Why did you agree to take part in this training course?

For two reasons: firstly, I have always been fascinated with Africa and African affairs. For example I have covered nine African Cups for Canal+ Horizons. I think it must be no easy task to work as a journalist in Africa, and I know we can bring them a lot in this sphere.

How did you prepare your contributions?

I wanted to take a highly practical stance. This is why many contributors such as Grégoire Margotton (Canal+) and Christian Jeanpierre (TF1) were invited. I also wanted director François-Charles Bideaux. In Africa, these journalists provide commentary during matches for the top French League, the Champions League and the World Cup. They need to know how the programme will be broadcast, which pictures to expect. All this impacts how they tackle the commentary. And the theory lessons were geared around actual exercises, tests and so on. There was ongoing debriefing.

What is your impression of this set of journalists?

They have fairly different styles and profiles. Some work more as journalists, others as commentators, whose voices sound good on the air. They are aged between 25 and 45, so there are great differences in experience. It was a real pleasure to work with them. They all came along with a huge thirst to learn.

Given your experience, what advice would you give these journalists career-wise?

What I kept on saying throughout the four-day course: work hard! And then, concentrate on picture content and give the viewers a proper account of the match.