Moise Gomis

Biography

Moïse Gomis is one of the co-founders of the non-profit radio station “Radio des Hauts de Rouen” in Rouen (Normandy).
Since 1998, Moïse has been the editor-in-chief of this station, which is based in a working-class neighborhood.
He has also worked for the French public service radio broadcaster “Radio France” and major national networks (France Bleu, France Culture and France Inter).
Moïse conducts audio and web documentaries on issues as diverse as globalization, youth, the environment and health.

You can learn more about him here.

Interview

Why does immigration reporting matter today?

We live in a time of social, cultural and climatic disruption, occurring everywhere on the planet. Every day, those challenges are proof that our fate has never been more shared, for these disruptions could eventually harm life on earth as it exists now. The 21st century is a key moment in the history of humanity. For that reason, it is today most essential to cover the topic of migrations as much as possible in the media.

What resources would you recommend on the topic?

– Books: L’aventure ambiguë (Ambiguous Adventure) by Cheikh Hamidou Kane; East Wind: West Wind by Pearl Buck; Histoire de l’immigration (A History of Immigration) by Marie-Claude BlancChaléard; Le creuset français: Histoire de l’immigration XIXe-XXe siècles (The French Melting Pot: a History of Immigration, 19th – 20th centuries) by Gérard Noiriel.
– Movies : Mémoire d’Immigrés, l’héritage maghrébin (Immigrant Memories : The North African Inheritance), by Yamina Benguigui; Les arrivants by Claudine Bories and Patrice Chagnard; Just a Kiss by Ken Loach; Noirs de France (Blacks of France) by Pascal Blanchard and Juan Gelias/

What makes an outstanding reporter?

Being unafraid of silence; listening to and respecting what other people say.

Who are your journalism inspirations?

Generally, I find inspiration in all of the things surrounding me in my social life.

While on the ground, what is your most memorable anecdote?

It would have to be back when I was collecting testimonies of homeless people in a shelter. For four years, I would go to that place once a week to listen to those individuals who had been battered by life. My greatest triumph was to make them smile when they listened to the resulting radio production “DUMP, Dans Un Monde Parallèle, si loin, si proche” (In a Parallel World, so far, so close).

What are your next projects?

I am working on parallel multimedia pieces about health in Africa (AIDS, malaria, etc.) for the website of an NGO. In the medium term, my ambition is to start an independent broadcasting production company in West Africa (Mali, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, and Cote d’Ivoire).