The Washington Post launched a Webmagazine The Root dedicated to African-Americans and the African diaspora, on Monday . Lynette Clemetson, editing manager, tells us how this idea was born as well as her hopes and aspirations.
The Washington Post launched a Webmagazine The Root dedicated to African-Americans and the African diaspora, on Monday . Lynette Clemetson, editing manager, tells us how this idea was born as well as her hopes and aspirations.
The Root. This is the name of the new Online magazine dedicated to African-Americans as well as the African diaspora. The Root webmagazine, inaugurated on Monday, provides information on the black community in the United States and also exemplary African news information. The site also offers assisstance to African-Americans who want to trace their roots. Henry Louis Gates Junior, Havard professor and co-founder of The Root, conducted a series of interviews with black personalities to whom he revealed burried secrets… These interviews – parts shown on the site – will be fully shown on the PBS channel on the 6th and 13th of February. Lynette Clemetson, Editing manager, throws mmore light on the birth and objectives of The Root.
Afrik-news.com : How was The Root born?
Lynette Clemetson : We did not have a name for The Root in the begining. The idea for this magazine came from Henry Louis Gates Junior and Donald Graham, president of Washington Post. They started working on the project between the months of September and October.
Afrik-news.com : What is your target ?
Lynette Clemetson : Our viewers will be mainly black but not exclusively. We are not only going to limit ourselves to African-Americans. We would like to attract the attention of the Diaspora.
Afrik-news.com : You did write about the political unrest in Kenya. Do you think that what is happening in Africa is of any interest to African Americans?
Lynette Clemetson : We hope to make this site interesting by furnishing it with serious articles which highlight what is happening in the black community. I think that African-Americans are interested in what takes place in Africa. And for those who do not know, we we hope to tickle their interest in what takes place on the African continent and its diaspora.
Afrik-news.com : Are you only going to deal with political information from the African continent or talk about other things as well ?
Lynette Clemetson : I can’t wait to delve more into socio-cultural topics from Africa, The Caribean, and the Black European diaspora. We have a Nigerian writer who lives in the U.S and goes by the name, Uzodinma Iweala, author of Beasts of no nation, a book on child soldiers from Sierra Leone and a book critic. We’ll love for him to write more on other stories and also introduce us to other Africans who reside in the U.S who could also write for us..
Afrik-news.com : How many journalists do you employ under your umbrella?
Lynette Clemetson : We only have freelance journalists and contributors writing for us on regular basis. The editorial team is made up of four persons: Henry Louis Gates Junior is the executive director, i am the Editing manager, the assistant director is Terence Samuel and Natalie Hopkinson is the Associate director.
Afrik-news.com : Do you provide information to the Washington Post internet site and vice-versa?
Lynette Clemetson : We have not thought about that for the time being, but, as The Root belongs to theWashington Post, exchanging materials is forseeable.
Afrik-news.com : Your site is very much into the tracing of roots …
Lynette Clemetson : We have two missons : to be an online magazine and provide the means to allow for the tracing of family roots. Since the onset of DNA, African-Americans have lost interest in the search for their roots. It therefore became necessary to dedicate a part of our operations to the subject matter. The name of the web magazine is afterall The Root … another thing is, if we know our history we are in a better position to positively influence black peoples future.
Afrik-news.com : What is your monthly target in terms of visitors?
Lynette Clemetson :It is a bit too early to tell. Our target, though, is not based on quantity but on quality. We want to provide the best contents possible, to attract to people.
To know more about the site go to : The Root
