Global Voices: Tell us about yourself—who exactly is Jean de Dieu Sovon?
Jean de Dieu Sovon (JDS): My civil name is Kossi Agbéko Sovon. I am a journalist, and my journalist name is Jean de Dieu Sovon. I am the second child among four boys. I hold a BA in Sociology from the Université de Lomé, Togo, and also graduated from a course in journalism and communication. I am really interested in news stories covering human rights, democracy, good governance, and international relations. In addition to being a journalist, my second passion, human rights defense, brings me to collaborate with organisations from the civil society in Togo to lead activities that promote human rights in Togo.
GV: When did you join Global Voices, and what motivated you to do so?
JDS: I joined Global Voices in January 2023 after a call for applications for a new editor to take care of French-speaking Africa. This was both an opportunity and a challenge for me to work in a global environment and learn from colleagues with various cultures and profiles. GV is available in the entire world. As for what motivates me, I’d say tackle other professional realities, because everything happens online with GV. But equally, seeing your articles globally available to read in several languages and the opportunity to write about French-speaking Africa. I have many motivations.
GV: Tell us more about your experience as a translator for GV, has anything marked you?
JDS: What marked me the most was my colleagues’ availability to guide me and show me what I needed to know to contribute in a better way. This is also an opportunity to sincerely thank Filip Noubel, our general manager, for his patience and his sympathetic ear with me. He is moulding me and training me to the GV spirit.
GV: As our translator of the month, what would you say to our contributors to encourage them?
JDS: I would simply like to thank all of GV’s contributors for believing in what they do for this community. They might not realise this, but what they do has an impact in some parts of the world. I am one of those who believes that life was only created to make an impact and change others. In a way, every GV contributor brings something to someone at the other end of the world.