African press review 9 January 2015

Some papers in Africa continue to give front-page coverage to the killing of French journalists and police officers in Paris on Wednesday, particularly those who report terrorist attacks in their own country on an almost daily basis.

The Guardian in Nigeria reports a statement from President Goodluck Jonathan, who described the attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo as cruel, gruesome and cowardly.

For the president, the attack on Charlie Hebdo is another manifestation of the depravity and brutality that the world has to contend with in what must become a collective effort by lovers of peace, progress and freedom across the globe to rout the agents of darkness.

Of course Nigeria has its own problems and the Guardian's top story is about agents of darkness closer to home. Scores of people are reported to have been killed in the latest attack by Boko Haram in Borno state in the north of the country. In attack on Wednesday, the Islamist insurgents also kidnapped more women and children.

However, the Guardian questions alarmist media reports that over 2,000 residents of Barga, a town occupied by Boko Haram fighters, were killed while fleeing to Chad and Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

It quotes the the district head of Baga, Al-haji Baba Abba Hassan, who denies that there has been a mass slaughter

The paper's editorial looks not at terrorism but at people's pockets. The planned increase of the Value Added Tax on products, including food items, from five per cent to 10 per cent is yet another indication of the Nigerian government’s predilection for churning out ill-conceived and anti-people’s policies, it concludes.

In Kenya the Daily Nation declares that the terrorists must not win. The massacre in Paris was a mark of extreme provocation intended to silence the media, says the paper.

It reminds readers that 60 journalists were killed last year across the world. But no amount of intimidation and coercion will kill the spirit of journalists and people of goodwill. Such cowardly acts only serve to embolden the resolve to fight for press freedom and elimination of all forms of terrorism.

The Daily News in Egypt says it stands in solidarity with their colleagues in Charlie Hebdo and the families of what it calls "media freedom martyrs". Disagreement on opinions is to be exercised by pens not guns, says the News.

Like many others worldwide, it adopts the slogan "Je suis Charlie."

The Egypt Independent tells readers that the Paris attack reminds Arab cartoonists of the dangers at home.

The paper carries a disturbing report about what happened after Egyptian cartoonist Andeel took to social media to condemn the slaughter of French colleagues.

He received expressions of sympathy. But often they were not for the 12 victims but for the suspected Islamist gunmen.

Andeel was alarmed by the level of backing for the killings at the French weekly, which is known for mocking religion, including Islam. The satirist said he feared voices of moderation were being drowned out because expressions of hate "are always a lot more colourful and loud".

The Charlie Hebdo killings were thousands of kilometres from Cairo and yet reminded Arab cartoonists of the risks they face from those who draw a red line when it comes to criticism of the prophet Mohammed and their faith, the Independent opines.

In South Africa an opinion piece in the Mail and Guardian considers satire. It has always been a minefield, the paper says.

Armed only with humour as a weapon, satire wages a brave but dangerous and, in the case of Charlie Hebdo, a deadly war against censorship.

But censorship now happens in many subtle ways.

The bigger fear is self-censorship, where the fear of violent retaliation mutes the voice and cripples the word.

The popular daily the Sowetan carries a chilling report on how the radio station of the Islamic State group, Al-Bayan, yesterday praised as “heroes” the perpetrators of the attack on Charlie Hebdo.

“Jihadist heroes have killed 12 journalists and wounded more than 10 others, to avenge the Prophet (Mohammed),” said a statement read on Al-Bayan.

In fact, the Sowetan reminds readers, only eight of the dead were journalists.

Also yesterday Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb praised the attackers on its Twitter account, saying “We have avenged the messenger of Allah”.

So what next? The best way to honour those killed in the attack in Paris, the Cape Town Press Club said yesterday, would be to campaign for freedom of expression around the world.

It's hard to take any positives from this story. But that may be one of them.