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The United Nations for a positive image of Africa

Therapy

OSCAL (Office of the Special Co-ordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries) has been developing and partially implementing a strategy set out in this interview with its Director.


by Yvette Stevens


 I n 1997 UNSIA – United Nation system-wide Special Initiative for Africa – elaborated a
The Office Manager at the Ethiopia AIDS Resource Center (ARC) in Addis Ababa.
Source: Kate Stratten, JHU/CCP, Photoshare, 2002
communication strategy to provide for a balanced and realistic image of the African continent and in December 1999 UNDP promoted a Seminar devoted to the image of Africa produced by the media. Both initiatives – together with others – were oriented to increase the awareness on the damages caused by the image of Africa spread by media vis a vis the reality of actual societies.

What are the main ongoing Programs in this domain within OSCAL and UN system as well?

A number of activities are being undertaken by UN bodies to promote the good image of Africa, but these do not fall under a specific programme. It is in recognition of the need to coordinate advocacy efforts on behalf of African development that the United Nations General Assembly assigned the role, inter alia, of coordination of global advocacy to a newly created office, which will absorb OSCAL. The new office, which will be headed by an Under-Secretary General will examine all the individual efforts being currently undertaken, and develop an aggressive global advocacy campaign aimed at promoting the positive image of Africa.


What are the strategies related with these Programs?

The campaign will target various audiences, including the general public, academia, civil society, private sector and students in all continents. At the level of the UN Secretariat, the Department of Public Information has recently set up an Africa Section that will be involved in a public awareness campaign. OSCAL is planning to focus on publicizing positive experiences and best practices from the continent to the various groups, and details are currently being worked out.


Can you make a first assessment of the results of these initiatives?

It is obvious that the approach that is currently being adopted is not as successful as one would like it to be, hence the need for a coordinated and sustained campaign in which all UN bodies would provide the inputs required according to their respective mandates.


In particular, what are the negative representations and perceptions of African reality that you would like to change?

In, general, the fact that Africa consists of 53 countries is ignored and Africa is considered as homogeneous. One implication of this is that generalizations are made, which are based on negative rather than positive elements. Thus, although only 14 out of the 53 countries in Africa are involved in armed conflict, the image being promulgated is that Africa is a continent at war. In addition, even though the evidence shows that African countries are making great strides to ensuring democratic governance, and many African countries uphold democratic principles, the continent is still regarded as undemocratic. Viewed from the outside, Africa is the continent where disease and poverty is rampant and one, which will remain a burden to the international community. Africa is also portrayed as a continent, which has absorbed considerable international funds for development, without any substantial improvement in the lot of the people.


And, on the contrary, what are the representations you would like promote?

Firstly, that Africa is not homogeneous, but consists of 53 countries, some of which are
Legal consultation sponsored by the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in Abia State, Nigeria.
Source: JHU/CCP, Photoshare
performing quite well based on all assessment criteria. The generalizations of the negative image of Africa are thus unfair to these countries. Secondly, Africa is a continent endowed with vast natural resources, which are currently mainly unexploited. Given the right conditions and support, Africa will have the means to address many of its problems, through exploitation of its wealth. Thirdly, it is attractive to do business with Africa. As a recent UNCTAD report shows, Africa is the continent that has provided the highest return on investment in the past few years. Fourthly, Africans are hardworking people who are struggling, against all odds, to address the problems of poverty and disease, but require greater and more relevant support from the international community. Fifthly, some African countries are at war not merely because they are by nature hostile, but that, in some cases, the root causes of the conflicts, as reflected in the 1998 report of the United Nations Secretary General on the Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa, are far-reaching and require a concerted effort by Africa and the international community to effectively address them. Sixthly, that Africans are capable of identifying their own development needs but need genuine partnerships to assist them to address their identified needs. Finally, that Africa is a continent rich in culture and diversity, a pleasant haven for tourists, historians, geographers and scientists.


Which kind of link exist, according to you, between international cooperation policies and the image of African continent produced by media and, in general, by public opinion?

International cooperation policies are not geared to address the root causes of the
A health worker using a sonogram to examine a male client at a clinic in Nazareth, Ethiopia.
Source: Harvey Nelson, JHU/CCP, Photoshare, 2001
problems in Africa. The approach, which puts emphasis on cure, rather than prevention, results in the image of a continent that is helpless, and thus a continued burden to the international community. For example, while hundreds of millions of dollars are readily provided to address emergency relief operations, not a fraction of these funds are available to mitigate the crises, which give rise to them. This is the case, for instance, in handling the cyclical drought, which plague the continent. If the funds put aside to provide humanitarian assistance are used to assist African countries to adopt advanced technology for drought resistant farming, drought will not result in such wide-scale famine, which we witness on the continent. Another example is the recent emphasis being placed on trade and market access for the poorest countries, when it is clear that, unless the formidable limitations posed by the poor infrastructure are addressed, many countries cannot benefit from the concessions being offered. Yet another example is the pressure being put on African countries to lift subsidies on agriculture, while the most advanced countries of the world provide subsidies of about one billion US dollars daily to their farmers, with whom African farmers are expected to compete. And the list goes on…
As a result of this failure to address the root causes, the image of Africa that is viewed by the public, through the media, is one of a continent with endless wars, where poverty, famine and disease is rampant, where corruption and dictatorship prevail – a helpless continent, which would remain a persistent burden to the international community.
International assistance is still dictated by the donor countries, without due regard to the requirements as identified by the African countries themselves. It is expected that, with the adoption of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and following the manifestations of support, the principles of ownership and partnership enshrined in NEPAD would be given true meaning.


The policies for a more adequate and realistic image of Africa, on which kind of actors have to be based?

The policies should be based not only on the leadership and governments, but also on the hardworking population who spend their lives struggling to survive in the most difficult circumstances: the women, the civil society, the ingenious workers in the informal sector, the private sector, the farmers and academia. Bringing out how these actors are achieving positive results would demonstrate that the African is different from what the images portray.
The messages should be addressed to the general public, policy makers, civil society, the business sector, academia and students in all continents of the world.


Which kind of obstacles and constraints could you identify on this matter?

In trying to capture and publicize the positive image of Africa, major constraints are related to costs. The experiences have to be captured and transmitted to the various audiences. Travel restrictions and visa requirements are not readily available to some Africans who might need to travel to convey the messages.


And which opportunities and facilitation factors could you identify, as well?

With the widespread expression of support to NEPAD, a major opportunity to repackage and publicize the image of Africa, has presented itself. The importance of promoting a positive image must be recognized and addressed in the early stages, to remove the formidable obstacles that have led to “donor fatigue” and that is preventing the private sector from investing in the continent. NEPAD, with the support of the UN and other international actors should attach a great deal of importance to this. Dedicating resources to this effort would be money well spent.


YVETTE STEVENS

Yvette Stevens is currently the Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in New York. An Engineer by training, Ms Stevens studied at the Moscow Power Engineering Institute and at The Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London. She taught Engineering at the University of Sierra Leone before joining the United Nations in 1980. She has occupied various positions in the UN, including Village Technology Expert in ILO, Evaluation Officer as well as Chief of the Technical Support Section of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva. She also served UNHCR in Africa, first as Deputy Representative in Ethiopia and as the UNHCR Representative to Kenya and Somalia. In her present position she, inter alia, assists the UN Secretary General in his advocacy for African development. Mrs Stevens is from Sierra Leone.