*When Georges Budagu Makoko arrived in Maine in 2002, he spoke 5 languages. English was not one in every of them. Discovering his means across the Pine Tree State proved extremely troublesome — there was virtually no credible info on navigating American life for newly arrived Central and East African asylum seekers. So, he determined to turn into the change he wished to see.
As Editor & Writer lately detailed of their function, “How one immigrant newsroom is connecting Maine’s communities,” Makoko’s journey from refugee to writer is a narrative of perseverance and goal. A Banyamulenge creator who fled the Democratic Republic of Congo after the 1994 genocide towards the Tutsi, he took English lessons and labored in inexpensive housing. There, he encountered others escaping the African “Nice Lakes” area’s escalating violence.
“In 2007-2008, because the battle intensified in Congo and Burundi, so many immigrants began coming right here,” Makoko instructed E&P. “They have been asking me for details about housing… different info that I didn’t have. It got here very clear to me that they have been struggling the identical means I struggled.”
His imaginative and prescient discovered an surprising ally in grade-school trainer Kathleen “Equipment” Harrison, whom he met whereas presenting his e book, Ladder to the Moon: A Journey from the Congo to America. She turned out to be the daughter of the late Washington Submit international correspondent Selig Harrison. After greater than a yr of brainstorming — and with steering from Maine writer Reade Brower — Makoko and Harrison co-founded Amjambo Africa.
The title means “phrase” in Kinyarwanda and is a Swahili greeting. The primary version launched on April 1, 2018, in 4 languages: French, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, and English. “I’ll always remember the sensation that I had after I grabbed the primary copy,” Makoko stated.
The Maine Ingredient: Pragmatism Meets Inclusion
Maine is basically rural, overwhelmingly white, and has the nation’s oldest median age. Supporting immigrants isn’t simply altruism — it’s pragmatism. As Makoko famous to E&P, many asylum seekers have been medical doctors, attorneys, and journalists again residence.
“They’re younger, energized, good and gifted, and seeing that potential now being tapped into for workforce improvement that we desperately want right here in Maine.”
Now in its eighth yr, Amjambo Africa calls itself “Maine’s most inclusive newsroom.” It prints in seven languages: French, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Somali, with plans for Arabic. It has reporters throughout Africa and one within the Netherlands.
Interim Chief Editor Éloge Willy Kaneza, a Burundi-born journalist previously with the Related Press and Voice of America, says respect drives the newsroom. “When Equipment resigned and I changed her, I had reporters who’re sometimes English-only, however they by no means regarded down on me as somebody whose [first] language will not be English.”
Assembly the Second: Belief in a Time of Concern
Amjambo Africa has turn into indispensable amid ramped-up federal immigration enforcement beneath the Trump administration. When raids dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day” hit Maine communities, the publication provided a unique perspective from the Fox Information narrative.
“We’ve been in a position to do some tales that possibly couldn’t be finished by different retailers due to who we’re,” Kaneza instructed E&P. “Folks didn’t concern opening their doorways for us, as a result of they see us as their very own.”
The newsroom produced an important know-your-rights information with movies in French, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Spanish, and Lingala, explaining the right way to deal with ICE interactions and acquire authorized assist. Makoko added that the enforcement efforts are retraumatizing asylum seekers who fled violence: “They’ve seen their lives crushed and now are attempting to construct a brand new life right here.”
Trying Forward
As Amjambo Africa transitions with new management — together with an government director for its guardian nonprofit, Ladder to the Moon Community — Kaneza desires to have interaction youthful readers on-line. Makoko goals for even higher inclusivity.
“After I see divisions taking root on this nation, it considerations me as a result of that’s the foundation of the battle that we’ve seen in different international locations,” he instructed E&P. “I all the time hope that we have now a robust justice system, robust economic system and robust society that helps each other.”
This text relies on the reporting of Tandy Lau for Editor & Writer. Learn the unique function right here.
