winner following an online poll conducted by
The Scoop newspaper in 2015.
In an acceptance remark, Charles Ebune thanked organisers of
the annual award which was in its second edition, describing the distinction as
a feat that encourages him to thrive on.
 |
|
|
“For anybody who has watched Globewatch for the past four
years, they will agree that we are the most innovative on Cameroonian
television on the basis that Globewatch is the programme in the history of
television in the world which has done a programme entirely in a year without
repeating a guest and without having a former guest on the set, that was in
2014” said Ebune who has received high level personalities both national and
international on his Globewatch programme.
About what he thinks might have heralded Saturday’s award,
the erudite TV presenter told The Cameroon
watch: “I think that the fact that we have been handling issues without
looking at the political, economic and social class of our guests makes us
unique. You can remember that we had the director general of CRTV and I had to ask him why the French
newscast is always longer than the English language version. We equally asked
him what was the necessity of having six channels when CRTV is unable to run a single channel...”
He continued: “You can also remember that we had the
managing director of the international monetary fund at the time when she was
going through a legal process of being ejected from the IMF; we asked her how
long she was going to stay at the IMF when she has legal wranglings in France.”
For over four years that he been host of the TV show,
Charles Ebune says they have been capable of bridging the gap between national
and international audiences, which according to him, is what makes Globewatch
unique.
He said last weekend’s award only encourages them to continue
to challenge people in authority to be accountable to the people they are
called upon to serve. “We have been very courageous in delivering our messages
and probably its time we tell our own national leaders, maybe the president,
the prime minister and even the first lady that we are waiting on them to be
guest on Globewatch” added the no-nonsense broadcaster.
Unlike expected that one who has been daring would have been
receiving threats from those he “steps on their toes”, Charles Ebune says his
spell at CRTV has rather attracted messages of congratulations from members of
government and other authorities.
“We have decided and it is irreversible to challenge people
in authority, to let them know that if we are not there, they will not govern
us. I have never received threats from any individual, either from the
government or from my guest. We have rather received congratulations from the
government and from my guests. There may be some elements of frustration with
some of my colleagues in CRTV that
maybe, why is it that it is Charles Ebune doing it and not them, but you see
that is part of life” he said further.
His
bitter past
Charles Ebune who holds a degree in journalism and another
in History reportedly suffered victimisation during his early days at CRTV.
“It is regrettable but I have to say it. I used to present the World This Week, and some people
believed that I was too young and too small to present the programme after the
likes of Anne Nsang Nkwain and others” he narrated.
He continued that because of his “tiny” appearance, he was
considered in the news department as a fellow “who can barely fit a television
screen and so I was removed from the news department and sent to the programmes
department. I later created Globewatch,
the name given by Robert Ekukole and Globewatch is the first programme to be
conceived in a week and aired the same week” concluded Ebune who is also 2013
winner of Sonnah awards best
presenter and the British and Canadian high commissions good citizenship awards bearer.
Comments
Post a Comment