Vicky Ntetema (born ) is a Tanzanian journalist known for breaking the story about the murder of persons with albinism in Tanzania. Later, she became Executive Director of Under the Same Sun (UTSS) in Tanzania.

Life and career

Ntetema was born in

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

in 1958. With a government scholarship she studied in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and received her Master's degree in Journalism in 1985 and also received her MSc in Information Systems Development in 1998 at the London School of Economics in the UK. In 1991, Ntetema joined the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

as a Swahili an electronic media journalist (radio presenter and producer) in London and in 2006 a senior journalist and bureau chief for the

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

in Tanzania. Ntetema came to notice when in 2008 she broke a story about the murder of persons with albinism in Tanzania. Ntetema later left the BBC to become Executive Director of Under the Same Sun in Tanzania, a Canadian charity promoting the human rights of persons with albinism. A post she held until her retirement in May 2018.

Reports on the persecution of persons with albinism in Tanzania

Ntetema's undercover investigation exposed that some Tanzanians saw persons with albinism as ghost-like beings and local witch doctors considered "their body parts as potent ingredients for magic charms" bringing success. Her reports were primarily responsible for drawing international attention to the situation. Due to threats against her, Ntetema had to go into hiding, required around the clock protection and had to leave the country twice for her own protection. In 2010, the

International Women's Media Foundation The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), located in Washington, D.C., is an organization working internationally to elevate the status of women in the media. The IWMF has created programs to help women in the media develop practical so ...

awarded her the Courage in Journalism Award for her reports. In 2016, the US Secretary of State

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

awarded Ntetema the

International Women of Courage Award The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

Awards

*Courage in Journalism Award in 2010 *Tanzania Women of Achievement Award in the category "Information and Communication" in 2013 *International Women of Courage Award in 2016

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ntetema, Vicky 1959 births Living people Tanzanian journalists BBC News people Tanzanian human rights activists Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award Tanzanian women journalists