The featured image used in this blog of me and Rehobot Ayalew was taken at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Zambia after the first day of the DCN Africa Launch. Rehobot Ayalew is an Ethiopian independent fact-checker and consultant.
For me, if I am not mistaken, this was my first time meeting somebody from Ethiopia.As a storyteller, Ethiopia has always been a country that fascinates me with its rich history and culture, among the many fascinating stories I have read about Ethiopians, is their resistance against the Italians in the fight against colonialism, in the Battle of Adwa. DCN Global brought African countries together in one hall, and it gave me the opportunity to connect, interact, and build lasting relationships with some of the people I met. Unlike me, Rehobot Ayalew has come across Sierra Leoneans in the past. In fact, Rehobot Ayalew was in Sierra Leone before the elections to train journalists on Fact Checking. Not only was she in my country’s capital city, but she also experienced our culture and beautiful places. Rehobot Ayalew showed me beautiful pictures she took at the beaches, Big Market, and other places. ‘I love the beaches,’ she told me.
At the event, Rehobot spoke on “fact-checking during conflicts“ at the DCN Global Africa launch forum in Lusaka
It was during the launch that I had the opportunity to have a chat with Rehobot Ayalew at the restaurant. We were both in the same queue, waiting for our turn to serve ourselves. After we collected our food, we both went to the restaurant and sat at a table together. Rehobot Ayalew shared with me how she enjoyed the sessions, the people she interacted with, and even the performance by the Zambia cultural group. If there is anything that I enjoyed the most during my stay in Zambia, it was the dinner event with the Zambia Cultural group who performed for us. They showed us. I promise to tell you more about the cultural dance in my subsequent blogs.
Rehobot Ayalew is an independent fact-checker and consultant collaborating with different local and international organizations. She is the founder of Niqu Ethiopia, a media consultancy firm focusing on countering information disorder and enhancing media literacy.
Previously she worked as a lead fact-checker at one of the local fact-checking initiatives, HaqCheck/ Inform Africa.
Additionally, she is also a host on a youth dialogue show, MC at different media events, keynote speaker, moderator for discussion and more.
DCN Global is a multi-disciplinary community of digital professionals and emerging leaders organized as a social enterprise. Our global community seeks solutions addressing the challenges to democracy.