Visible signs of the post-election violence in Kenya 2008. Photo: Anne Poulsen/IMS

New trauma booklet about the experiences of Kenyan journalists during the post election violence in Kenya in early 2008 was launched in Nairobi on Friday 26 June 2009

"Healing the Messenger - a journalist's trauma booklet" published by International Media Support (IMS) and presented by Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) and Kenya Association of Photographers, Illustrators and Designers (KAPIDE) provides insights into the experiences of the Kenyan journalists during the post election violence that hit Kenya in early 2008.

Still struggling

The stories contained in the book are told by some of the journalists themselves. A journalist from the Rift Valley Province accounts:

- Months since I witnessed some of these disturbing scenes, the images have refused to go away, and until I attended the counseling sessions for journalists in Eldoret, I would not bring myself to talk about them with colleagues or my family members. These disturbing images, though receeding to the background, have refused to go away. I just hope they will, some day.

The Kenyan media community is still struggling with the aftermath of the political violence that killed almost 1,500 people and displaced some 500,000 people. The media, as indeed the entire nation, are yet to sufficiently heal.

As part of a rapid response to the critical needs of the Kenyan media fraternity in the post election conflict period, a trauma counseling initiative was launched in March 2008.

Providing counseling for reporters who had witnessed some of the worst things that can happen to humanity - with no tools to handle the emotional shock - was identified as one of the most imminent and crucial needs for support to Kenyan media practitioners in the aftermath of the disputed December 2007 presidential election.

Launch of booklet

"Healing the messenger" also provides guidance on how to recognize and deal with trauma as elaborated by Dr. Sobbie Mulindi and his team of counselors from Kenyatta National Hospital who designed and headed the post-election trauma counseling.

- IMS is pleased to present this booklet jointly with our Kenyan partners and it is our hope that it will be a useful tool for media workers in Kenya. At the same time, IMS would like to express its profound gratitude to its Kenyan partners for their strong commitment and dedication to this important task," says Jesper Højberg, IMS' Executive Director.

The presentation of "Healing the Messenger - a journalist's trauma booklet"  took place at the Sarova Panafric Hotel in Nairobi on Friday June 26th 2009.