Abdul Brima

When I got the call to write for the Mail and Guardian, I felt it was too good to be true.

As a journalist studying in a foreign country far away from home, I would have been passive observer of this pandemic had it not being for this opportunity. Our discussions, exchange of ideas and writings have led to us establishing the first WhatsApp newspaper on the continent. I have written stories about prison riots, threats of malaria during COVID-19; political tensions and rising unease amid coronavirus in Sierra Leone. Few journalists will have the privilege to work with an editor like Simon Allison on the African desk at the Mail and Guardian. He has taught me so much. I have written about Senegal, Mauritius, Burundi, and Tanzania and have had the chance to ask questions to leading health experts from WHO, Africa CDC about COVID-19. All these exposures have been enriching and deeply satisfying experience.