My name is Veivra (“The son of his father” or worthy son of the village, of the country), I live in N’djamena in the heart of Africa and offer to tell you about my “before” and “after” admission to the prestigious concours Rfi Mondoblog 2023 . I am writing this little biographical story in order to motivate and encourage anyone who dreams of joining the larger sphere of French-speaking bloggers. Dear readers, I invite you to sit comfortably and “enjoy” the film from my very recent past!
What was I doing before the Mondoblog competition?
As a teenager (the 90s), when I was in high school, the digital world was not popularized. Computers and the Internet were not within everyone’s reach. The media were limited to the written press, television (for the middle class) and especially the radio (for the poorest, of which I was a part, being a schoolboy). Hidden behind my small transistor radio with two batteries, I intercepted all the information waves, whether long (Fm) or short (Sw)! In the family class or with friends from the neighborhood and high school, I was always the first to unpack and comment on the information received alone. This earned me the nickname “RFI”! In all sincerity I didn’t really like that nickname…. but in my surroundings, we nickname “RFI” any person who reports everything, who does not keep his tongue in his pocket and to whom you must never reveal the slightest secret! Not having a television at home and being broke, at the time, the only channel through which I was irrigated with information (on a national, pan-African and international scale) remained the radio. After notebooks and books, my closest companion was my two-battery transistor.
Thus, I developed an addictive behavior for a lot of RFI broadcasts (Radio France Internationale), but also Africa n°1 and certain local channels. Among the world radio broadcasts (RFI), I particularly remember “ The Dance of Words » by Yvan Amar, African Archives by Alain Foka, the Afrique-Midi newspaper of the late Laurent Sadoux and Hassan Diop, Le Journal du Proche et Middle-Orient, Calls on the News by Juan Gomez, Priority Health, Tropical Colors by Claudy Siar, World Sport by Philippe Zickgraf and all the sports staff, without forgetting The Media Workshop.
❓8:10 a.m. TU journalists @RFI answer you. *
You will question them about:
🇸🇳The cancellation of the postponement of the presidential election by the CC
🇲🇱🇧🇫🇳🇪A common currency
🇺🇸 The future of Donald Trump
Presentation of Mondoblog, the platform for French-speaking bloggers pic.twitter.com/airP2uFX2E— RFI Appels Actualité (@AppelsActu) February 16, 2024
After obtaining the scientific baccalaureate (series C) and higher studies in electromechanics, I narrowly escaped “endemic unemployment” in Chad thanks to family help by creating my own micro-enterprise (training workshop and computer maintenance). I also supervise young people in setting up micro-projects with a view to obtaining micro-financing from local NGOs or banks.
How was I informed of the Rfi Mondoblog 2023 competition?
Passionate about reading, writing and current affairs (economy, politics, sport, music, religion, etc.), I spent a lot of time online (internet connection) reading the news. Like a foraging bee, always attracted by the pleasant scent of flowers, my attention was captivated by the information on the web. It is through this intense flow of information that I was informed by email via the site (Afri-careers/Opportunities for youth) where I had registered previously. Furthermore, RFI itself plays the press release about the Mondoblog competition on a loop. Obviously, I did not hesitate for a single moment to share this good news about the “RFI Mondoblog Competition” on my Facebook account. From there, I decided to do everything to integrate the largest community of French-speaking bloggers and join the Mondoblog-RFI “family”.
The Mondoblog 2024 competition is open until March 1st. Credit: FMM Graphic Studio
Theme and format chosen for the Mondoblog 2023 competition
What is good about the Mondoblog competition is that the themes are not restrictive, so each candidate can express themselves on the subject of their choice. There was environment, society, family, tradition, education, health, etc. Regardless of the theme chosen, it must be constructed and framed in one of the following formats: Written post, Top 5, Report or investigation and Fact checking (detox). Candidates can also choose photo, video or sound (podcast) formats.
Suddenly, the themes, ideas and arguments were going in all directions and jostling in my head! I was thinking about the competition and was constantly thinking, to the point that the ideas were whispered to me when I found myself alone. After careful reflection, the boiling ideas that collided in my head settled and a light burst forth. I heard a voice say to me: “Veivra, choose the environment and speak about the evils which plague the development of agriculture and livestock; two main economic levers of Chad.” Hence the title of my article for the competition: “In the land of Toumaï, agriculture and livestock are at war”.
At the Wenakblog 2023 café as a prelude to the 10th session of the RFI Mondoblog competition. Credit: Veïvra Noël
Filling out the application form
The literary demonstration finished, it was time to move on to filling out the form because the deadline (just one month: from February 1 to March 1, 2023) was coming to an end. Dear readers and candidates for the Mondoblog competition, I would like to remind you that filling out the form is also very important. This is another explanatory and argumentative exercise that should not be neglected, to be done with dexterity. Parts such as “Introduce yourself in a few words”, “Why do you want to join Mondoblog?” and “Do you have something to tell us?” » must be treated with acuity and finesse.
Concerning me, here are the reasons which pushed me towards the Mondoblog sphere and which I explained: “When I was in high school, my most ardent dream was to be a famous writer, journalist or cardiologist. Indeed, I love (even now) reading (especially African novels; Présence Africaine) and writing about football, political, economic news… in particular news from the continent, which I share on my Facebook account. Moreover, in high school, I was one of the members of the editorial team of our bimonthly newspaper “Le Collégien”. In my religious community (Catholic Church), I am a member of the Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Committee. All these experiences lead me to want to join the “Mondoblog World” to make my teenage dream come true. I want to speak out to fight all forms of injustice, inequality and violence in my country (Chad), in Africa and in the rest of the world. Finally, I want to take pleasure in informing people about what they don’t know or what they fear. THANKS ! »
First session of the Café Blog ☕ dedicated to @mondoblog. Several blogging enthusiasts present to understand the competition criteria, to better prepare. ✍️
Good luck to all participants ! Next session on February 24, 2024. #Adjib pic.twitter.com/ctOj1KPSjG— WenakLabs (@WenakLabs) February 10, 2024
Finally, if world radio hands me its microphone, here is what I would like to say about this competition: “I warmly thank RFI for this opportunity which I am frantically seizing to (perhaps) make my wildest dream come true: becoming a journalist. I would like to suggest you extend the application deadline (at least two months) for the next edition of Mondoblog. Finally, know that you will never regret having chosen my modest person. Thank you to the entire Mondoblog RFI team who spares no effort to inform us.”
Participants in the last Wenakblog 2023 café. Credit: Veïvra Noël
Announcement of results. What emotion, what joy, what euphoria!
It was March 23, 2023 exactly, around 7 p.m., I had just turned off the lamps and lowered the curtains in my “small” shop. Arriving home, after the usual greetings, barely crossing the threshold of the door of my “hut”, I restart my Facebook account on my cell phone. At first sight, I saw and read this: “The selection for the Mondoblog competition is over! The results were announced by email to all the candidates! There were almost 500 of you participating this year. A big thank you to everyone for your texts, your videos, your podcasts… original, personal and moving productions! Once again, it was complicated to decide between you, the choices were sometimes very difficult. But Season 10 of Mondoblog is now defined, it can now begin. Mondoblog welcomes 66 new mondobloggers! Long live Season 10 of Mondoblog, long live Mondoblog 2023! See you soon ! » (RFI Mondoblog). My heart suddenly stopped, then it started again and doubled my heart rate! I sighed and let out a “phew!” » of relief. Before throwing myself on my laptop PC to better understand what it was about, I pulled myself together for a moment to say a little prayer internally. As soon as I opened my email, I read this message:
“Hello VEIVRA,
After reading and rereading the numerous applications for the Mondoblog competition, we are pleased to announce that your application for the “Mondoblog 2023 Competition” competition has been accepted! You have been selected to join Mondoblog! Congratulations ! »
All alone in my “hut”, tears of joy trickled down my cheeks! The emotion was so immense! In truth, in the past and because I had a passion for writing, I had applied for unpaid internships in several written and digital presses in the capital, but none of them had dared to consider on my files because I did not have the profile (I remind you that I rather studied electromechanics and not communication, journalism or even a discipline closer to letters). Hence this relief, this ecstasy, this euphoria, this crazy joy that Mondoblog accepts me! That night, I didn’t sleep a wink. I imagined myself in the Mondoblog-RFI editorial team or somewhere in Chad, writing an article or doing a report. I imagined what I was going to write on my blog. In short, I was completely “excited” and drowned in my fantasies, to the point of being late for my workplace the next day!
Even if, one year after my admission to the largest community of French-speaking bloggers, my social situation has not changed, I assure you that thanks to the distance training given by the Mondoblog team (editorial training) , today I can easily join an internationally renowned press. The Mondoblog team proofreads our articles and gives us valuable advice before publication. They help us in our writing to make it more journalistic and train us on the main principles of web writing. In addition, through my blog (thermo.mondoblog.org), I was able to get closer to eminent personalities of the country. Thanks to the entire Rfi Mondoblog team. May Allah give you a very long life! Ciao!
Dear readers, dear subscribers, this post was the story of my “before”, “during” and “after” Rfi Mondoblog 2023 competition. For the 2024 competition, it’s up to you to play well! You will find all the information for the competition here.
Good work and good luck to everyone! See you soon in the largest family of French-speaking bloggers. At Mondoblog is it lit et is it lie !
Credit: FMM Graphic Studio