Caribbean journalists launch crowdfunding for colleagues hit by Hurricane Irma

A crowdfunding campaign has gotten underway in the Netherlands to bring aid to journalists and other media workers in Caribbean countries affected by Hurricane Irma. While it focuses primarily on journalists in the Dutch territory of St. Maarten that was hit hardest by the hurricane, the initiative is part of a wider effort launched last week by the Association of Caribbean Mediaworkers (ACM).

The Category 5 hurricane, which ravaged the islands with near-record, sustained 185mph winds, battered an estimated 1.2 million people. Irma cut a devastating path through the region; the scale of destruction was steep. Anguilla, Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, St. Martin / St. Maarten, the US Virgin Islands, and Turks and Caicos were hardest hit, with up to 99% of structures at least partly damaged. (CNN)

ACM President Wesley Gibbings said the campaign “is the least we can do at a time like this to ensure there are functioning media operatives in the islands most affected by the hurricane.” He said the ACM is focusing on Anguilla, Barbuda, BVI, Turks and Caicos and St Martin/Sint Maarten, where an assessment of the professional/equipment needs of media workers is being conducted, while fundraising is getting underway to deliver relief to those in need.

ACM members Anika Kentish (Antigua), Raynier Maharaj (Canada) and Marvin Hokstam (Netherlands), are planning and fund-raising activities of the campaign with support from the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC). Hokstam, a former journalist for the island’s The Daily Herald, who runs afrocentric platform AFRO Magazine in Amsterdam, is undertaking initiatives in Europe on behalf of Sint Maarten.

Under the auspices of foundation YouToday that focuses on more diversity in the Dutch media, he has meanwhile launched the crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe; the target is to collect at least 10,000 euros for mediaworkers in the Caribbean.

“There’s fellow journalists I know back home in St. M Island residents were invited to charge their phone and use the wifi at The Daily Herald. Photo Alita Singh aarten who have lost everything during Irma. Their homes, cars, cameras, computers and so on are gone, but these people are out there already bringing updates and news to their communities. They’re doing what journalists do best in these situation, placing the story first. But of course, as we often also do, without thinking of themselves,” Hokstam said.

He marveled at the spirit of The Daily Herald newspaper, that has not been able to print a single newspaper since the hurricane’s passing, but that has since become a beacon of light, opening its doors to its journalists who lost their homes and inviting residents to come charge their phones and use free Wifi. “There’s hundreds of people there every day, jumping at the opportunity to contact their concerned families and friends abroad. That’s amazing journalistic devotion and community spirit right there. The pride I feel for being able to call that place my former journalistic home is indescribable. Which is also why I fullheartedly support the initiative of the ACM; like Wesley said: it’s the least we can do.”

He hopes that the journalism community in the Netherlands and wider Europe will come to the aid of fellow journalists on the island. “It is heartwarming to see how the entire community of the Netherlands has come together to raise funds for fellow kingdom citizens in St. Maarten. I hope that individual journalists, journalism organizations and institutions in Europe will help their brothers and sisters overseas to face their plight.”

Help does not have to be monetary. “ACM wants to help the affected journalists resume their work; in many cases these are freelancers who depend for their income on the equipment that they lost. To anyone who wants to donate equipment: it is welcome,” said ACM President Wesley Gibbings.

Crowdfunding voor

Comments are closed

IN DE PERS

Welternaehrung

I was approached to write an article for the online journal Welternaehrung in Germany, that dealt with migration and I slipped in some of my views on how Governments should take responsibility.
And I took advantage of the opportunity to express how proud I still am with Amsterdam Zuidoost where adults banned together so the -mostly migrant- young people from the neighborhood, did not participate in violent and ignorant conspiracy driven anti-COVID-measure riots that shook the Netherlands a few weeks ago.
The Germans then translated my views to German.

Ich bin stolz darauf, dass ich dazu aufgefordert wurde

Voice of African Migrants

Two weeks ago I spoke briefly at a GFMD webinar on migration and racism. I spoke about my work with AFRO Magazine and Weekend College. Next thing you know, a journalist in Nigeria tells me he wants to interview me for the Voice of African Migrants. Honored to be featured by them.

“How did the developed world become the developed world?”

OneWORLD

Op 1 juli vieren we dat de kolonisator zich bewust werd van de menselijkheid van zwarte mensen, stelt Marvin Hokstam. “Ik heb niks met Keti Koti.”

OneWORLD

Het maakt niet uit of Ron Jans een ‘goeie vent’ is, zijn gedrag moet worden veroordeeld, schrijft Marvin Hokstam. ‘Het is best mogelijk om stil te worden tijdens je bezoek aan Robbeneiland én een blinde vlek te hebben voor racistisch taalgebruik.’

NUJ

Marvin comments in the upcoming issue of the union’s magazine:

“This is about journalists being aware that the way they approach a subject is how it is perceived by their communities. The fact that there is still debate about this in 2019 is concerning, especially when journalists and newspapers appear to take sides in favour of those supporting black Piet.

NLTimes

The motion passed by the British journalists’ union originated from the NUJ Black Members Council, on the initiative of Marivn Hokstam, Founder and Managing Editor of the Dutch publication Afro Magazine. Hokstam is a member of the Dutch branch of the NUJ.

Zwarte Piet is Racisme.nl

Journalisten die verslag doen van het zwarte Pietendebat dienen zich te houden aan de journalistieke regel dat “van journalisten geen materiaal dient te komen dat discriminatie op basis van ras en kleur bevordert”. Dit staat in een motie die vandaag werd aangenomen door de National Executive Council (NEC) van de Britse Unie van Journalisten NUJ in London. De motie was aangezwengeld door Marvin Hokstam, uitgever van AFRO Magazine, in reactie op wat hij onethische verslaggeving over de zwarte piet demonstranten door Nederlandse journalisten noemde.

Guava

Marvin Speaks – A conversation with Marvin Hokstam

ParBode

Marvin Hokstam, opgegroeid “in een klein dorp in Suriname, op de rand van het oerwoud”, zoals hij het zelf lyrisch uitdrukt, is journalist, schrijver, publicist en communicatieconsultant. Hij begon als student journalistiek aan de AHKCO in Suriname, en behaalde in Engeland een postgraduate degree in mediastudies. Tegenwoordig is hij in Nederland actief als schrijver en uitgever van het online platform AFRO Magazine, en als projectleider van het onderwijsondersteuningsproject Weekend College van Amsterdam-Zuidoost.

721-News election to NUJ/BMC

Former The Daily Herald journalist Marvin Hokstam has been elected to the Black Members Council of the British National Union of Journalists. After he shared news of this on his Facebook page last week, we asked him about it.

Interview door Socialisme.nu

Marvin Hokstam is redacteur van het Afro Magazine. Al vijfentwintig jaar is hij een journalist die schrijft over onderwerpen die de internationale Afrogemeenschap aangaan. Hij sprak met Mark Kilian over de nasleep van de Caribische orkanen, koloniaal racisme en climate justice.

Opiniestuk in Parool

Een museum over zwarte geschiedenis moet geschiedenis, emoties en nuances vertellen vanuit een zwart perspectief, schrijft Marvin Hokstam.