David Winston Agada, the director general of Uganda’s national television station, said he attended the 4th Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation with an aim of finding relevant content on China’s development story to inspire Uganda’s people.
Set up under the framework agreements of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2012, the media forum is held every two years in either China or Africa with the aim of deepening cooperation in the media sector and boosting development of China-Africa ties.
Like Agada, more than 310 African delegations, including government officials and media representatives, have shown up for Tuesday’s forum held in Beijing, and some of them shared their views on Sino-African media cooperation with CGTN.
David Winston Agada, director general of Uganda’s national television station. /CGTN Photo
New cultural experiences
Though mountains and oceans apart, Chinese TV programs have brought Chinese and African people closer.
According to the State Administration of Radio and Television, Chinese programs including TV dramas, films, cartoons and documentaries have been translated and dubbed into languages African audiences speak, and have been brought to more than 40 African countries
Agada talked about the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation's (UBC) close cooperation with CGTN. Calling CGTN a partner, he said the UBC offers content from CGTN every day.
He said he is really satisfied with the high quality programs CGTN provides, especially the documentaries that show positive African stories.
Dora Siliya, Zambian minister of information and broadcasting services, told CGTN that most TV shows or radio programs depicting foreign culture came from the West for many years.
Dora Siliya, Zambian minister of information and broadcasting services. /CGTN Photo
As China’s TV programs enter into Zambia, now Zambian people can see something else and explore a whole new range of cultural experiences, she said.
“A few years ago, it wasn't thinkable that you could be in Africa and watch Chinese television. Today, on some platforms, you can watch CGTN. And in Africa, I know you have broadcasting in Kenya as well,” Siliya said.
Tanzania held a Chinese TV drama dubbing contest last year. Susan Paul Mlawi, permanent secretary of the Tanzanian ministry of information, culture, arts and sports, told CGTN these kinds of activities give Tanzanians a good chance to know Chinese culture.
Susan Paul Mlawi, permanent secretary of the Tanzanian ministry of information, culture, arts and sports. /CGTN Photo
Mlawi, who attended the media cooperation forum for the first time, said Tanzanian movies are also ready to enter the Chinese market to share Tanzania’s culture with China.
Nigeria was the first country in Africa to broadcast Chinese TV dramas. Yabaku Ibn Mohammed, director general of the Nigerian Television Authority, said he is not surprised.
He said he has watched a few, but admitted that Chinese dramas are not making the impact that they should.
Yabaku Ibn Mohammed, director general of the Nigerian Television Authority. /CGTN Photo
Mohammed pointed out this is not because of any quality problem, but because other TV dramas, such as Indian dramas, have long been popular among Nigerians and Chinese dramas still need time to catch up.
“Chinese (TV dramas) are not too far behind,” he added.
New lessons
Delegations also noted that the development of new media has created new lessons for Sino-African cooperation.
Siliya said she is really interested in exchanging views on how Chinese and African media should respond to technology’s convergence, which has merged the mobile phone, radio and television into one platform.
Zambia's Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda told CGTN the new media age has provided governments with both opportunities and challenges.
Amos Chanda, Zambia’s special assistant to the president for press and public relations. /CGTN Photo
For underdeveloped countries like Zambia, the new media age creates opportunities for "undesirable elements" to access sensitive information that may harm the relationship between the government and its people, he explained.
Chanda expressed he wanted to learn from China on how to manage mass communication in the age of new media through this forum.
From Mohammed’s perspective, no matter how media technology develops, media in China and Africa should emphasize the commonalities between Africans and Chinese to sustain Sino-African relations.
“Culturally and traditionally, we have many things in common,” he added.
New expectations
Government officials and media representatives are all eyeing the FOCAC summit to further enhance win-win cooperation.
Chanda recalled Chinese President Xi Jinping’s major announcement at the Johannesburg Summit that Sino-African cooperation had entered into a new age, and China will always be Africa’s brother and offer support through win-win cooperation.
The plenary session of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), co-chaired by President Xi Jinping and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, December 5, 2015. /Xinhua Photo
As a government official, he believes a “monumental pronouncement” would be made in the upcoming forum.
Mlawi hopes to witness more pragmatic results in the forum.
As a media representative, Mohammed said his expectation for the upcoming forum in Beijing is for the two parties “to consolidate on the already existing relationship and to check new courses that would further enhance the cooperation between China and African countries.”
Agada wishes to interact with all the players in Sino-African cooperation and hopes more agreements on training opportunities can be achieved, like having more Chinese train in Africa rather than in China.
