ABUJA — THE Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has challenged African broadcasters to rise up to the challenge of presenting the true African story to the world by countering the negative images of Africa as presented to the world by the international media.
Declaring open the 2004 edition of AFRICAST in Abuja yesterday, the Vice President said African broadcasters must live up to the challenge of the fight against poverty, foreign debt, conflict and conflict resolution which he said pose “clear and present danger.” The vice president spoke just as the guest speaker, Professor Alfred Esimatemi Opubor called on African broadcasters to continue to press forward by showing how increased technological possibilities can be used to social advantage so that progress in hardware can be matched by progress in software and human resources.
Atiku Abubakar who was represented by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El Rufai stated that the international media have continue to encourage and glamourise elements of division in Africa without looking at the repercussion to the security of lives of the African people.“African Broadcasters”, he pointed out, “must rise to the challenge by telling the world the authentic African news and reports. Let us tell our story,” he said.
The Vice President continued: “The conference of Africa broadcasters is coming at a time of great challenges, travails and triumphs in our great continent. Poverty, foreign debt, HIV/ AIDS remain clear and present dangers. Conflicts and conflict resolution in various forms remain potent threats to democracy in our continent.
“Right now our President Obasanjo, who is the current chairman of the African Union is hosting a meeting of the various factions to the crisis in Darfur. African broadcasters should be seen on the ground in Darfur as well as here in Abuja telling the world about developments,” he said.
He warned against Africa being tuned into a dumping ground for substandard broadcast technology saying that equipment imported into Africa must be tropicalised. Atiku Abubakar also challenged producers and scriptwriters to change the prototype belief that cast African nations only in the picture of witchcraft and sorcery.
In his remarks, the Minister of Information, Chief Chukwuemeka Chikelu commended the NBC for not only successfully organising the conference in the last four years but for performing its regulatory role effectively. The presenter of the keynote address, Professor Opubor underscored the convergence of content and control in African broadcasting and urged broadcasters in the continent to wake up to the challenge.
