Beyond The Noise With Hannane Ferdjani
Meet the creator of Beyond the Noise, a weekly online news show providing a connected African audience with reliable information pertaining to the continent.
Hannane is a Niger-born Abidjan resident, who has recently completed a competitive Harvard Fellowship, to become one of Africa’s newest trailblazers when it comes to serving fresh and unadulterated news to her multiplying audience.
Beyond The Noise is a weekly online news show which aims to provide a connected African audience with reliable information pertaining to the continent, debunk online circulated conspiracy theories and fake news, and offer insiders' perspectives on stories affecting Africans and the Black diaspora.
In each episode, Hannane Ferdjani, the show's creator and presenter, and her team, go out of their way to deliver fact-based information of regional and continental reach and empower the public to access contextual knowledge thanks to interviews with experts and individuals with first-hand experiences.
At the peak of the global Coronavirus pandemic, African countries geared up to mitigate the spread of the disease on their turf and the increasing dissemination of false information on African social media platforms, the need for trustworthy, well researched and rigorous journalistic content was all the more crucial. Beyond The Noise (BTN) met that need.
A weekly online news show accessible to millennials.
Hannane has chosen Instagram as the platform for her show. An app with an increasingly active and curious audience, which offers a reliable stage to a rich diversity of content such as dance trends & challenges, online activism, and militant movements. Here is a retransmission of the latest episode of Beyond the Noise Live released on November 13, 2020, on the political and security crisis in Ethiopia.. We note that Season One of Beyond the Noise has just ended and we are now waiting for a widely anticipated return of the format. A hiatus is being observed after a strong run of 20 episodes and will hopefully return sometime in 2021.
According to Hannane, none of the roles she was given in the past allowed her to explore such a wide-ranging spectrum of stories in depth and to give African voices the ability to share their firsthand insights, experiences, and knowledge with an African audience.
When asked what inspired her to start Beyond The Noise, Hannane reports that her journalism quest has always been about providing a “better” narrative about Africa.
We at Djellibah, are choosing to interpret this bold statement as a stand against the perpetual and deliberate negative portrayals that Africa has historically endured. Today the world is changing, and so are Africa's storytellers.
Centuries ago, our historians were none other than the famed Griots of Western Africa, who transmitted history, lineage, legends and myths orally.
Today there are ways to ensure that those stories are never lost, and Hannane is one of it’s trailblazers. You might be wondering how she got her start?
In a TEDx Talk filmed on October 10th 2017, in Port-Bouet, Hannane, shared with her audience how she got into Journalism (see link); she also touches on the relatable phenomenon of being labelled or “boxed in” by her peers, or colleagues, and even by her family. After many internships and writing jobs, she got a start at a pan-African news channel co-hosting a morning show. She also demonstrates bravery by sharing her insecurities and her battle with impostor syndrome. Over time, she grew in confidence and sharpened her skill; and when a new challenge arose, she did not back down and engaged, headfirst. Today, we are in the presence of a woman who has moderated debates with heads of states and has networked and interacted with the most prominent journalists of our era through her perpetual effort to grow in expertise. In her own words : “I have strived to constantly hone my skills.”
She took on an International Masters program in Journalism in 2012 which provided her technical foundation as a multimedia journalist, and emboldened her to embark on a new journey with the Nieman Fellowship, of which she is a recent graduate.
Interviewing your own president is an honor for any aspiring Journalist. This photo depicts that very moment for Hannane.
As Covid-19 lingers on and the world is at a standstill on many fronts, Hannane continues to explore innovative ways of covering and reporting about Africa. She has a keen interest in entrepreneurial initiatives and the use of new technologies by communities and individuals across the continent, particularly in Solutions journalism and how to best adapt this form of reporting to emerging African nations.
Let’s play a game. It’s called Find Hannane! Like this article if you can spot her!
Hannane has come this far by continuously pushing boundaries and challenging herself, all the while learning new skills during a pandemic, applying them and giving birth to Africa’s most compelling online weekly news show. Although a hiatus is currently being observed, it is safe to say that BTN has come a long way in its 20 something weeks of existence. As Hannane writes on Nieman Reports:
“From investigating African educational systems to shedding light on innovative projects brought forth by Africans in response to the sanitary crisis to exploring the Black Lives Matter movement’s ramifications on the continent, “Beyond the Noise” has grown and improved and become a trusted source of reporting for a niche audience interested in under-reported stories, fact-based information, and innovative content.” - Hannane Ferdjani
“Being a #workinprogress is good. It’s when we lose our vision, passion and drive that we should really start worrying. ”
The most beneficial aspect of this #eternalstudent mindset is that complacency and stagnation are out of the picture. - Hannane
As this article is being published, Hannane has returned to the continent, from completing her Fellowship and has covered the Cote d’Ivoire Elections, while having just been named as the editor-in-chief of an upcoming infotainment women-centric daily show, airing between the lunchtime slot of 11:40 AM and 12:40 PM GMT, in her new town, Abidjan.
The name of the Show which airs on NCI (La Nouvelle Chaîne Ivoirienne) is : “Les Femmes d’Ici” , or the Women from here.
When the Djellibah staff exchanged with Hannane lastly, she related that she is excited about the new show, as it is completely different than what she has done before, which was very news-focused. In “Les Femmes d’Ici” there will be an element of news to it, but they will have more entertainment aspects to it. The show will discuss women, careers vs. personal life balance, a lot of mental health, fashion, a variety of different things, which she thinks can be very exciting and different, so quite the challenge for her. NCI, hopes the show can represent the diversity and plurality of women from Cote d’Ivoire, but also from Africa as a whole, it will emphasize the versatility, resilience, and plurality of African women. The message is: Women are not a monolith. Hopefully, they will succeed!
Hannane’s answers to the Djellibah Questions:
1- What is your dream for Africa?
I have several dreams for Africa, so this one is tough. But, first and foremost, it’s seeing all of our nations achieving measurable, tangible inclusive development, which means development that will not only translate into GDP growth but actual wealth distribution. That will trickle down evenly to all groups - both in urban and rural areas - so that people can live decent lives and work in decent conditions, so they can contribute to fulfilling our collective African dream, through the fulfillment of their dreams.
Secondly, I love the richness of African culture, and I respect all traditions. However, the truth is that we do still practice harmful rites and rituals without fully understanding their origins and purpose. I see that a shift in mindset can be beneficial. When we look at the often negative impacts of those practices that are rooted in patriarchal heritage and justified fear of losing our values but tend to harm a particular group of people, namely women, the case is clear when we take a look at excision. We can’t leave all of our traditions behind for a brighter picture of what Africa should be. But, there is a nuance we can bring to the conversation to determine what is harmful and what is scalable through a mindset shift that can benefit all parties involved.
Lastly, I believe we, as Africans, can do better in terms of governance, be it through our political leaders, our civil society, or our national bodies, governance can be enhanced across the board. When you attend conferences, “Good Governance” is always part of the agenda where heads of states are concerned; however, the reality very little compares to the rhetoric thrown around. Oppression of the people is still real, and the status quo seems far from where we want to be with little to no change in sight. I would love for us to have more responsible political leaders who claim accountability for all of their actions and for the voice of the people, when they are raised, to denounce abuse, oppression, impunity, corruption, to actually ignite tangible change and be a catalyst for a better future when needed.
2- If you didn’t have to work a day in your life, What would you do, Where would you go, what would you create?
As far as I can remember, I have always been a storyteller. That’s why I have always been into movies and books growing up. I love a good story and, I do think that I enjoy being part of this community of people who enjoy sharing other people’s stories; I find it so satisfying. So even if it weren’t for employment purposes, I would still make time in my life to tell stories in the form of films, documentaries, articles, really, through any type of medium available to me.
A second dream of mine, as a creative, that I’ve carried with me forever is music. I love creating music; I enjoy singing, I don’t think I am bad at it, I think I could have been good if I had taken professional lessons and if I had been disciplined in learning how to play instruments. I’d probably create a band just to make people feel with music because it’s such a powerful universal tool to communicate with people.
3- What would you like to say to young creators who do not know where to start?
No matter what, starting is the first step, but it is the most important step. Don’t be afraid to start even if you think you are not ready yet. I found that I can spend months and months thinking about a project and procrastinate just because I am so nervous about the end result. Taking that first step and putting things out there in the universe is essential. Then, you can fine-tune it as you go along. That’s one way to go about not leaving that project in the closet where no-one can experience it. That’s abandonment. Because once you start having second thoughts, you might as well give up… because, at that moment in time, that is what you will be most likely to do. That said, preparation is key. It’s almost as important as putting it out there. And when it comes to preparing, there are a lot of things to take into account because the competition for clicks is fierce out there on the internet.
We have a slew of content creators from Africa and the diaspora who are doing amazing things, so knowing what you are trying to create and, most importantly, WHY it is needed and why you are the best person to create that content is also crucial. So, find your niche, your brand identity, your content identity. Then identify your target audience; of course, you can adapt as you go, but having that vision down is important.
Lastly, look at what others are doing and what they are NOT doing. Pay attention to what is going on and draw inspiration from your competition. This doesn’t mean copying other people, but taking stock of what attracts attention and learning from others’ experiences. Find your own tone and your own beat. This is what healthy competition is about. If you identify a content creator similar to what you are creating, it’s a good motivator to surpass their standard, not in a bad way, but keeping it engaging for yourself and your audience. It’s about growing your reach, your audience, your quality, all that by remaining consistent, all the while continuously striving for more and for better.
A few last thoughts from Hannane:
“I encourage you to not confine yourself to the borders of your mind; to forget the fact that you think that those walls cannot be broken because they can. They can and they’re being broken every day by people that you know, and people that you don’t know. I encourage you to fight against your fears.”
