From a small multilingual community newspaper to a trusted source of information for Maine’s immigrant communities, Amjambo Africa has evolved significantly since its first edition. As the publication reaches its 100th edition, four people who helped shape that journey, Co-founder and Publisher Georges Budagu Makoko, Co-founder Kathreen Harrison, Art and Layout Director Stacey Warner and first Deputy Editor Jean Hakuzimana, reflect on where it began, how it evolved, and what lies ahead.
A dream that had to survive one edition at a time
When Makoko co-founded Amjambo Africa, he did not know whether the newspaper would make it to 100 issues.
Each month presented a new challenge: securing funding, producing the newspaper, and making sure the next edition could be published.
But the uncertainty never outweighed the belief that the publication was necessary. “Every month was a challenge to secure funding and produce the next issue,” he said. “But we refused to give up because we believed our immigrant communities deserved access to reliable information.”
That belief became the foundation of the publication. From its earliest days, Amjambo Africa sought to provide information to immigrant and refugee communities in languages and forms that were accessible to them. Over time, that mission helped the newspaper develop into a broader community institution.
Makoko credited the many people who contributed to the project, including Warner, co-founder and former Editor-in-Chief Kathreen (Kit) Harrison, and others who helped establish its early visual identity.
“Working with Kit, Stacey, and so many others has been one of the greatest blessings of this journey,” he said. “They didn’t just help create a newspaper — they helped build a vision.”
The newspaper’s growth, he said, would not have been possible without the support of its broader community. “Thanks to the unwavering support of our partners, advertisers, and readers, Amjambo Africa has grown into a trusted voice.”
For Makoko, that trust remains central to the newspaper’s purpose. “Today, our mission is stronger than ever: to empower immigrant families with accurate information that helps them build better lives.”
The 100th edition, therefore, represents more than a number. It is evidence that an idea that once had to survive from month to month could become a lasting institution.
And Makoko’s ambitions extend well beyond Edition 100. “My dream is for Amjambo Africa to become the most trusted source of information for immigrant communities, first in Maine and eventually across the country,” he said. “Accurate information changes lives. It gives families confidence, creates opportunities, and strengthens communities.”
Then comes the challenge — and the promise — of the next 100 editions. “If the first 100 editions proved that this dream could survive, I believe the next 100 will prove just how many lives it can transform.”
Shining a bright light on newcomer stories
For Co-founder Kathreen “Kit” Harrison, the journey to the 100th edition is a testament to the power of shared vision. Looking back at the early days, she remembers the newspaper taking shape far from a formal newsroom, beginning instead with initial meetings in coffee shops and around her dining room table.
When she and Makoko co-founded Amjambo Africa, they each brought distinct but complementary goals to the project. “Georges wanted very much to help newcomers to Maine by providing important information about navigating life here,” Harrison said. “I wanted to shine a bright light on the stories of recent immigrants so that long-time Mainers would understand both what had brought their new neighbors here, and how their arrival contributes to the strength of our state.”
Though she is no longer formally involved with the publication, Harrison sees that those foundational visions have remained deeply rooted in the newspaper’s mission.
For Harrison, the most rewarding part of supporting Amjambo Africa’s growth was the people behind the pages. “One of the great pleasures of my years with Amjambo was creating a fabulous team of journalists who had started their careers in different parts of the world, and who were excited about continuing to work in journalism in the U.S.,” she recalled. “We had such fun working together, transcending language and cultural barriers, united by a strong collaborative ethic and a desire to share truth.”
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That collaborative spirit actively extended to the community. Harrison’s favorite memories stem from moments when community members would personally reach out with stories they wanted the paper to cover. The team documented the full spectrum of community life, from graduations and small business openings to community celebrations, while also exploring larger, systemic themes like health equity.
One particular story captures the spirit of what the publication set out to do. Harrison fondly remembers featuring the writing of a young Angolan teenager who wanted to share her personal story of fleeing her country, journeying to the U.S., and putting down roots in Maine.
“Bringing the voices of newcomers to other Mainers was of central importance,” Harrison noted, a goal that continues to drive the publication today.
From a newsletter look to 100 editions
When Warner looks back at the first edition of Amjambo Africa, she sees a publication that looked very different from the newspaper readers know today. The earliest editions, she says, had more of a newsletter feel.
“When we created the first issue we didn’t have a lot of graphics in place,” Warner recalled. “We were also printing half the paper in black and white and half in color, and pictures were scarce.”
A graphic designer by profession, Warner has been responsible for the visual presentation of all 100 editions. Over the years, she has watched the publication develop a stronger visual identity, as she learned how to balance the practical demands of producing a multilingual newspaper with the desire to make every page engaging and accessible.
That challenge has been particularly important because Amjambo Africa has always sought to serve readers in multiple languages. When the newspaper began, it was published in four languages. Today, that number has grown to seven.
“The challenge has always been to give equal weight to each language,” Warner said.
The design team experimented with different ways of grouping the languages and organizing them on the page. Warner believes the current approach provides the best balance both visually and logistically.
However, one challenge remains. “When placing articles in a language that I don’t speak, it is easy to lose my place!” she said.
Across 100 editions, Warner has also had plenty of opportunities to experiment visually. Asked whether she has a favorite cover, story layout or photograph, she found it difficult to choose.
“Being a graphic designer, I guess from a visual side I have most enjoyed the photo spreads that we have done,” she said.
But her favorite moments go beyond design. “On a personal level it makes me smile to see many immigrants finding joy in their new communities.”
The work itself has also changed. The technology may not have been transformed completely, Warner said, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the team to rethink how the newspaper was produced. “We were forced to truly work remotely, and Zoom became the norm.”
Her own design process has evolved as well. She has learned which visual elements work well with the newsprint production process and which are likely to cause problems.
“I always like to try new ideas graphically,” she said. “It’s become a much smoother process over the years.”
For Warner, the satisfaction comes from more than producing an attractive newspaper. “As a designer it’s always rewarding when clients love the end result of a project,” she said. “But the newspaper has been so much broader than most other projects that I work on.” It has allowed her to feel connected to something larger: “It’s gratifying to feel a part of and bring information to a larger community.”
Building a platform by and for immigrants
Long before Amjambo Africa reached its 100th edition, Hakuzimana was helping shape the publication’s editorial direction.
As the newspaper’s first deputy editor, Hakuzimana was instrumental in developing its early editorial vision and expanding its reach. His work eventually extended beyond the printed newspaper through the launch of three multilingual podcasts: Amjambo Time, Bonjour Maine, and Wiriwe Maine.
Looking back, Hakuzimana remembers a small team united by a clear sense of purpose. “We were building something from the ground up that didn’t exist before in Maine: a dedicated platform by and for immigrant communities,” he said.
For Hakuzimana, the newspaper was never simply about producing news. It was about creating a space where immigrant communities could participate in telling their own stories. He envisioned Amjambo Africa as “a bridge for integration,” that allowed immigrants to “control their own narratives and tell their own stories with dignity, accuracy, and nuance.”
That philosophy also shaped the newspaper’s expansion into audio. Podcasting offered another way to reach community members, particularly those who preferred receiving news and information in their native languages.
“Hearing familiar languages on air creates an immediate sense of home, trust, and validation,” Hakuzimana said.
The podcasts extended the publication’s ability to connect immigrant families with news, public information, and community voices.
For Hakuzimana, the anniversary is ultimately evidence that grassroots journalism can endure.
“What started as a necessary response to a community gap has matured into a resilient, indispensable institution,” he says.
A note from Amjambo Africa Editor, Elias Taye
One hundred editions represent thousands of pages, stories, photographs, translations, headlines, and design decisions. They represent reporters and editors working under deadlines, translators moving stories across languages, designers fitting words and images onto pages, and readers picking up the newspaper in communities across Maine.
But behind the milestone is a simpler idea: that immigrant communities deserve journalism created with them in mind.
Warner helped give that journalism its visual identity. Makoko helped create and sustain the institution behind it. Kit led the editorial effort all around. Hakuzimana helped expand its reach.
Their experiences reflect the evolution of Amjambo Africa itself, from a publication with a newsletter-like appearance and limited resources into a multilingual community newsroom with a broader presence across print, digital, and audio platforms.
The first 100 editions were about proving that the idea could work. The next 100 will be about what that idea can become. For Makoko, the answer is clear: more trust, more reach, and more lives transformed through accurate information. And if the first century of editions is any indication, the story of Amjambo Africa is far from finished.
