Page 18 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 1 2013

coupled with the change in the
geopolitical reality of the world
have made it possible and easier for
Africa and Africans to be in a
position to tell the African story to
the world. Donʹt get me wrong –
this is far from perfect still.
Today there is no single big
African news organisation which
can compete with the likes of the
BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN and so on.
But what has happened is that
throughout the continent you will
now find media houses which
report about events on the
continent to people in their
countries, to people in Africa and to
people in the rest of the world. And
more and more international news
organisations are sourcing images
and videos from content producers
in Africa. I would want this to go
much further than that, to have at
least one if not two or three African
media power houses which can
really represent the voice of Africa
in Africa and in the rest of the
world. I am quite sure that it will
happen in the next five years.
Is there room for international
broadcasters?
There is space for all international
broadcasters on the continent and
there is space also for genuine pan‐
African media power houses. But
even when we have those pan‐
African power houses which can
compete effectively with the BBCs
and the CNNs of this world, there
will still be room for the
international media on the
continent ‐ each media house
reports an event through its own
prism of analysis and
understanding of the event.
Obviously we as Africans might
have some understanding of the
events which is if not different at
least a bit more nuanced than what
others are reporting. For me, as
long as a report is fair and balanced
the view is totally valid. That hasnʹt
always been the case, coming from
international media.
Who do Africans turn to today if
there is a crisis?
When the rebels took Goma last
November, the BBC was reporting
it, as were Al Jazeera and RFI. But
youʹll be surprised how many
people access African news
organisations online to get news
and information. When there was a
serious bomb blast in Nairobi in
November, followed by revenge
clashes between Somalis and
Kenyans, most of the international
news organisations were reporting
it but people on the continent were
turning to the Nation Media Group,
The Standard and other local news
organisations.
Before the emergence of local
FM radio stations the dominant
radio station in a country like
Senegal was Radio France
International ‐ now RFI in Senegal
is ranked at number four behind
the local radio stations. If Africans
are given the opportunity to listen
and watch and read news and
information coming from respected
African sources they will turn to
those African news organisations.
That does not mean they will
totally ignore international news
organisations.
What is the role of the state-
funded media?
What we have in most African
countries is state‐funded media and
state‐controlled media as opposed
to public service media ‐ the state
confuses its interest with the public
interest. The agenda of those state‐
funded media is the agenda of the
government of the day. It is
important to have strong credible
independent and private news
organisations facing that state‐
funded media.
Obviously the problem in many
countries is still the regulatory
environment which makes it very
difficult for private media to
develop fully and do its work
without being harassed. The second
issue facing private media is very
often the lack of resources. In many
countries the advertising base is
still quite narrow and if there isnʹt a
strong culture of press freedom and
democratic values, advertisers may
be reluctant to place ads with
private media simply because if
THE CHANNEL | IN CONVERSATION
another to the flow of news and
information. And sometimes itʹs not
the news and information most
people want to see and hear but
nonetheless they are part of the
media eco‐system. So it was
important to have a dialogue about
these citizensʹ engagement and also
the innovation which is happening
around the mobile phone, Twitter,
Facebook or other local social
networks. We had two days of
engagement on these issues
between media owners and top
media executives with citizens from
around the continent, and with
political leaders. We discussed the
role of media in trying to promote
human development and economic
transformation across Africa and as
a watchdog of our societies. We
focused specifically on ethics and
leadership, digital adaptation as
well as funding and business
development ‐ all of these are
recurrent issues which need to be
discussed in a context where you
have decision makers at the table
and concrete action can be taken.
Five years ago when we mooted
the idea of the Forum many ‐ both
on the continent and mostly
beyond – told us ʹYouʹll be wasting
your time because so many African
countries have nothing in common,
just take Senegal and Swazilandʹ.
But look at the figures now – we
went from 55 delegates in 2008 to
417 participants in 2012. So what
this means is there is a great
appetite in media leaders sharing
experiences and getting to know
each other so that they can also
work together to improve the
media landscape.
Are Africans ready to report
African stories to Africa?
My take on this is that Africa has
always been ready to report Africa
from its own African perspective.
Now, if I am in my bedroom or my
kitchen or wherever, with the
mobile phone and the computer I
can broadcast my views and my
news and information throughout
the world. That was absolutely not
possible in the ʹ70s, ʹ80s and ʹ90s so
the technological revolution
18 | ISSUE 1 2013 | THE CHANNEL
”
We
want to
see a
situation
where
advertisers
are not
afraid to
place their
ads with
private
media for
fear of
reprisals
“