Zuhura Khateeb Selemani

Biography

Zuhura Selemani Khateeb is an experienced professional with a strong background in broadcasting, research, analytical thinking, and problem-solving. She has served in the public sector for 15 years at the University of Dar es Salaam’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication as an Assistant Lecturer, where she conducts research and trains both university students and professional journalists in the field of journalism.

Zuhura contributed to the University of Dar es Salaam Tracer Study and was later part of a team that reviewed the School’s journalism curriculum. Her recent research engagements as a research assistant include the TBC Audience Research and the Yearbook on Media Quality in Tanzania, focusing on local government elections. She also served as the country researcher for a study on newsroom safety in East Africa.

Zuhura holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Dar es Salaam and a master’s degree in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies from the United Nations-mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica. She also gained experience in Intercultural Competence and Communication through a summer school at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, the Netherlands. Additionally, she is a trained curriculum developer from UPEACE, specialising in media, peacebuilding, conflict resolution and management. As part of her master’s programme, she developed a college-level teaching curriculum titled The Role of Media in Peace and Conflict (unpublished).

She has acquired both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in journalism through various professional workshops and training programmes conducted by the BBC, Voice of America (VOA), and DW Akademie. Zuhura has served as a trainer and consultant for several organisations, including HakiElimu, EWURA, the Media Council of Tanzania, the Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA), Gender Links South Africa, UN Women, the World Association for Christian Communication, International IDEA, SOS Village Tanzania, Internews, the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), and the Zanzibar House of Representatives.

Zuhura has contributed to strategic and educational development efforts, co-developing the Zanzibar House of Representatives’ Strategic Plan, TAMWA’s training curriculum on Media and Gender-Based Violence, and peer-reviewing the Media Council of Tanzania’s training manual on Gender and the Media. She was the country researcher for the Gender and Media Progress Study (GMPS), led by Gender Links South Africa, and the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), led by the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), Canada.

She has coordinated several programmes at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, including the UNICEF Child Rights Programme; a UNESCO-supported online diploma for community media journalists; and a student and faculty exchange initiative with Hamburg University of Applied Sciences’ Institute of Media Centre, where students produced audiobooks and video documentaries. Currently, she coordinates the Camera for Girls project, the Diploma in Journalism programme, the CoMMPASS Kiswahili MOOC group, and serves as the Gender Focal Point at the School.

Furthermore, Zuhura is a trained leader, having been mentored by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) in Dar es Salaam and the Centre for Creative Leadership in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is known for her strong communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, as well as her problem-solving abilities, professional work ethic, adaptability, and ambition in the field of media and journalism.