Osei Asibey champions women's control of sports narrative
African female sports journalists have been urged to take ownership of women sports in order to promote and narrate it from their perspective, in order to move beyond traditional biases which have hindered women sports from reaching the level of prestige and commercial viability as men’s sports.
Speaking at the 8th African Sports Journalists Association (AIPS) Africa Congress in Banjul, Gambia on Saturday where Ghana's Minister of Sports, Kofi Iddie Adams had cautioned African media professionals to uphold credibility and responsible reporting, General Secretary of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), Charles Osei Asibey advocated for a radical shift in the media’s approach to women’s sports on the continent.
He emphasized that the low viability of women's sports on the continent is a systemic failure within the African press and highlighted proactive steps taken by SWAG to lead by example, with three women on the executive body in addition to other intitiatives to integrate women into its core activities. Women, he said, must be influential in shaping the narrative of Ghanaian and African sports.
The SWAF scribe urged media houses across the continent to implement policies that incentivize the coverage of women’s sports and individual female stars.
"Without a deliberate editorial focus on women, the African sports story remains incomplete and economically undervalued. African media must implement policies that incentivize coverage of women's sports," Mr Asibey said.
"Without targeted educational initiatives and mentorship programs, the gap between male and female sports writers will continue to widen, making it harder for women to claim their rightful place in the industry," he affirmed.
Mr Asibey identified political, religious, ethnic and educational barriers as factors that continue to create an invisible ceiling that has disadvantaged women's drive to succeed in traditional men's dominated press boxes.
He also tackled the paradox of lack of extensive coverage by women journalists of women, and he decried that even when women enter the profession, they often gravitate toward covering men’s dominated sports or high-profile male athletes to gain professional "legitimacy."
"This trend leaves women’s sports even further neglected, as the very people who could offer the most nuanced perspectives are looking elsewhere," Osei Asibey said.
"I challenge female sports writers to take ownership of the women’s sports because they can provide the depth and empathy required to tell these stories authentically," he said.
