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Author Biography: Cheryl Oates

Returning to Africa has been a goal of Cheryl's since she visited Mozambique in 2008. She traveled to the southeast coast to work on a community development project and returned home with a new found appreciation for the Dark Continent and the people who inhabit it. Cheryl has spent the last few years working as a television news producer, videographer and anchor in Alberta, Canada. She feels Journalists for Human Rights is providing her an amazing opportunity to return to Africa and apply her formal training and experience. "My goal is to get as much out of this 6 month adventure as I put into it," Oates says. "I'm excited to witness the kind of changes that can come about through media in Ghana". Cheryl Oates is currently working as a Media Rights Education Officer at the African University College of Communications.

The Road to Wli

In Blog, Educational Internships, Ghana, IYIP Educational Officer, Uncategorized,
by Cheryl Oates November 23, 2011

The view was absolutely worth the climb. In early November, a group of 6 of us set out to take on Wli Waterfall- perhaps the most sought out tourist site in Ghana. We rolled into town around 4 o’clock. Much to our disappointment, it was pouring rain, so we decided to postpone our visit to [...]

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Social Media and the Power to Create Change In Ghana

In Blog, Ghana, IYIP Rights Media Internships, Media Internships, Uncategorized,
by Cheryl Oates October 20, 2011

“We live in a global society. Whether we like it or not, we’re connected. “ Michelle Newlands – a Canadian intern working for Journalists for Human Rights – waved her hands emphatically as she spoke to a room filled with Ghanaian youth, media and human rights educators. “We trade together. We work together. We live [...]

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Finding God In Ghana

In Blog, Ghana, IYIP Educational Officer, Media Internships,
by Cheryl Oates October 20, 2011

I was already sweating as I darted through the path of cars and tro-tros whizzing down Labadi Beach Road. I was in an appreciative mood thanks to the warm sunshine on my face, and the sound of sing-song humming coming from women dressed in impossibly tailored dresses as they made their way to church. I [...]

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A Lesson in Liberty at Cape Coast Castle

In Uncategorized,
by Cheryl Oates September 21, 2011

The feeling of dark, crowded, stale air is a breath I won’t forget. The slave dungeon of Cape Coast Castle is still thick with the memory of the unspeakable treatment of thousands of men and women in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. I made my way through the nearly 4000 year old building, imagining [...]

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White Wedding.

In Blog, Educational Internships, Ghana, IYIP Educational Officer, Uncategorized,
by Cheryl Oates September 19, 2011

I was asked to be a part of a wedding purely based on my skin colour. A teacher at the AUCC; the dean of social science, Osei Piesie happened to catch me on the stairwell leading to my office on a Wednesday. “Cheryl- Did you come to Ghana with a man?” .. now let me [...]

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Ga people Hoot at Hunger

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In Uncategorized,
by Cheryl Oates September 8, 2011

In a country steeped in ancient tradition- festivals and celebrations are pretty well the norm in Accra. It seems the people of Ghana will take any opportunity they can to throw a party. Recently Homowo was celebrated in the streets of James Town, Accra. The Ga people celebrate abundance each year through the  festival which [...]

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Single In Accra

In Uncategorized,
by Cheryl Oates August 22, 2011
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“Are you married?” It’s the questions I have become accustomed to hearing everytime I hop into a taxi alone in Accra. “No- I’m not married” I tell the driver- which usually sparks a debate over my life plans and goals that spans that entirety of my journey to work/home. It doesn’t stop at marriage though. [...]

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