Veteran journalist Pamela Patten has made media history in Mauritius by becoming the first woman to be appointed as director of Radio at the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). “I was not expecting this nomination and it came as a surprise,” says Patten, who has worked at the MBC for 30 years. She was among the first group of female media practitioners to work in Mauritius national television and radio.

Her vast experience saw her acting as media ambassador in Holland, Madagascar, Reunion Island, England, Canada, Singapore and South Africa. Whenever there was a big event in Mauritius, the first name that rang in the ears of international media houses was that of Pamela Patten. She immediately became the eyes and ears of the large media outlets including the BBC and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). Her suave voice and excellent language skills led to her undertaking joint programmes with Reunion television and radio as well as the SABC on several occasions.

Patten attended the Gender in Media Summit in Johannesburg in September last year to co- present two papers, “Portrait d’elle” and “Gender policy at the MBC”. She used her time at the summit to its maximum benefit as she interviewed several participants and networked with colleagues from the region.

Patten’s colleagues in the Mauritian media have been celebrating her appointment since the news broke at the end of October. Mauritius has a vibrant media industry with over 28 media outlets, and in its 230 years of media history, Pamela’s appointment is certainly a reason to celebrate.

The 2003 Gender and Media Baseline Study, a landmark study on gender and the media, revealed that the highest level of representation of women in the Mauritian broadcast media is as presenters and journalists. The Gender and Media Audience Study (GMAS) of 2004 on the other hand reveals that 50 percent of women and 41 percent of men cited radio as their main source of news.

We therefore have every reason to believe that, now that Patten is at the head of national radio, all these women interviewed for the GMAS will find their hopes fulfilled. 76 percent of those interviewed said they would find the news more interesting if the ideas and views of women were reported more often. A resounding 81 percent of women and 63 percent of men agreed that the news would be more interesting if there were stories about women doing a wider range of things.

Patten’s appointment is a victory for Mauritian media – both men and women. The new MBC management must be congratulated for this historic decision. With Patten in this position, we believe that all voices will count and all voices will henceforth be heard on MBC radio.

<B>Loga Virahsawmy </B>,<I> president of Media Watch Organisation.</I>