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The influence of foreign media, especially
that of our colonial masters, is evident in the way many African
journalists report.
One wonders what Basotho garb he expected the King and Queen to wear. Was he expecting them to wear animal skins? One also wonders if the writer would say the same thing if the wedding took place somewhere in Europe or any other country that he holds in high esteem. This is a clear indication that many journalists in Africa tend to think that the writing style of their Western counterparts is the best way of writing. As a result, they just play the same old song, no matter how it will affect the image of their African countries. Colonialism still affects the media in Africa when it comes to authenticity. Whatever news comes from a foreign news channel such as the BBC, CNN or Reuters is authentic, therefore it goes straight into the newspaper or for broadcast without being questioned or scrutinised. This happens even with local news. Some journalists don't bother to get first-hand information themselves simply because they got the article from the channel they tend to think cannot be questioned. This is a pity because people do not report one incident in the same way. They take different angles when reporting the same incident to the extent that one may think that those people are not giving a report about the same incident. In this case African journalists who do this seem to question their ability to report news. It is as if they are saying that the foreign journalist's way of reporting is better than theirs. We also still feel colonial domination in the media in terms of technology and structures. On this issue Mohlalefi Bereng, a lecturer at the National University of Lesotho, says: «[H]istorically the mass media in Lesotho are foreign as against indigenous in terms of their technology and structures. They are as such not African, although in their use they have become localised. Like other forms of survival technologies they require adaptability by the receiving culture or society in a manner that such societies can ensure their own preservation and survival» (Journal of the World Association for Christian Communication, February 2001). Even though the example given here refers to Lesotho, one has a strong feeling that this is the case in many African countries which still depend on their colonial masters for financial assistance. This financial domination tends to pressure governments in Africa to censor the media on what they say about their colonial masters lest they upset them and they stop assisting such countries financially. Even in cases where governments do not dictate what is or is not to be said,
In many cases media houses are owned by colonial masters even though they may appear to be controlled by local people. Where this is the case, it is clear that a media house will serve the interests of its master because «you cannot bite the hand that feeds you». The question of ownership and control has therefore had an influence on where the media is located in a country. In this case the local people normally suffer. The media are located where there is a high concentration of people from the West, which is mainly in towns. On this issue Mr Bereng has this to say: «Even within the regional context the media are relatively stronger in those societies where European economic power still holds sway. Although political control has gone to blacks, effective operation after colonialism still remains with the former owners – the Europeans. It is easy to say that a country owns so many newspapers and radio stations but the calculation cannot be accurate unless factors of ownership are brought into the general analysis». Mr Bereng says that even where ownership has been claimed by the African population, the maintenance of the structures still depends on the owners of the technological skills who, in another sense, are not local people, but mostly white companies with local or international skills. Colonial domination is still felt in the media in terms of the language used by most media houses. Many still use the language of their colonial masters, marginalising the local people. When it comes to the role of the media as an entertainer, colonial influence can easily be recognised, as most of the songs played on our radio stations and the movies and videos shown on our television screens are Western. This has also shaped the attitude of our local people, who tend to think that what is good only comes from New York and London. Our local artists are not given enough opportunity to show their talent. As a result, it is very difficult for them to progress and many of them die poorer than their Western counterparts.
At this juncture I would like to conclude by saying
that the task of changing the image of Africa lies in the hands
of her journalists. With the advancement in information technology,
the journalists can take that opportunity to tell the world of the good
things taking place in Africa, and move away from the Western kind of
reporting which, in most cases, focuses on the negative events and totally
ignores the positive side. |
Monica Mofammere is Senior Reporter
for Lesotho Today, Lesotho’s Ministry of Communications
daily publication. Bachelor of Arts in Education, before becoming a journalist
she worked as a teacher, translator and proofreader, with expertise in
the areas of health and general issues. THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN MEDIA TRAINING TRUST (NSJ) It is common knowledge that the (local and international
) media representation of Africa is quite negative. As a result, a negative
perception of the continent is conveyed which even gives rise to forms
of “self-fulfilling prophecies” in terms of choices and actions
by the Africans themselves. On this background, the “Reporting
Africa Workshop” took place in Gaborone, from 14th
to 27th April 2002. The purpose of
this Workshop was raising awareness among scholars, and above all journalists,
about the effects of aping Western media styles, and reflecting on the
positive impact a new way of reporting may have on the future of the continent.
The Workshop is one of the numerous events sponsored by the Southern
African Media Training Trust (NSJ), an independent training and
research institution on communications, whose training manager is Ransford
Antwi. The institution, based in Maputo, was sponsored
in 1993 by: the Federation of African Media Women - SADC (FAMW-SADC);
the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA); the Southern African Broadcasting
Association (SABA); the World Association for Community Radio Stations
in Africa (AMARC-AFRICA), and by a number of schools of journalism. Its
mission consists of supporting the development of high quality
free and independent media in Southern Africa. A.O. Translation: Rita Bandinelli
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