Maureen Nkandu: Difference between revisions
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==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
She was influenced by her father Faxon Nkandu, former News Editor of the Times of Zambia, and one of very few African journalists to cover the Vietnam War. Out of all of his children, she was the one who showed the most interest in his work. She was nicknamed a reporter both at home and at school because she frequently told on her peers and siblings whenever they did something wrong. At age 11, Maureen read a speech on behalf of all Commonwealth children to the Queen of England and other British and Zambian government leaders at the Commonwealth summit Lusaka. | |||
==Education== | ==Education== | ||
Revision as of 04:49, 1 June 2016
Maureen Nkandu is an Zambian international journalist and communications expert. She began her career at the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) aged 18. She is daughter of veteran journalist and lecturer, Faxon Nkandu, a former News Editor of the Times of Zambia.
Early life
She was influenced by her father Faxon Nkandu, former News Editor of the Times of Zambia, and one of very few African journalists to cover the Vietnam War. Out of all of his children, she was the one who showed the most interest in his work. She was nicknamed a reporter both at home and at school because she frequently told on her peers and siblings whenever they did something wrong. At age 11, Maureen read a speech on behalf of all Commonwealth children to the Queen of England and other British and Zambian government leaders at the Commonwealth summit Lusaka.
Education
Professional career
Capture in Congo DR
t's 1998 in the outskirts of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The commandant, who is now heavily intoxicated with drugs and cheap liquor, grabs Maureen Nkandu by the arm and tells her that he is ready to have a 'good time' with her. Victor, the cameraman, is in tears. He pleads with their aggressor to let her go claiming that Maureen has a terrible disease that makes her shake and sweat all the time. Miraculously, he backs down but minutes later they are locked up in a damp dark cell littered with human faeces.
"I was working for the SABC and had gone to interview Laurent Kabila at the height of the civil war following a rebellion in the east," Maureen recalls as we sit poolside at her Sunninghill residence. "We happened to catch on camera some of his security forces beating up innocent people which is what landed us in trouble."
That evening, the SABC reported on the evening news that its crew was missing in Kinshasa. Shortly after, the BBC picked up the story and before long, it became international news which led to their eventual release and repatriation.
