Africa needs a global news network

Africa needs a global news network

A

frica needs continuous media research and investigation to unearth mega scandals that have deprived this continent since “independence”.

BY MUSYOKA NGUI

Pan African. What does these two words elicit in your mind? Liberation? Freedom? Struggle? Nelson Mandela? Kwameh Nkurumah? Mwalimu Julius Nyerere? What or who exactly?

I believe its time Africa launched her own global media channel. A television channel preferably. The rest of the world has its own world news outlets. USA has CNN, Britain has BBC, Qatar has Al Jazeera, China has CCTV, Russia has RT and the rest have something they can call theirs.

But what do we have? Nothing. The world media converge in Africa to help us tell our own stories. Then we complain that they are biased. Why don’t we tell our stories? Because we do not have a world news medium. Because we have not believed in our story yet. I am talking about the authentic African story. The one you will never get anywhere else. The Maasai rituals, the Zulu dance, the Swazi marriages, and the Tanzanian Ujamaa.

Telling the African story does not mean that we angle our narratives toward the positive side only. The Fourth Estate can offer constructive criticism towards the corrupt African governments and hold them to account. Africa needs continuous media research and investigation to unearth mega scandals that have deprived this continent since “independence”. Not only is that necessary but also relentless media advocacy to bring the suspects to justice. One way of bringing suspects to justice is by charging them with the worst crimes such as crimes against humanity. Take them to The Hague because they cause untold suffering to the masses that die of preventable diseases because the African leaders looted the public coffers which would have been used to treat the sick.

If Africa acquires it own global news media it will be able to counter the stereotypes and propaganda perpetrated by the existing world media outlets. It is sickening to make the world believe that Africa is in Nigeria and Africa is a country not a continent.

True, the setting up of African news organization is costly. Africa is the richest continent in terms of raw materials. Some of this wealth should be channelled to coming up with a news organization.

There are challenges this new channel will pose. For example, the French speaking Africa and English speaking Africa will have to agree which language to use. The indigenous languages such as Kiswahili should be mainstreamed in this local media channel to promote speaking in our tongues. Kiswahili is spoken throughout East and Central Africa and is taught at home and abroad. It can then be adopted to cater for communication needs.

Telling the African story does not have to have an outsider perspective. Who said to be objective means you detach yourself from the subject? Haven’t we had enough of opinionated news from existing world news companies? It is our time now to change the narrative and write our own stories. Our destiny lies in how we market the African continent. Do we want to be seen as the fastest growing economies or the centre of disease, poverty and hunger?

The writer is a student of Bachelors of Arts Degree in Communication and Media at Chuka University and an intern at KNA Kitui Bureau. He blogs at musyokangui.blogspot.com

Email your thoughts to musyokangui02@gmail.com