Africa is Skewed by Western Media
By Victor A. Massaquoi (PHD Fellow, Communication and Social Policy)
Since the colonization and partition of Africa by the French, British, Portuguese, Spanish, Italians and others, decades ago, Africa is rarely portrayed in a positive light in Western media. Pick up the New York Times, the Guardian, in England or Le Monde in France, the reporting; analysis, interpretation and ethos are almost the same. The central principles of excellent journalism: objectivity and balance are measured, at best, or in some cases, absolutely lacking. Despite the gradual improvements on the relics of our colonizers, Africa is still being branded by Western media as politically and economically backward, engulfed in never-ending civil strife, fraught with underdeveloped health system and constantly violating human rights. In the eyes of Western media organizations, Africa is just a place for exotic animals, seafood products and natural locations for movie shoots and other forms of exploitation.Western media have clouded the minds of most Westerners with ceaseless disgorging of negativities, which continue to shape negative perception, even though perception does not always reflect reality. Also half of my American friends know very little about Africa, and even if they do know something, they get it from the television (mostly negative stuff), the radio, and newspapers, and some times, books, which are mostly slanted to meet the demands of publishers.Geographically, Africa is the second largest continent after Asia, with over 50 countries, and five regions; a continent that is endowed with natural resources, including gold, diamonds, oil, rich cultures and diverse traditions; a continent rich in history, irrespective of its current socio-economic and political management by our leaders. Even in Western countries, mismanagement of resources is evident, too, but only a pale comparison to Africa.Africa is a place with a plethora of social belief and religious systems. Like other continents, Africa has its problems, but has many success stories, from politics, business, economics, to social and cultural of human endeavors. Politically, Africa has made democratic progress in countries like South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and other places, despite continued political conflicts in places like Sudan and the Ivory Coast. The critics of Africa as demonstrated in Western media - many of whom know very little about the continent - have offered very little, if any, political solutions to solve some of the political and economic problems in Africa. Criticism of Africa, as leveled in Western media is unfair, because very few Western writers of African issues offer constructive suggestion(s), let alone understand the complexity of this vast, culturally diverse continent. Economically, almost 95 percent of business news, in Western media, is either about Southeast Asia, Europe or America, and now Brazil, Mexico and Argentina in South America. In a new documentary, "Africa is Ready for Business," a British film-maker portrayed successful businesses in about 10 countries in Africa [such as South Africa and Nigeria] as proven examples that Africa can compete with the rest of the world, if given the opportunity, particularly in our post-industrial/globalization era.
Indeed, Africa is ready for foreign investment but only if Western media desist from denigrating Africa’s economic prospect, and start promoting international investment in telecommunication, manufacturing, food production, airline and new technologies. Sadly, even our own African brothers and sisters, who now live in Western countries, have been known for bashing Africa for their own selfish gains. Socially, anything that is negative is associated with Africa. Today, even in the shadow of poverty, Africa continues to improve although at a snail pace and with limited non-natural resources. For example Ghana, a country battered by grim economic circumstance in the 1980s, is fast becoming a shinning light for Africa. Africans both home and abroad must copy from Ghana, whose health and education sectors are doing fine, by African standards. Western trained Ghanaian doctors are now returning home, in droves, to contribute to national development, because the present government makes the environment conducive. But how often does one see success stories of Africa in the media. All we see and hear is constant clubbing and building hills out of moles. The health and educational systems are improving greatly in many African states in line with the provisions of the Millennium Development Goals. Positive family values, once threatened by a wave of Western lifestyles, are being reinstated. Women are gradually participating in almost all aspects of society.Africa is not hopeless! Our current strides toward economic development, social stability and political maturity are worthy of approbation. Concluding, in as much as Africans should be blamed for their present plight, particularly by the so called leaders, I would strongly blame the West, partly for contemporary African problems. Most of the armed conflicts in Africa are fueled by illegal sale of arms by Western and Eastern contractors to renegade groups, with reprehensible motives. The International Monetary Fund, World Bank and other multinational funding institutions are squeezing Africa dry by way of providing loans with stiff conditions, and also, Western countries allowing African leaders to swindle loan money and other proceeds from sale of precious raw and finished goods, and lodge them in private accounts in Swiss banks, and other banks in Western countries. Abacha, Rawlings, Taylor, Mobutu, and a host of others have done it, and continue to do it at the expense of the poor and voiceless. Is this fair?
By Victor A. Massaquoi (PHD Fellow, Communication and Social Policy)
Since the colonization and partition of Africa by the French, British, Portuguese, Spanish, Italians and others, decades ago, Africa is rarely portrayed in a positive light in Western media. Pick up the New York Times, the Guardian, in England or Le Monde in France, the reporting; analysis, interpretation and ethos are almost the same. The central principles of excellent journalism: objectivity and balance are measured, at best, or in some cases, absolutely lacking. Despite the gradual improvements on the relics of our colonizers, Africa is still being branded by Western media as politically and economically backward, engulfed in never-ending civil strife, fraught with underdeveloped health system and constantly violating human rights. In the eyes of Western media organizations, Africa is just a place for exotic animals, seafood products and natural locations for movie shoots and other forms of exploitation.Western media have clouded the minds of most Westerners with ceaseless disgorging of negativities, which continue to shape negative perception, even though perception does not always reflect reality. Also half of my American friends know very little about Africa, and even if they do know something, they get it from the television (mostly negative stuff), the radio, and newspapers, and some times, books, which are mostly slanted to meet the demands of publishers.Geographically, Africa is the second largest continent after Asia, with over 50 countries, and five regions; a continent that is endowed with natural resources, including gold, diamonds, oil, rich cultures and diverse traditions; a continent rich in history, irrespective of its current socio-economic and political management by our leaders. Even in Western countries, mismanagement of resources is evident, too, but only a pale comparison to Africa.Africa is a place with a plethora of social belief and religious systems. Like other continents, Africa has its problems, but has many success stories, from politics, business, economics, to social and cultural of human endeavors. Politically, Africa has made democratic progress in countries like South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and other places, despite continued political conflicts in places like Sudan and the Ivory Coast. The critics of Africa as demonstrated in Western media - many of whom know very little about the continent - have offered very little, if any, political solutions to solve some of the political and economic problems in Africa. Criticism of Africa, as leveled in Western media is unfair, because very few Western writers of African issues offer constructive suggestion(s), let alone understand the complexity of this vast, culturally diverse continent. Economically, almost 95 percent of business news, in Western media, is either about Southeast Asia, Europe or America, and now Brazil, Mexico and Argentina in South America. In a new documentary, "Africa is Ready for Business," a British film-maker portrayed successful businesses in about 10 countries in Africa [such as South Africa and Nigeria] as proven examples that Africa can compete with the rest of the world, if given the opportunity, particularly in our post-industrial/globalization era.
Indeed, Africa is ready for foreign investment but only if Western media desist from denigrating Africa’s economic prospect, and start promoting international investment in telecommunication, manufacturing, food production, airline and new technologies. Sadly, even our own African brothers and sisters, who now live in Western countries, have been known for bashing Africa for their own selfish gains. Socially, anything that is negative is associated with Africa. Today, even in the shadow of poverty, Africa continues to improve although at a snail pace and with limited non-natural resources. For example Ghana, a country battered by grim economic circumstance in the 1980s, is fast becoming a shinning light for Africa. Africans both home and abroad must copy from Ghana, whose health and education sectors are doing fine, by African standards. Western trained Ghanaian doctors are now returning home, in droves, to contribute to national development, because the present government makes the environment conducive. But how often does one see success stories of Africa in the media. All we see and hear is constant clubbing and building hills out of moles. The health and educational systems are improving greatly in many African states in line with the provisions of the Millennium Development Goals. Positive family values, once threatened by a wave of Western lifestyles, are being reinstated. Women are gradually participating in almost all aspects of society.Africa is not hopeless! Our current strides toward economic development, social stability and political maturity are worthy of approbation. Concluding, in as much as Africans should be blamed for their present plight, particularly by the so called leaders, I would strongly blame the West, partly for contemporary African problems. Most of the armed conflicts in Africa are fueled by illegal sale of arms by Western and Eastern contractors to renegade groups, with reprehensible motives. The International Monetary Fund, World Bank and other multinational funding institutions are squeezing Africa dry by way of providing loans with stiff conditions, and also, Western countries allowing African leaders to swindle loan money and other proceeds from sale of precious raw and finished goods, and lodge them in private accounts in Swiss banks, and other banks in Western countries. Abacha, Rawlings, Taylor, Mobutu, and a host of others have done it, and continue to do it at the expense of the poor and voiceless. Is this fair?
posted by Vickylandys | 11:36 AM
|
0 comments
