80-year-old Habi Camara says that this year is the worst she can remember for failed crops.
Craig Burnett at the British Red Cross talks about the difficulties in ensuring the slowly developing crises, such as the food security issues in the Sahel, get the media coverage that they deserve.
The Red Cross has launched an appeal to raise cash for those affected by the crisis. But why isn’t the issue getting as much media attention as other disasters – and why does it matter?
One reason is that the situation in west Africa is a slowly developing one. Front page stories tend to be about sudden, dramatic events that occurred in the last 24 hours – whether they’re earthquakes, guilty verdicts or celebrities filing for divorce. Stories about gradually changing situations – even those as serious as the crisis in west Africa – will struggle to elbow aside competing stories if they don’t have a dramatic central moment.
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