Polarities, parallels and paradoxes have always fascinated me. It is for this reason I examined class struggle in my undergraduate long essay, the interplay of censorship and free expression for my MA dissertation, and (for my doctorate) I am exploring the relationship between journalism martyrdom and good governance in two postcolonial African states: Nigeria and The Gambia. I have also done research in media representation, media power, as well as gender and development. My book A Living Mirror: The Life of Deyda Hydara (co-author Demba Ali Jawo) depicts the danger of practising journalism in Africa with a focus on the life and times of Deyda Hydara, a Gambian journalist who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2004.The book, endorsed by Reporters Sans Frontieres, has been adopted by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) as an advocacy tool for freedom of expression campaign across Africa. Concerning my educational background, I hold a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria and an MA in Global Society and Media Communication from Staffordshire University in the UK.
