CLASS NEWS

It gives us great pleasure when we can coordinate special opportunities for Friendly Fellows. In early July, AFPF and the National Press Foundation (NPF) worked together to send seven Friendly Fellows from Asia to the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok. The Fellows received full scholarships from NPF to attend a three-day pre-conference seminar that provided 26 journalists from 11 countries with a free, comprehensive overview of contemporary issues in the field of HIV/AIDS. This also included direct discussions with 12 senior journalism advisers from six countries brought in especially to assist them. The Fellows were also offered the opportunity to attend the AIDS Conference. The Fellows who attended:

• Frank Cimatu (Philippines, 1996)
• Duc Tan Le (Vietnam, 2001)
• Vithal Nadkarni (India, 1985)
• Surendra Phuyal (Nepal, 2003)
• Suman Pradhan (Nepal, 1999)
• Li Xiguang (China, 1995)—served as a mentor/journalism adviser
• Binglan Xu (China, 2000)

The National Press Foundation also invited three attendees from the New Delhi HIV/AIDS Reporting Workshop—two of whom are former students of C.K. Meena!

2003

Congratulations to MAHA AL-AZAR (Lebanon) who received her first special correspondent credit line in the April 10 Washington Post article, “In Mideast, Anger and Solidarity; Arabs Praise Iraqi Insurgents, Condemn U.S. Occupation.” Maha was in Washington, DC recently for a friend’s wedding and spent some time with Susan Albrecht and Beth Woods. Click here for pictures of Maha.

SEBASTIAN LUPAK (Poland) took some time out of his extremely busy schedule to send us some adorable photos of his son, Wojtek. Click here to view the pictures.

SURENDRA PHUYAL (Nepal) is still at The Kathmandu Post. “Things are good with me. Getting offers from other media groups here, but I am yet undecided…I am a journalist and will remain a journalist.” For additional news about Suren, see Class News.

2002

WALLACE CHUMA (Zimbabwe) joined Wits University in South Africa as a doctoral student last year, and has now moved further south to teach at the University of Capetown’s new Centre for Film and Media Studies. “It’s a hell of a challenge balancing your own studies and teaching and research obligations. But then I enjoy it. The weather in Capetown is great!” For a photo of Wallace, Click here.

Congratulations to ALIA IBRAHIM (Lebanon) who has left The Daily Star and is now working as the Lebanon correspondent for Dubai TV. For more on Alia, see the photo gallery.

SARAH NAMULONDO (Uganda) received a Fulbright scholarship and will be pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of South Florida starting in August! “It is a wonderful opportunity for me to get into the world of academics, but I will keep a foot in journalism. The Weekly Observer started off to a good start and I’m sure my colleagues will keep it going for the four years I’ll be away.”

KWESI WREKON OBENG (Ghana) is preparing for studies at the University of East Anglia in England beginning in September 2004. “Wishing you a pleasant Independence Day. July 1 was Ghana’s Republic Day – Ghana is 44 years old as a republic!”

It was nice to catch up with ROSE MOSES (Nigeria) while in Lagos recently. In January, Rose was made deputy editor of Saturday Champion. She also has a nice office to herself in the newsroom. For picture proof, click here.

For a glimpse of DUC TAN LE (Vietnam), please see Class News.

2001

Earlier this year, LISA ALLEN-AGOSTINI (Trinidad and Tobago) was elected to the Executive of the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago as a floor member. She has also been promoted to Assistant Features Editor at the Trinidad Guardian, “with responsibility for reading and developing stories. I hope I can live up to my dream of bringing the Guardian to a pitch of greatness that can rival any paper in the world. I was also named editorial employee of the month [in April] largely because of a trio of stories on HIV/AIDS in Tobago that I did with an associate editor of photography. We spent three days on the ground and came back tired but fulfilled. I love this job and I thank AFPF for all it has given to me to make me do it so well.”

Seven months after returning to Poland, RAFAL GEREMEK (Poland) started working as a journalist for Wprost, “one of the three biggest Polish weeklies. After four months I became vice chief of the Lifestyle & Intermedia desk. On March 1, 2004 I was appointed as a head of the section. I have three employees and a couple of co-workers (who are not full-time employees). In fact, I have run this department since November 1, when my boss left the paper. For two months my team has made the biggest number of cover stories of the whole magazine.” Rafal also still writes for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Check out his story at: www.post-gazette.com/forum/comm/20030615edraf15p1.asp.

Congratulations to AGUSTINA GUERRERO (Argentina) and Charles (Charlos) Everett Gary who were married on June 5 at the Bay Harbor Inn in Miami Beach, Florida. You may recall that the two met at the Chicago Tribune while Agus was on her Friendly Fellowship. Click here to see photos from their wedding.

Congratulations to PHINDILE XABA (South Africa) and fiancé Sadiq on the birth of their second child, Sakh’umzi. Their baby boy, whose name means “we build a family” was born on June 24. Phindile tells us, “He’s such a joy to have around.” Click here for photos of newborn Sakh’umzi. More photos of Phindile are available here.

PAUL RADU (Romania) wrote, “In January/March this year I taught classes on investigative journalism in various towns of Romania. It was a program for local journalists and I insisted during my classes on the fact that it is easy to obtain information from abroad by using the FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] of different countries. I learned this in the US when I have filed FOIAs with the IRS, FBI, CIA, etc. I showed the journalists who were attending my courses the letters I got from these institutions and from institutions in Germany, Italy, etc. They quickly found it very useful because they realized that they have, at their local level, many important people (politicians, businessmen) that have shady businesses abroad. As a result they started filing FOIAs with the Romanian institutions and with foreign ones.” Pictures of Paul can be seen in the photo gallery.

HUANXIN “FRANK” ZHAO (China) graciously spent a lot of time with Susan Albrecht and Jonathan Friendly on their recent visit to Beijing. We were treated to lunch at a Manchurian restaurant by top editors of China Daily to thank us for training Frank and his colleagues Binglan Xu (China, 2000) and Huang Xiangyang (China, 1999). A picture can be found in the photo gallery.

2000

PAULO BRAGA (Brazil) wrote to us in March while BINGLAN XU (China) was in Buenos Aires, Argentina after attending a UN conference in Chile. “We went to dinner with DANIEL GUTMAN (Argentina) and his wife and some other friends. I took Binglan to a Chinese restaurant and he graded the food ‘7 out of 10’ or ‘9 out of 10.’ If you consider that the restaurant is not in China, I guess it is a pretty good score. Binglan also traveled to the waterfalls on the border of Brazil. It's been a pleasure to have him here and we talked a lot about the other 2000 Fellows, whom we miss. I know you'll be seeing him in Beijing in a couple of weeks. Miss you all.”

Binglan wrote, “In Buenos Aires I had an exciting reunion with two 2000 Fellows, Paulo Braga and Daniel Gutman. I stayed with Paulo in his nice apartment in Recolleta, a very beautiful part of the city. Paulo is stationed in Buenos Aires as a correspondent.” Click here for photos of Binglan’s trip.

In January of this year, NIVEDTA KOWLESSAR (Guyana) left the Guyana Chronicle and moved to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. “I am editing a twice weekly paper here. As you might know, small papers have small staff and the workload is greater, but it's a more peaceful environment and I like it. The island is small, but lovely. Only thing, it gets a bit too quiet sometimes. And having said that, I might as well let you know that I am constantly reminded by what I learned during my Friendly Fellowship – to see a story in every single thing. It's so helpful when you are in a quiet place. Please convey my best regards to the Friendly family.”

JOSE VELAZQUEZ (Ecuador), who moved to Miami from New York earlier this year, has found “not one but two good jobs, so I am happy. I am back with Tiempos del Mundo as a part-time reporter, and with a soccer devoted cable channel Gol TV as an associated producer for the news broadcast. Isabel and I are moving to a nice little house in Coral Gables, Florida.”

LJUBICA GOJGIC (Yugoslavia) is still shuttling back and forth between Belgrade and the Hague for B92. She spends three months at a time in Holland covering the International War Crimes Tribunal, including the Milosevic trial.

Thank you to ROWAN PHILP (South Africa) for coordinating dinner on our first and final evenings in Johannesburg and the ride to the airport.

For pictures of our stops in Turkey, South Africa, and China see the photo galleries.

1999

JOSE ANTONIO ARUQUIPA (Bolivia) wrote with a quick update. “The Bolivian Times has shut down and I am now writing stories for Latin Press and La Patria and eventually editing a supplement of political analysis.”

Great news from SUMAN PRADHAN (Nepal), who is still working for the International Crisis Group (ICG) as a Nepal analyst and also continues with journalism. “Just launched a new news magazine in Nepal with a friend called Nation Weekly (www.nation.com.np).” For more news of Suman see Class News.

SRIDHARAN RAMAKRISHNAN (India) was recently promoted to Deputy Editor at Business Today. “With the new promotion, I intend to do my bit to keep Business Today India's best business biweekly. And in early June my wife, Bala, and I celebrated the first birthday of our son, Atreya.” To see photos from their celebrations, click here. More photos of Sri from the recent AFPF visit to New Delhi can be found here.

It was a pleasure to see HUANG XIANGYANG (China) and his wife in Hong Kong. They live a two-minute walk from the office of the Hong Kong edition of China Daily, where they both work. Can’t beat that commute!

A big thank you to YANG JIANXIANG (China) who, along with Binglan Xu (China, 2000), took Susan and Jonathan to Tiananmen Square on their recent stop in Beijing. A photo of Yang and his family can be found in the photo gallery.

It was wonderful to spend time with IBIM SEMENITARI (Nigeria) in Lagos. An added delight was meeting her husband, Henry, who Susan has spoken to on the phone many times before Ibim attended the AFPF program. For a picture of their four adorable children, click here. For pictures of Ibim from the AFPF trip to Nigeria, click here.

Click here for pictures of Susan Albrecht and Jonathan Friendly with 1999 Fellows Yang Jianxiang and Huang Xiangyang.

1998

FLORENCIA ARBISER (Argentina) has accepted a position as a journalism professor at the Palermo University. “All the weekly information I receive from JTA [Jewish Telegraphic Agency] – including this last Journalism in the Americas report – will be extremely useful for me. AFPF really means a lot to my professional work. And this of course has an impact on my personal life. I will never end thanking AFPF for the opportunity I had. I start giving classes this week. Kids are fine – Martin is 4, Tomas is 1. Still very demanding, messy, and lovely.”

HANAN HAMMAND (Eqypt) was recently in DC for a conference which provided Susan Albrecht the opportunity to see her for the first time in three years. Maha Al-Azar (Lebanon, 2003) also got to meet Hanan as their visits coincided. Click here for a photo of Hanan and Susan.

Congratulations to PHYLICIA OPPELT (South Africa) who recently had a baby.

RORY ROSTANT (Trinidad and Tobago) is still a business editor at Newsday and reports that “Niki and I had our third baby, Aidan, so that’s two boys and a girl (Alejandro, Aidan, and Alexi). Aidan is absolutely gorgeous. Niki and I are still together, making ten years this year.”

Susan Albrecht and Jonathan Friendly saw ANGELA AGOAWIKE (Nigeria) and SHAREEN SINGH (South Africa) during their trips to Nigeria and South Africa.

1997

In mid-July we heard from JANUARIUS ASONGU (Cameroon), who had been on our list of missing Fellows! He wrote, “I just came back this afternoon from Louisiana, where I was testifying as an expert witness on Cameroon in a case there, and yours was the first email I saw...It's a pleasure reading from you....I am here in Maryland, where I work as the US Correspondent for News Africa – a UK-based magazine that covers Africa, while involved in private business. I am also very involved in Cameroon politics, and I am currently one of the leaders of the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) here in the US. However, I plan to give up the position and concentrate on journalism and business.” We hope to see Januarius soon!

DEISE LEOBET (Brazil) sent us an update after losing touch with AFPF. “After the AFPF Fellowship, I left the Gazeta Mercantil and went to work as a business editor for an Internet News site. It was just a little before the burst of the Internet bubble. Fortunately, after the explosion of the bubble, I got a great job as an editor for DINHEIRO’s magazine, the main business magazine in Brazil. I stayed there for two years (my record so far), traveled a lot, and wrote very important stories. I even unveiled some scandals in the government. I had a great time, but I worked like a dog.”

“Then, I got a terrific offer to become the External Relations Director for the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) in Brazil. It was a great opportunity for me and I grabbed it with all my strengths. I was expected to be in charge of the Public Relations and Media Relations department, but soon I was doing much more than that. As the new President Lula was elected while I was there and I knew almost everyone in the government, and most importantly, I knew how the whole governmental departments and ministries worked, the bank chose me to take part in the group that took care of the transition of a $23 billion portfolio of projects in Brazil. It was a very fulfilling learning experience to see how things work on the other side of the table. In a few days I was helping the new government make changes in very important projects that matter for millions of people.”

“Although my work experience had been terrific in Brasilia, I lacked a postgraduate education. For many years I wanted to stop working for awhile and dedicate my time to a Ph.D. or a master’s degree…Now I’m living in Madrid, Spain [with husband, JOEL SAMPAIO (Brazil, 1992)], where I’m doing a master’s program.”

Our condolences to SAM OMATSEYE (Nigeria) whose father passed away in May. In late June, Sam visited his family in Nigeria for the first time since the AFPF program. You can read his account, “Coming home after seven long years” at: www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/columnists. This is one of several weekly columns Sam has written since April of this year for a new Nigerian newspaper called The Sun. Sam also wrote an opinion piece for the Denver Rocky Mountain News, his AFPF host newspaper. It can be read at: www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion/article/0,1299,DRMN_38_2975090,00.html.

IVICA PROFACA (Croatia) wrote to tell us about an incredible phone encounter he had in March. “Because of the new turmoil in the Middle East, my paper sent one reporter to Gaza. He called me from there, and just said, ‘There is someone here who wants to greet you.’ As you can guess, there was SAUD ABU RAMADAN (Palestine) on the other end of line! He sounded really excited, and I was so glad to hear him after all those years. It seems he is doing great, and he said that he is still in media business, working as a freelancer with some agencies. It really made my day; it's so good to be in touch with some of our Fellows from time to time.”

In Istanbul, we had a mini-reunion of 1997 Fellows. Ivo and MOJCA SIROK (Slovenia) met for the second time since 1997. You may recall that their first meeting occurred on a beach in Croatia. Oddly enough it was completely unplanned! Both Ivo and Mojca are doing well and look fabulous. For pictures of Ivica and Mojca, click here.

It was nice to catch up with YU LEI (China) during the AFPF trip to Beijing. Lei flew in from Shanghai to attend our meeting and the HIV/AIDS Reporting Workshop. Go to the photo gallery for a picture of Yu.

1996

CHRISTOPHER KARADJOV (Bulgaria) says that “life goes on as usual here. Darian, my youngest son, finished his kindergarten year and goes on to first grade in September (click here for a picture). George, the elder, is going to be in 10th grade in the fall. He is a star in math (that comes from his mother's side). My wife, Katia, has been accepted into the master's program in Television-Radio-Film at Syracuse University and starts her studies in July. It's a nationally top-ranked program, with alumni such as Bob Costas and Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing). She is very excited about going back to such a great school.”

Last September Chris was invited by the U.S. Army War College to attend a seminar on embedded media in Iraq. “It was very instructive, as I met several prominent reporters and military commanders, only to learn what we all know now: that the post-war planning for Iraq was poor to non-existent. A great experience for me, especially now that Bulgaria is a full-fledged NATO member and there is a contingent of Bulgarians serving (and dying) in Iraq.”

“That's pretty much it – between family, teaching, some research and travel – time flies fast. Some in the AFPF family may be interested to know that one of the courses I created and teach is called Global Media. It introduces American students to media globalization and to the variety of journalism practices around the world.” If anyone has any suggestions about what Chris should include in his class, please let him know: karadjov@oswego.edu.

KEVIN OGEN (Uganda) wrote to tell us that The Weekly Observer is “finally out – and the street sales are very good so far.” You can see the Internet edition at: www.ugandaobserver.com/today. Email Kevin to let him know what you think: kevogen@hotmail.com.

LEE-ANN ALFREDS (South Africa) is busy as ever. After our meeting of Friendly Fellows she and husband Chris Collingridge were driving to Mozambique to scuba dive. For pictures of Lee Ann, click here.

FRANK CIMATU (Philippines) recently attended the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok. For more information see Class News.

1995

GAYANE AFRIKIAN (Armenia) left Afghanistan at the end of March when her assignment with the UN ended. After a short break in Armenia, she is on her way to the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard to do a mid-career Master in Public Administration and Management. “No, I do not want to leave the impression that I am collecting master’s degrees (Master in Journalism from Yerevan State University, Armenia (1991), Master in Politics and Economics of Post Communist Countries from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK (1996)). After my experience in Kosovo and Afghanistan with the UN, I became very interested in Public Policy. So much is dependent on how policy is created and run and how competent a public administration is. Armenia is a post-communist transitional country and still lacks competence due to lack of experience and the former communist regime. The generation change is a key to development and success and it has to happen with a more competent and stronger generation. I hope to use all my experience and knowledge in Armenia one day.” Gayane’s one-year program starts on July 12.

For a picture of Gayane with the most notorious commander in Bamyan province of Afghanistan, click here. After negotiations with Sarhang Wafa in mid-January, he pulled out his hundreds of soldiers from an area in the central highlands of Afghanistan (population 150,000) which he has controlled for the last 25 years. “It was the best feeling to see that we humans (good and bad) can still understand each other and make it better for all.”

LULAMA LUTI (South Africa) is enjoying her job as Media Relations and PR Manager for South Africa National Parks. She was very helpful in recommending a day-long safari to Susan and Jonathan who went to Pilannesberg—a state park approximately two hours from Johannesburg. Although they saw no cats, they did see zebra, giraffes, hippo, rhino, elephants, and many deer-like animals. Go to the photo gallery for a picture of Lulama.

BASILDON PETA (Zimbabwe) wrote, “How disappointed I was to fail to make it to the reunion in Johannesburg. This was one event I had never anticipated to miss but work assignments immediately sprung up and I was deployed to countries that constitute my beat. I hope that everything went well and god willing, there would be another opportunity for me to meet all of you.”

PRIIT PULLERITS (Estonia) won first prize for feature writing at the Estonians sports press competition and third prize for column writing, “though I'm no sports journalist. I just write about sports occasionally when I run into something which catches my interest. The first prize came with a small monetary award which I invested into buying a new cross-country skiing uniform. And that's a special one: a uniform of the team of the United States.”

“I've had a lot of fun in my job as an editor at Postimees in connection with sports recently. At the end of May the newspaper organized its traditional spring day for the citizens of my home town Tartu (population 100,000) on the town hall square. It has always been the biggest free open-door entertainment event for the whole year. This time I had to represent my newspaper in probably the first cobblestone-skiing event ever held in the world. But I had tough competitors: the mayor of the city, the Economics Minister of Estonia, and three professional skiers, one of them the Olympic champion and Silver medalist from the Salt Lake Olympics and the other a Silver medalist from recent World Championships, both in real cross-country skiing, of course. We had to run on the actual skis three rings around the town hall square in front of close to 10,000 cheering spectators and surprise, surprise – I came in first, beating the World Championships Silver medalist in the finish-run by about a yard (a meter). Although it was a purely show event, I still would say that that was one of my major accomplishments in sports.”

“The other event, which ended much less successfully, was a chess play which I organized between three journalists of my paper (including me) and Miss Carmen Kass, the world's seventh most earning model for 2003, after she was elected as the president of the Estonian Chess Federation. We wanted to test her chess playing prowess and abilities. Besides, she created a lot of buzz all over Europe when she decided to run for the European Parliament in the spring. Even a reporter of the Wall Street Journal called to interview me about Miss Kass because he had learned somehow that I had conducted a lengthy interview with Miss Kass a couple of months before. Generally, people used to have a very low opinion of Miss Kass - she's a model, so she's dumb. Although she didn't get elected to the European Parliament, she won all the chess games playing simultaneously against all three journalists. That was actually a disappointment to me because I lost, and also a disappointment to the public because they learned that Miss Kass is not dumb.” Click here to see pictures of Priit.

A big thank you to LI XIGUANG (China) who was the gracious host to the AFPF reunion and HIV/AIDS Reporting Workshop in Beijing in April. Li and his staff took care of every detail for us—picking us up at the airport, taking us to the Great Wall of China, organizing accommodations, meals and meeting space, translators, and the workshop. Click here for pictures of Li Xiguang.

1994

SA'EDA AL-KILANI (Jordan) sent AFPF a copy of her newly released book called Freedom Fries: Fried Freedoms: Arab Satellite Channels Struggle between State Control and Western Pressure.

Here’s Sa’eda’s synopsis of the book, “Who wants media freedoms in the Arab countries? Probably none of the media experts or governments in and out of the region anticipated the coup that Arab satellite channels brought to media freedom. However, satellite channels which opened up to different cultures made little efforts to bring to the forefront intellectual Arab thinkers and shied away from women related issues. The emergence of Arab satellite channels also proved that it was not only the Arab governments who repressed their media. The US, which perpetually demanded democratic reforms in the Middle East was the first to stalk satellite channels each and every time a broadcast of some news did not appeal to its policies. If pressures do continue from Haj Bushwalli and associates (world leaders and conservative movements), the Arab world is bound to return to its previous status, repressed and suppressed.” For more information, contact Sa’eda at: saeda@nol.com.jo.

In June, MANGAI BALASAGARAM (Malaysia) won the Knight Journalism Fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. She will be there for four months. Mangai also had the chance to pay a visit to the AFPF office at the beginning of July and met with Susan Albrecht and Kimi Wetterauer. Click here for pictures.

ROBERT BRAND (South Africa), who works in Jo’burg for Bloomberg News wrote, “It was a pleasure to meet Susan and Jonathan, and to catch up with some of the other South African fellows. It brought back fond memories of the six months I spent in DC.” Visit the photo gallery for a picture of Robert.

Due to an earlier departure from Johannesburg than originally planned, Jonathan and Susan had to cancel their reunion with PIA DIAZ (Chile) in Johannesburg. Pia was in Botswana for a story the other days we were there.

MEIYUE ZHOU (China) is still happy with IBM as a staff public affairs professional. Daughter Victoria is almost nine years old! Susan Albrecht and Jonathan Friendly had a chance to see Meiyue on their trip to China. Visit the photo gallery for a picture.

1993

MARIA CRISTINA CABALLERO (Colombia) wrote to tell us that a publishing company from England (Pearson Learning Group) just published a book titled 40 Famous Women in which they included her bio and photo. The book will be distributed among high schools and colleges in Europe and the United States.

Maria was in Washington, DC for the Georgetown Leadership Seminar in March. For the past 22 years they have been inviting 25-30 emerging leaders from different fields. Maria was the only journalist invited this year. One of the goals of the seminar was ‘To expose participants to, and therefore broaden their understanding of, the major issues in the foreign policy making process in the United States through direct contact with top level American policy makers.’ Among this year’s participants were a Congressmen from India, a US Navy Colonel who will be moved to the Middle East, executives from Nokia and Federal Express, a member of the Netherlands' Parliament, a former Minister of Information for Jordan, Nigeria's Attorney General, a human rights leader from Burma, Senegal Investment Company's CEO, Chief of Staff for the Brazilian Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, U.S. President of International Portfolios of Northwestern Mutual Life, a surgeon planning to launch his candidacy as Lebanese Senator, an Egyptian Chairwoman of the Association for the Development of Women, a Peruvian judge with jurisdiction over corruption matters, a transnational oil company top executive (based in France), some US and European investment bankers, and one journalist.

Maria also met with Susan Albrecht, Beth Woods, and Susan Talalay while in DC. “It was great seeing you during my recent visit to Washington. It is good to know about the plans for AFPF and the many interesting projects that you are working on. It was also great to see Susan Talalay. I had not seen her for about ten years! She was extremely nice and supportive when I was a 1993 Fellow. She continues to be very special! Hello to the Friendly family and to David and Peggy Nalle.”

SVEN LUNSCHE (South Africa) spends lots of weekend time with his two sons camping and canoeing. Sven also likes to attend their soccer games. Fortunately we caught up with him briefly between those activities while in Jo’burg. Catch a glimpse of Sven in the photo gallery.

1992

TUNJI BELLO (Nigeria) has left journalism, at least temporarily. He is now the Honorable Commissioner for the Environment in the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment.

In April, RENATO REYES (Philippines) was promoted at Asia Television. He is now in charge of the public affairs program of the English-language channel. “We do a 20 minute news documentary. It’s been fun so far.”

JOEL SAMPAIO (Brazil) and his wife, DEISE LEOBET (Brazil, 1997), are now living in Madrid, Spain. Deise wrote, “Last year Joel and I agreed it was time for us to leave Brazil for awhile. We both then looked for a place that would meet our expectations. I found a great master’s [program]...and Joel a great boss, the Ambassador.”

For picutres of Tunji Bello and Renato Reyes from the AFPF visits, please see the Nigeria and China photo galleries.

1991

It was nice to meet ABIODUN RAUFU (Nigeria) on our trip to Lagos. He made the 1.5 hour trip from Ibadan to meet us at the airport and have dinner with us. Unfortunately he had to travel in the remaining days we were in Lagos. He is still Editor of the Nigerian Tribune on Saturday. Click here for a picture.

Jonathan and Susan were thrilled to visit with LEU SIEW YING (Malaysia) in New Delhi and Guangzhou. Not only did Siew Ying attend the two-day HIV/AIDS Reporting Workshop in New Delhi but she also organized a lunch in Guangzhou to meet local journalists there. Siew Ying is the Guangzhou correspondent for the South China Morning Post. Click here for a picture.

1990

DONNA ABU-NASR (Lebanon) is back in Beirut after several years in Cairo. She travels a lot.

YEVGENIA ALBATS (Russia) finished her Ph.D. in political science at Harvard University last spring and returned home to Moscow. She is now an anchor of the Sunday prime-time political show on radio Echo Moskva (the Russian version of the NPR), a columnist with the Moscow Times, and a professor of political science at Moscow Higher School of Economics (University), “where I will teach courses on State and Bureaucracy, Political Regimes and Bureaucracy, and – watch out, given that there is an authoritarian regime in Russia – Introduction to Democracy. My daughter, Lolka, who was 2 years old while I was a Fellow, is almost 16 years old. She has finished her sophomore year at Newton South High (in Massachusetts), and has returned to Moscow to finish high school here.”

In June we heard from DMITRIJ POGAR (Hungary). He wrote, “After a long and exhausting research I wrote an article on a Hungarian monk, who in 1950 in Italy helped Adolf Eichmann escape from Europe to Argentina. The story was a success in Hungary, and therefore my bosses encouraged me to seek international publicity for it since it could be of interest in a number of countries.” Dmitrij says it has been translated into English. If you are interested in the story, please contact him at: evase@tin.it.

MARGIE QUIMPO-ESPINO (Philippines) recently visited the US, “and would have loved to visit the East Coast, but I only got as far as Austin, Texas. I visited three states in seven days! Life's been good – I have three kids, and my husband and I set up our own publishing house (although I am still with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the top newspaper in the country.) THEMBA [MOLEFE (South Africa)], go ahead with your program. Maybe you can get several publications to sponsor a journalist each and pay for the cost. That way you are assured of funding and at the same time you save the publication on the cost of a training program. FARUQ [FAISEL (Bangladesh)], good luck with your Kathmandu assignment.” Margie would love to hear from AFPF Fellows. Email her at: mespino@inquirer.com.ph.

THEMBA MOLEFE (South Africa) and colleague Phindile Xaba (South Africa, 2001) took us to Soweto while in Jo’burg. Among other things, we visited Nelson Mandela’s house and Wandy’s Place. Themba is an unofficial coach/mentor to young reporters in the Soetan newsroom. As such he has won the 2004 Foster Davis Fellowship at The Poynter Institute. He will be in Florida this fall. For a pictures of Themba from the AFPF trip to South Africa, click here.

GARGI PARSAI (India) was busy covering the elections while we were in New Delhi but was able to spend evenings with us. She is with The Hindu. For a photo of Gargi Parsai, please see the photo gallery.

1989

OKEY IFIONU (Nigeria) is on the editorial board of This Day newspaper in Lagos. As such he writes editorials daily that reflect the opinion of the newspaper on specific issues. He is also involved in training staff reporters on writing and reporting skills. Click here for a picture of Okey.

While in Istanbul YAPRAK OZER (Turkey) and her family hosted the Friendly Fellows to a lovely dinner party at their home with a view of the Black Sea. It was a pleasure to meet her parents, husband Farooq, and daughter Berak. For a photo of Berak, whose English is spectacular, see the photo gallery. For a picture of Yaprak, click here.

SEEMA PAUL (India) wrote to give us an update about SHAUKAT ZAMANI (Afghanistan, 1989). “I received the most pleasantly surprising email of my life from Shaukat Zamani, the 1989 Friendly Fellow from Afghanistan who was my peer. Shaukat had been lost to the Friendly family over the years, and we often wondered how he was doing through all the troubles in Afghanistan. Here is what Shaukat wrote to me:

“It is so great to hear from you. Isn't internet and emailing amazing? You can find people so easily, so fast! I was sitting with my wife last night and went on the web from the link from Alfred Friendly email. I could only find you and my old pal Sumeeta Rai. Remember me and her? Obviously, I am married. I started studying at the Uni here in New Zealand and did my BA in sociology. I also did my first year of a Master's but then quit. I met this gorgeous girl from Fiji, of Indian origin, a Muslim, and married her after we both graduated in 1996.”

“We don't have any children yet, mainly due to my naive perception that children are an OBSTACLE to progress! This is complicated by the fact we work for ourselves and our progress depends on our freedom to move around. Who would have believed I will get into business! All I could dream at the time of the Fellowship was politics and Afghanistan. But that is where my heart lies, anyway. Afghanistan, I guess, I will never forget and will inevitably, and rightfully, return to it what it gave me. But I don't know when. Probably in the next 5-10 years. I am trying to get established financially, so that I only depend on myself in trying to implement my vision.”

“New Zealand is a beautiful country. I might never have found a home, as I have here, if wasn't for New Zealand. The people are great here. My whole family migrated here in August 1990. I did not want to come here, but had no choice. Enough about me. I could not honestly believe you have children of up to 14 years of age! Gee, time has really gone by fast.”

KATHY ANN WATERMAN (Trinidad and Tobago) continues to work as a prosecutor for the State where she handles all matters of criminal cases—murder, rape, robbery and assorted mayhem. “Some people think this sounds morbid but it is actually quite fulfilling because it is about people getting justice and finding the courage to overcome traumatic events in their lives. I have also had two promotions in three years, which means I must be doing something right.” Kathy Ann continues to write and edit for various Caribbean magazines, which she says adds balance to her life.

1988

GRACIE JAASI (Uganda) is stil working with the US Embassy in Kampala. “The job is challenging as ever. As you may have heard, the government of Uganda is still battling with the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in northern Uganda, with over 1 million people displaced and a serious humanitarian situation. On the political front, the transition period leading to multi-party politics, with elections expected in 2006, is fragile. There are manipulations by the incumbent Movement government to have President Museveni stay in power in contravention of the constitution. Besides working at the US Embassy, I have gone back to school to pursue a degree in International Relations and Diplomacy. This keeps me busy and on my toes as I try to cope. To all 1988 Fellows, where are you? I have heard from Taiwo in Nigeria, but not for a long time. My family and I are doing ok. Wishing you all the best.”

C.K. MEENA (India) not only attended the HIV workshop in New Delhi but “sang for her supper” by leading a discussion on Media Issues -- Writing What People Don’t Want to Read About. Click here for a picture.

While visiting the office of TAIWO OBE (Nigeria) we were pleasantly surprised when he pulled out an AFPF folder which contained letters from David Nalle and Susan Talalay, his award letter, and old AFPF newsletters. For photos of Taiwo, please see the photo gallery.

1987

MUNYARADZI CHENJE (Zimbabwe) was happy to read about UMENDRA SINGH (Fiji) in the last issue of the newsletter. He suggested doing a 20-year AFPF anniversary reunion to “bring together in DC all those scribes who have benefited from AFPF over the past two decades. I would be thrilled to meet everyone, including Gary Weaver, to tell one or two things about culture and reverse culture shock. Best regards and all the best.”

ANWAR IQBAL (Pakistan) recently returned from a long trip to Pakistan, “where I traveled in the tribal area looking for bin Laden. But alas $25 million are not for me! I did find an al-Qaida training manual which got a front-page display in some US newspapers and is also being used by Harper's magazine.” Anwar received a $5,000 award from an organization in Holland for his poem entitled, “They Changed My God.” You can view this poem and one other at: www.muslimwakeup.com/mainarchive/000640.php#more and www.muslimwakeup.com/mainarchive/000589.php.

DELE OMOTUNDE (Nigeria) has been named the President of the AFPF Alumni, Nigeria Chapter. As such he and his colleagues organized the visit of Jonathan Friendly and Susan Albrecht in May. For photos of Dele please see the photo gallery.

ISABEL SEGUEL (Chile) moved to New York City last September to be the press attaché to the Mission of Chile at the United Nations for three years. “It has been an amazing experience so far. I am grateful to have been here before on a scholarship and then in DC with AFPF. However, this is a very different country now from the one I knew.” As a diplomat, she attended the Information Committee at the UN (see photo gallery). Isabel is in New York with her husband (whom she met in DC while on the AFPF Fellowship), daughter, and son.

1986

It was nice to see ZEYNEP ALEMDAR (Turkey) while in Istanbul. We hope she’s taking a break after organizing an AP reception at the recently finished NATO meeting in Istanbul. Please see the photo gallery for photos of Zeynep.

BAMBANG HARYMURTI (Indonesia) wrote, “Thank you for sending me this email. John Sirek arrived in Jakarta on Sunday but unfortunately we could not arrange a meeting before I left for a trip to Hanoi on Wednesday morning. I had to attend my trial on Monday and a regular weekly (series) of meetings in my office on Tuesday. I just came back from Hanoi and hoping still to be able to see John.” Bambang wishes best regards to Mrs. Friendly, Alfred, Pie, David, Peggy, and all Fellows.

For a glimpse of RICH MKHONDO (South Africa) on our recent stop in Johannesburg, please see the photo gallery.

1985

Jonathan and Susan had a very pleasant dinner in Hong Kong with DONALD CHEUNG (Hong Kong). As he travels a lot for VISA and was leaving the next day for Taiwan, he was unable to meet the other Friendly Fellows in Hong Kong — Renato Reyes (Philippines, 1992) and Huang Xiangyang (China, 1999). Click here for a picture of Donald.

Thanks to VITHAL NADKARNI (India) who attended AFPF’s HIV workshop in New Delhi and the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok. For a photo of Vithal, please click here.

1984

Congratulations to UFUK GULDEMIR (Turkey) whose TV station, Haberturk, is the fourth largest in Turkey. As our gracious host in Istanbul, Ufuk treated us to several fun events including a party at his home. As you may know Ufuk is an avid hunter and an entire wall of his house is covered with trophies from Africa. For picture proof see the photo gallery. In other news, his daughter Sue is 21 years old and is studying at Parson’s School of Design in New York. The two are planning a hunting expedition to Alaska in August.

NILAY KARMAN KARAELMAS (Turkey) came in from Ankara for the Istanbul reunion. She keeps herself busy freelancing for various publications. On June 27, her article, “The View From Turkey” was published in (New York) Newsday. In it she discusses some issues surrounding Bush’s visit to Turkey for the NATO Summit. For photos of Nilay please see the photo gallery.