Page updated:
Monday, 13 August 2007

The sea seen through pawpaw...

Journalism in a strange land

Those who already cover the Pacific for a publication need read no further. The same applies if you are a professional photographer - the photo equipment list that follows later will be a little basic to you. And if you plan to go no further than the cities and tourist locations, what follows will be unnecessary reading. This chapter is for the person who does what is known as development journalism, who is primarily a writer or researcher that produces media products as part of their work.

My previous visits to the Solomons and PNG had been made as a project officer for APACE, an aid organisation I worked for in the late-1990s. The purpose the journey described on these pages was to collect information and photographs for two handbooks for the AusAID-funded Sustainable Livelihoods for Rural Youth Project that was implemented by local agency, the Kastom Gaden Association (KGA). I went as a media consultant to that organisation on behalf of the consultancy organisation, TerraCrcle.

The handbooks - one on mixed-species agroforestry and the other on pig farming - were produced in simple English for distribution to projects trainees enrolled in those modules. Other modules included chicken keeping as an income-earning activity, for which a handbook was put together later, and small business.

Part of my role was to work with Solomon Islands graphic artist, Steve Amasi, to produce the drawings for the handbooks. A gifted artist, Steve works with the Kastom Gaden Association in Honiara producing newsletters, illustrations and video.

Gathering information for books and other media products is easy in Australia. In the Solomon Islands, however - and I am sure in most developing countries - there are so many things that can complicate the process. Perhaps the following points will be of interest to others assigned to the Solomons or other Pacific Island states to gather information and images.

Gain a working knowledge before you go

Journalists are used to being assigned to stories they know little about, but when the assignment is in a developing country, a little research will go a long way to helping you understand what you will see and hear and what you need to ask about.

Developing a background knowledge:

• assists in the interpretation of observations
• assists in making sense of information
• informs you of themes and issues running through the area you are to write about
• provides clues as to the type of questions you should ask.

Clarify arrangements in a contract

If you are freelance or a consultant, arrangements with the organisation assigning you should be described in a contract.

The contract should stipulate:

• travel arrangements and accommodation - will the organisation purchase tickets to and from your country of origin and for travel within the country?
• insurance arrangements - whether the organisation covers your health and evacuation insurance and whether it covers your travel insurance
• payment details
• who holds copyright to the text you write and the photographs you take
• other pertinent details.

Get a briefing

If you are producing media material for an organisation, make sure you receive a full briefing before you leave concerning:

• the organisation itself - its aims, objectives, activities, policies, history, practices; obtain recent annual reports, newsletters and other relevant documents
• the area you are to go to
• the people who are to be your contacts
• the type of information required, its uses and users and the format it will be published in (book, magazine, online media etc); this will clarify whether photography or illustration is required, whether the images will be published black and white or in colour
• production deadlines
• the health hazards peculiar to the region
• current security situation - the incidence of crime, political instability, conflict
• the organisation's in-country security arrangements
• whether the organisation is supplying an interpreter or minder (a minder is a person who accompanies you and arranges travel, food, accommodation, interviews, translations and otherwise smoothes your way so you can focus on your job).

Ideally, an organisation would provide this information in a briefing paper.

Learn about what you are to report on before you go. Read. Search the Internet. Find relevant magazines at the newsagent. Ask people who know for a briefing and ask others who have done similar work in the country.

I was lucky with my the visit to the Solomons described on the previous pages as I had a working knowledge of agroforestry gained when working for a commercial forestry investment company and, earlier, as a Landcare educator and as community liaison for Greening Australia. About pigs, though - the subject of the other handbook - - I knew nothing apart from the fact that sooner or later they become bacon. An Internet search and consulting a few books on Pacific agriculture provided the background to make sense of what I was told and saw, to draw up a questionnaire to ease the collection of information and to list the types of photographs and drawings I would need for the handbook.

Develop patience

This is invaluable. If you lack this resource you should acquire it as soon as possible.

Assume that transport timetables will be 'flexible' and that transport might never arrive when expected, or at all. This applies increasingly the further into the backblocks you venture. Transport may not run to any schedule but according to the travel needs of villagers. You will have to fit in with this.

To cope with the vagaries of transport, build plenty of time into your schedule between appointments and travel. You can always use spare time to go over the information you have collected, read the paperback you have packed, clean your camera, do your washing or gaze quietly into the vast distances of the Pacific.

Lack of patience breeds frustration.

Acquire the ability to live basically

Some journalists are accommodated in first class hotels, fed large meals daily, have their washing done and move around in a hire car. That's their good luck. Those of us who do development journalism for aid organisations exist at the opposite end of the luxury spectrum.

The ability to live in a more basic manner than we are used to is invaluable. This means being able to:

• do without a soft bed (in villages you may be given only a woven mat to sleep on)
• eat local food
• travel on local transport; this can be profoundly uncomfortable
• wash your own clothes
• find food in village markets
• wash in creeks and rivers.

Living basically is also about attitude:

• the ability to endure what would be seen as discomfort in the developed world
• the ability to make-do with what you have, no matter how inadequate it might be
• having equipment that is reliable, multi-purpose and minimal
• the attitude that living any other way is wimpish.

If going into isolated areas or anywhere off the tourist track (away from hotels, cafes and reliable transport) and, particularly, if you will move around frequently, anticipate discomfort such as:

• getting wet when it rains
• washing (yourself) less regularly
• being hot, sweaty and smelly
• not having the opportunity to wash your clothes regularly and wearing the same clothes for several days
• washing in streams or from a bucket of cold water
• putting up with the whine and nip of mosquitoes and the odd rat scurrying across the floor; being bitten by an assortment of strange insects
• unreliable and uncomfortable transport
• having sore muscles from walking
• eating strange food and eating the same food day after day
• waiting, waiting.

These are all worse-case things but you are better off being prepared. "Be prepared for the worst. Expect the best" is good advice for travel in the tropical backblocks.

Learn social skills

People of other cultures have their own norms of interpersonal interaction. It is best if someone can tell you about these and how to interpret them. In the Solomons, raising the eyebrows means an answer in the affirmative, and a 'pssss' sound will bring your minibus in Honiara to a stop, but who but a Solomon Islander would know that?

Learn to communicate with people of different cultures and with limited English. Learn to make yourself clear in basic English without speaking childishly to people or speaking down to them. Of course, if you plan to spend some time in-country, learn the basics of the local language.

The minimally-equipped travel easier

There is a saying to the effect that: "He who travels light travels far". To this could be added: 'He/ she who travels minimally travels easier'.

Nothing is more of a hassle in the tropical heat than humping around a big pack loaded with too much stuff . The lightly-equipped travel cooler.

Following is a basic kit for travel around the islands of the Solomons and similar places. It assumes you will not be meeting government ministers and other influential people; if you are, then pack a set of presentable, clean clothes; you will probably need these only in the capital and may be able to leave them there to collect on your way home.

A basic kit for rough travel in the islands:

Clothing

• four shirts - I find the short-sleeve, button-up cotton shirts cooler; take two of these and two T-shirts, the type with buttons at the collar ventilate better; if you are taking photographs with anything other than a point-and-shoot camera, shirts with a pocket or two will prove invaluable as you will have somewhere to put film, filters, a pen and sunglasses; you might find a photographer's vest - one of those sleeveless things with heaps of pockets - to be useful but it may be uncomfortable in the heat
• a long-sleeve cotton shirt or a light cotton pullover may be useful to fend off nocturnal mosquitos and the odd cool night (rare at sea level); lightweight, compactable, fast-drying shirts made from synthetic fabric take little space in the pack
• one pair of long trousers and a couple pair of shorts; the long trousers are for occasions you need to look more presentable than the average Australian traveller and, more commonly, to put on at night when malarial mosquitos come out; one pair of shorts should be for wearing when you go to wash in the creek; I find a pair of nylon board shorts works well and dries quickly
• four sets of undies
• a hat to prevent sunburn and heat stroke; it is up to you whether you choose one with a brim all round or a baseball style cap; the cotton military style hats, seemingly available only in olive green, are cheap and work well; some of the surf-style clothing manufacturers make soft cotton hats which are serviceable; I carry one of these and a cap as a spare in case the hat blows off while travelling by truck of motor canoe
• shoes - sports sandals are comfortable and durable; they have a tread pattern for grip (though nothing grips in slippery mud); I have been happy with Teva and Merril brands; I take a pair of lightweight walking shoes which I usually leave in town and use mainly for travel between Australia and my destination, though running shoes would also be suitable; a pair of cheap thongs is useful if the washing facilities are a bit dodgy and for wearing about accommodation houses; take a pair of socks for the shoes and leave these with the shoes if you will not need them in the back country - alternatively, wear them to protect your feet from mosquitoes at night
• waterproof poncho - a waterproof nylon poncho with a hood is more comfortable in the heat than a waterproof parka; you might prefer to allow yourself to get wet in light rain - you dry out quickly - but in a heavy downpour a poncho will prove its value; the type that opens into a ground sheet is versatile, offering protection from rain, from spray on a choppy motor canoe journey and serving as a groundsheet for sleeping on.

BIts and pieces

• washing kit - you can but nylon bags with zip closure from outdoor shops in Australia; these have a hook for suspending the thing in the bathroom (or from a convenient branch when washing in a creek) and come with a natty little mirror attached inside for those who cannot shave without looking at themselves (guys - acquire this skill); some have compartments but make sure it is large enough for what you put in: soap (in plastic box or liquid soap in squeeze tube); toothbrush and toothpaste; dental floss; prickly heat powder; moisturiser (the sun is cruel to exposed skin, if that bothers you); women's sanitation requirements
• medical kit - pack a small bag with basic stuff: band aids, Panadol, asprin or other pain killers, an elastic bandage, antiseptic, small tweezers, a few sterile dressings, anti-itch cream (to treat itchy insect bites), a few cotton buds; malaria tablets; a more-than-reasonable supply of any prescription medication you need; I find a triangular bandage takes little space and has a multitude of potential uses; people going into areas of recent conflict have been known to pack a military field dressing
• sunburn cream - keep this in your daypack so it is always with you
• sunglasses - I prefer those with polarising lenses because you can better see into the shallow water of reefs
• insect repellent, a powerful type capable of repelling the Anopheles mosquito, the species that carries malaria
• sleeping mat - the hardy will not carry a sleeping mat and will make do with the woven grass mats that are sometimes supplied; I carry a three-quarter length self-inflating foam mat of the thinnest model available; this can be folded then rolled into a compact package that I place in a small nylon cover for protection; I find it useful when only a woven mat is supplied or when mattresses are too hard or tacky
• towel - a cheap and lightweight cotton towel is fine; I find the synthetic towels available from outdoor shops work well and dry out quickly; these come in various sizes, make sure you buy one that is large enough and that preferably comes with its own stuff bag
• knife- a Swiss Army-type knife with basic tools such as blade, can opener, screw driver, cap lifter (in Honiara, a cold beer once sat around unopened for days because nobody had a cap lifter, then someone realised it could be opened simply by levering the cap off on the railing); you do not need the top-of-the-line model that does almost everything; an alternative is one of those multi-purpose tools with all the basic fittings and that come with a small pliers (made by Leatherman and others); when travelling by aircraft, place these cutting instruments in your check-in luggage as airport security staff are hesitant to allow them in the cabin
• light - a penlight torch will suffice, pack a couple spare batteries if you think you will use it a lot (Maglight make a durable, waterproof, metal-cased light that uses two AA batteries - the top of the light can be removed to turn it into a hanging or standing electric candle sort-of-thing; something new are the LED torches from outdoor shops - these tend to be pricey but the batteries last much longer as the LED (light emitting diodes - like tiny light bulbs) drain less power; an alternative is a headlamp which is quite convenient as it leaves your hands free; once again, there are LED types available that cast a short-range glow rather than a piercing beam; the more LEDs, the stronger the light
• water bottle - despite the humidity you will dry out quickly in the tropics; take one or two water bottles of around one litre capacity; some types will hook onto your belt or daypack
• water purification tablets - most village and town water is safe to drink in the Solomons but you should pack some purification tablets just in case; there are water filters on the market and these appear to be reliable but expensive and add weight to your load
• carry money securely - a money and passport belt or neck pouch may prove useful but I find neck pouches a nuisance; I carry money, tickets and passport in a nylon bag with a number of zipper-closed compartments that I use for my other bits and pieces; this stays in my daypack with my cameras and goes everywhere with me.

Sleeping gear

You will not need a sleeping bag in the Solomons though, in the Pacific, the uplands can be cool at night.

I carry a silk sleeping bag liner of the type available from outdoor shops (cotton models are available but are heavier and pack into a bulkier package). These are very compact and light weight when packed into their stuff sack; if you are concerned about putting your sleeping mat straight on the floor, consider buying a sarong when you arrive in-country, this has a multitude of uses.

Packing cells

Always on the lookout for new products to sell, outdoor shops retail useful, zipper-closed, flat bags designed to hold your clothing and other stuff. The advantage of these packing cells is that they keep everything together in your pack, make more space available, and can be removed at your destination for easy access to clothing and other contents.

A larger cell for sleeping bag and mat, first aid, towel and wash kits and a couple medium-size cells for your clothing may prove a manageable and convenient arrangement.

Packs

I can fit all this stuff in what is described as a 35 to 40 litre pack, something larger than a daypack but smaller than what people carry for long trips.

• when choosing a pack consider the type on which the entire back panel zips open so everything is easily found and packing is easy; this type eases your passing through customs; the harness can be zipped away allowing it to be carried with a side handle or a shoulder strap; with this type of pack you avoid having to empty out the contents to find something hidden in the dark interior, as happens with the top-loading type
• a small daypack is useful as hand luggage on flights and for toting your needs around town and the backblocks; choose one large enough to fit an A4-size clipboard if you have prepared a questionnaire for information gathering.

Tools for backcountry journalists

The tools you take to gather information will be an individual selection. In part, what you carry will be dictated by the type of information you require - text or photographic.

I minimise my kit on visits to the Solomons by carrying:

• an A5, spiral-bound notebook and a couple pens for making notes (take more than a single pen in case one stops working)
• an film or digital SLR camera with zoom lenses covering the film camera-equivalent focal lengths of 24mm to 200mm and skylight and polarising filters + spare batteries
• a small back-up camera of the point and shoot type or a second SLR body
• plenty of film or digital storage cards
• lens cleaning kit (blower, brush, microfibre cleaning cloth)
• small, padded camera bag carried inside the daypack (I use a Lowe Pro brand photographers day pack with a padded camera compartment and a waterproof nylon cover that pulls over the pack in rain)
• river rafters waterproof bag to put the camera bag in when making long journeys by motor canoe.

Basic equipment, of course, is a couple spiral-bound, top-opening A5-size notebooks and a couple pens.

Whether you need a small digital or micro-cassette tape recorder depends on your assignment. Consider one if you plan to do interviews; a recording serves as a check on your notes and as a source of quotes.

Cameras

If your assignment calls for photographs, plan to carry minimal equipment. Take more spare batteries than you think you will need as they are unlikely to be available anywhere without a substantial tourism industry.

Suggested minimal kit

Following is a suggested minimal kit suitable for making photographs to illustrate a book or articles. It applies to both digital and film cameras.

• an SLR (single-lens reflex) camera body or a rangefinder camera body with a set of lenses or zoom lens covering wide angle to telephoto; cheaper than an SLR kit is a digital SLR-type digital camera with a fixed (non-interchangeable) zoom lens with coverage from 28mm to 200mm (film camera-equivalent); these have a little short-range, pop-up flash built in; go for a model with minimal shutter lag and with a minimum image resolution of five megapixels
• two lenses that together cover the film camera-equivalent focal length of 24mm - 200mm + whatever filters you prefer; a skylight filter on each lens protects the front lens element and you might also take a polarising filter and a split-field neutral density filter for landscape photography on bright but cloudy days when the featureless sky is much brighter than the land and could dominate the exposure
• a small flashgun
• a lens cleaning kit
• spare batteries
• plenty of film or spare storage cards for digital cameras
• a padded, protective bag to carry your kit in.

Lenses

Professional photographers will carry 'fast' lenses that work in low light. These have a large aperture of around f2.8 and are bulkier and heavier and very expensive.

If photography is an adjunct to your writing, consider a slower but sturdy, optically sharp quality zoom lens (f3.5 - f5.6) with a broader focal length of around 28mm - 200mm (film camera-equivalent). Nikon and Canon make such lenses for their own cameras and Sigma makes lenses for a range of SLR cameras. If you really need to photograph in low light conditions, such as in a forest, add a fixed focal length lens of 35mm or 50mm (film camera-equivalent) with an aperture of between f1.8 and f2.8.

If you are taking a digital kit, consider a mass storage device into which you can download your images as your camera storage cards fill. You should have at least one large capacity (1-4MB) spare card anyway, but you will soon fill it. Mass storage devices are compact, battery-powered mini-hard drives of 20 megabytes or more capacity. There is a also a compact, battery-powered CD writer that could be used as mass storage and the 60MB Apple iPod now stores images as well as your MP3 music collection and appointments information.

Film and airport X-ray machines

Never put films, exposed or unexposed, in your check-in luggage. The powerful X-ray machines will damage it.

Take your film and camera into the aircraft with you. Opinions on how many passes of a hand-luggage X-ray machine film can accept without damage vary. Consensus seems to be about six passes for film up to 400 ISO speed range. The higher the film speed, the more sensitive it is to X-rays. X-rays damage is cumulative so consider the number of airports you will pass through.

Ask for a hand check of your film if you are concerned. To make this easy, take your film out of the plastic containers and put it in a clear plastic bar of the 'ziploc' type that can be sealed. Choose a security gate that is less busy.

Pack light, travel smart

The smart traveller in the Pacific packs minimally and travels more comfortably. Take only what you really will need - you are going to have to lug it around. The less of a burden it is, the more comfortably you will travel.

If you are buying clothing and equipment for a journey involving media work in out of the way locations, purchase sturdy stuff but not the most expensive. Middle range equipment is reliable and costs less to replace if lost or stolen. Take a paperback book in case you have to wait.

Above all, pack the right attitude when you go. Leave at home false expectations about comfort, amenities and the reliability of transport timetables. If all runs to schedule, that's your good luck.

The Pacific is a wonderful place full of wonderful people. Enjoy your travels.