Africa and Digital Media

Sep 29th, 2009 3:19 PM UTC
By Sydney Skov

All eyes have been on big conferences like the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City and of course the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh but international panels are still making a stir right here in DC. Last week, Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication (CSIC) co-sponsored a discussion with the Georgetown Africa Interest Network (GAIN) celebrating its first anniversary as the school’s nexus for Africa-related activity. The topic: communicating Africa through digital media.

The talk confronted an issue integral to ONE’s campaign of making Africa a part of the solution to the global economic crisis by bringing a G20 summit to the continent. Africa is not one homogeneous entity with stories of only war, coups, and famine. There are so many more stories to be told about the 1 billion people spanning the 53 African states: stories of innovation and hope.

The panel featured four diverse speakers confronted with the question: can digital media reshape Africa’s image in a more balanced way? Howard French, a professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism pointed out that although the technological landscape has changed drastically, the technology we have here in the US is present in Africa. Now small business men in Africa can carry a computer in their pockets and make a transaction online without carting their wares to a market to make a sale. What hasn’t changed is the way the Africa story is told, reported, and communicated. Alternate views of African countries, ones detailing the experience of growing up as a teenager in Lagos, Nigeria for example, are not available in mainstream media.

This particular issue spurred another panelist, Jennifer Ehidiamen, to utilize digital media for positive social change. A journalist, media coordinator for the One World Youth Foundation, and an active blogger (A Youth Making Change), she was shocked by the questions she received upon her arrival in the United States. “Did you just go shopping? Where did you get those jeans?” someone would ask. She could only reply, “We wear jeans in Nigeria too.” Jennifer pointed out that if Africa is only associated with images of suffering instead of a more balanced view including business, innovation, and tourism, no one will want to relate.

When asked about the best tool for communicating the totality of African stories, the Senior Vice President of 360 Digital Influence Group, Rohit Bhargava answered simply, video. It brings stories to life and gives a cultural context that is often missing in texts or photos. Digital technology enables multiple viewpoints to be seen and the complexity of individual lives to be understood. He gave the You Tube phenomena, the Lingo Kid, as an example of an amateur video representing the complexity of one individual’s life. In the video, a boy in India sells peacock fans to tourists while telling his story in 10 different languages. Video allows a virtual space for individuals to share their narratives. Georgetown Professor of Communication, Culture and Technology J.P. Singh noted the rise of “citizen journalism” which includes uploaded photos, videos, and texts and allows the sharing of real-time experiences framed in a distinctly African context. Another You Tube hit with over 46 million views is the amateur film of a safari. The Battle at Kruger depicts an unusual scene in African wildlife and shows the attractiveness of Africa as a destination instead of continent full of misery and turmoil. Digital media has unlocked the potential for individual voices to paint another, more balanced view of the communities within Africa. Digital media can encourages dialogue and open minds. “What should we do with these stories?” Prof. Singh asked. “Listen.” To read more from CSIC, check out their blog which includes posts written during the conference.

-Sydney Skov

TAGS: ONE