Can Pan-African broadcasting change the continent's image?

Addis Ababa, 15 June - Reporting on Africa by Africans is imperative to change the image of the continent and control the agenda. That's the strong message issued by African information ministers meeting at the African Union this week to discuss the establishment of a Pan-African radio and television channel.

The idea was conceived by the Egyptian government to give Africa its "own communication tool". According to the concept paper, a Pan-African channel would enable the continent "to take up the challenges posed by the information and knowledge society, enhance African integration and solidarity, project a true image of the continent and foster African culture and heritage".

Opening the two-day meeting, deputy chairman of the AU Commission Patrick Mazimhaka said foreign broadcasting on Africa had presented a "distorted view" of the continent, and it was now time for Africans to "interpret the world from our own perceptions".

Delegates were in unanimous agreement. "Foreign news doesn't show positive things about Africa," commented Egypt's delegate, while Tanzania called for "a voice of Africa" to counter broadcasters such as the BBC and CNN.

Nigeria said the new channel "must change the view that only the BBC and others are authentic. It must stress African success stories".

According to Zimbabwe's minister, his country had been "assailed and demonised" by western media such as the BBC and Voice of America. "We are demonised for defending our national interests," he added.

But while there was consensus on the need for a Pan-African channel, ministers also raised a slew of concerns regarding its modus operandi.

Burundi's information minister questioned commitment to the project, expressing regret that not more ministers were present. He warned against a "lack of political will" which could seriously jeopardise the venture. Discussions over funding, editorial policy and control, distribution, regulation, content, broadcast languages and technical issues showed there was still a lot of ground to cover before the project was up and running.

Many speakers also spoke of the advantage of Pan-African broadcasting for raising awareness of development issues, poverty reduction and post-conflict resolution.

According to analyst Philip Fiske de Gouveia of the London-based Foreign Policy Centre, Africa "needs its own Al-Jazeera". Writing in the `Foreign Policy' journal, he says the Middle East broadcaster was a lynchpin in prompting social change in the region.

"To help tackle the traditional bugbears - the lack of foreign investment, low education standards, widespread disease, endemic corruption, poor infrastructure, and frequent conflict - politicians must now address a key variable in Africa's plight: its media," he writes.

"African countries cannot hope to democratise or prosper without a free press that informs the public, analyses government policies, and raises concerns if segments of society are marginalised."

He says that if a Pan-African broadcasting network had been on hand capturing early images, tragedies like the Rwanda genocide and the Darfur crisis might not have been allowed to unfold to the extent they did.

While many delegates at the conference acknowledged the need for independence, some pointed out they did not want "interference" from the private sector.

De Gouveia says a Pan-African channel owned and managed by Africans is long overdue. But it must be open, transparent and accountable.

Click here for `Foreign Policy' article
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=5960

Click here for more information on Pan-African channel:
http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/Conferences
/Past/2006/June/IC/IC_meeting.htm