African broadcasters have been criticised for not offering their programmes to their neighbours while international networks were told off for misunderstanding African issues.
”It seems, for some of these networks, nothing good happens in this region at all! This is serious to me!” Southern African Development Community (SADC) executive secretary Tomaz Augusto Salomao told the 14th assembly of the Southern Africa Broadcasting Authority in Maputo on September 17.
”It seems that the contents of the global networks are determined by those prejudiced against developing nations and gathered and packaged by media practitioners who have very limited understanding of our issues,” he said.
Even in the face of this and at a time of major developments within SADC, networking and collaboration between regional broadcasters seemed to be conspicuously missing.
SADC’s own efforts to promote this had proved disappointing.
”Each and every one of our countries is producing good programmes, fitting the size of ‘edutainment’. However, a very small number of them reach all our citizens in the region,” Salomao said.
The SADC Information 21 Project had offered the broadcast community in the region an opportunity to profile efforts at regional integration, but with disappointing results.
”In the SADC Calling broadcast the lack of participation has been noted with concern. I, for one, would hope that the means can be found to continue the programme, but SADC is not willing to put its weight behind a project that has struggled to win the enthusiasm and support of member states,” he said.
Resources were scare and there were competing priorities.
”As Information 21 reaches the end of what might be its final phase, there is an opportunity in the area of television co-production. It is important that broadcasters seize this opportunity to commit to contribute to the project of regional integration through co-production and co-operations.”
He had read there were technological challenges that prevented some integrated broadcasting.
”Please set time aside to discuss how you will address those challenges, in the best interest of our region,” he said.
The political leadership of SADC had expressed the vital importance of popular participation in the regional integration agenda. This made communication central and crucial to regional cooperation and integration.
”SADC is one of the most peaceful regions in Africa. It is a region of more than 230-million people with a regional gross domestic product of more than $230-billion,” Salomao said.
”Average real growth is projected to reach 6% over 2006, against 5% in 2005.”
The majority of SADC member states had one digit inflation and all continued to pursue low inflation to improve the overall economic performance and to attract more domestic and foreign direct investment and improve trade.
SADC was striving to complete a free trade area by 2008, to achieve the customs union by 2010, a common market by 2015, a monetary union by 2016 and a single currency by 2018.
”These are not dreams. These are targets with economic and political sense which SADC member states have committed themselves to in order to achieve the overarching goals of economic development and poverty eradication,” Salomao said.
”It has become crucial for SADC communicators to scale up their activities of keeping the citizens of SADC abreast of these developments.” Salomao said. — Sapa