Samba Yonga
{{Short description|Zambian Journalist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name =Samba Yonga
| image = WikiGap Zambia 2021 12 (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Yonga in 2021
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| birth_date =
| birth_place = Lusaka
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| nationality = Zambian
| other_names =
| occupation = Journalist, media consultant
| years_active =
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| notable_works = Creation of Zambia's Museum of Women's History
}}
Samba Yonga is a Zambian journalist and media consultant. She has worked a long time as editor for Big Issue Zambia and has written for several other publications. Yonga is the founder of Ku-Atenga Media, a media consultancy firm and was named one of Destiny's "Power of 40" most influential women in Africa in 2017.
Career
Samba Yonga first became interested in journalism after she won a prize for a short story she had written.{{cite web|title=Samba Yonga|url=http://panoslondon.panosnetwork.org/journalists/samba-yonga/|publisher=Panos London|accessdate=13 November 2017|language=en|archive-date=9 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190309041134/http://panoslondon.panosnetwork.org/journalists/samba-yonga/|url-status=live}} She attended college and whilst there worked part-time for a local newspaper. After graduation Yonga found work developing ideas for TV and radio programmes.{{cite news|title=Meet Samba Yonga The Woman Behind Ku-Atenga Media - UzaCoona Magazine|url=http://magazine.uzacoona.com/meet-samba-yonga-woman-behind-ku-atenga-media/|accessdate=13 November 2017|work=UzaCoona Magazine|date=26 July 2017|archive-date=8 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808013106/http://magazine.uzacoona.com/meet-samba-yonga-woman-behind-ku-atenga-media/|url-status=live}} She was then appointed to run the relaunched Trendsetters youth magazine. Yonga has also written for Okay Africa magazine and The Guardian.{{cite news|title=Meet the Zambian Radio DJs Who Could Play a Pivotal Role in this Week's Presidential Election|url=http://www.okayafrica.com/meet-zambian-radio-djs-will-play-pivotal-role-weeks-election/|accessdate=13 November 2017|work=Okay Africa|date=9 August 2016|language=en}}{{cite news|last1=Yonga|first1=Samba|title=Youth paralegals in Zambia help tackle child abuse|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2011/sep/21/youth-paralegals-zambia-child-abuse|accessdate=13 November 2017|work=The Guardian|date=21 September 2011}} Yonga was editorial director of The Big Issue Zambia magazine, which was launched by the International Network of Street Papers in 2007. The magazine was published in six countries and Yonga travelled frequently to visit these.
Yonga established a media consultancy company, Ku-Atenga Media, from the word for "to create" in Luvale, her native language. Shortly afterwards, she left Zambia to study for a master's degree in global media and translation communication at the University of London. Upon her return, she began to expand Ku-Atenga, providing consultancy services on communications strategy. The company now carries out work for local and international clients, including the Zambian government, European Union and the United Nations.{{cite news|title=Zambia : Zambian media entrepreneur Samba Yonga, selected as one of Destiny Magazine's "Power of 40" most influential women in Africa|url=https://www.lusakatimes.com/2017/11/01/zambian-media-entrepreneur-samba-yonga-selected-one-destiny-magazines-power-40-influential-women-africa/|accessdate=13 November 2017|work=Lusaka Times|date=1 November 2017|archive-date=12 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112161349/https://www.lusakatimes.com/2017/11/01/zambian-media-entrepreneur-samba-yonga-selected-one-destiny-magazines-power-40-influential-women-africa/|url-status=live}}
Yonga began the Narratives of Silenced Voices to research and publish the stories of African women from history.{{cite news|title=Zambia: Museum of Women's Living History Launched|url=https://www.lusakatimes.com/2016/11/23/museum-womens-living-history-launched/|accessdate=13 November 2017|work=LusakaTimes.com|date=23 November 2016|archive-date=16 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116092552/https://www.lusakatimes.com/2016/11/23/museum-womens-living-history-launched/|url-status=live}} The project was run in conjunction with the {{ill|Kvinnohistoriskt museum|sv}}, a women's history museum in Sweden, and Zambian activist Mulenga Kapwepwe. Yonga developed the project into the Zambian Museum of Women's History, initially as an online-only offering but with a view to having a physical location to allow display of artefacts collected by the project. The Women's History Museum of Zambia {{Cite web|url=https://www.whmzambia.org/|title=The Women's History Museum of Zambia|website=The Women's History Museum of Zambia}} has worked with Swedish ethnographers to facilitate the digital repatriation of Zambian cultural objects and artefacts.{{cite web | url=https://diggers.news/local/2019/10/31/zambias-womens-history-swedish-national-culture-museums-to-develop-digital-platform-for-artifacts/ | title=Zambia's Women's History, Swedish national culture museums to develop digital platform for artifacts | date=31 October 2019 }}
Yonga writes a blog on WordPress.{{cite web|title=Samba Yonga - Vishinganyeka|url=https://sambayongawrites.wordpress.com/|publisher=Word Press|accessdate=13 November 2017|archive-date=24 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324205904/https://sambayongawrites.wordpress.com/|url-status=live}} She was named one of Destiny's "Power of 40" most influential women in Africa of 2017.
References
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Category:Zambian women journalists
Category:21st-century Zambian writers