Media urged to tell Africa's true story

Abstract

Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa has called on African media leaders to “turn a new page and tell the complete and true stories of the African continent.” In a statement delivered at the close of the African Media Leadership Forum that ended Friday, Mr. Lopes extrapolated on the many rich, multiple narratives of the African experience and said, “failure to do so will result in the continuation of negative and derogatory narratives about Africa that are dictated and written mostly by others, but surprisingly sometimes by Africans as well.” He also stressed that Africa’s new narrative must focus on the transformative agenda and the realities of a growing continent. The Forum was convened in Addis Ababa on the theme, Media and the African Renaissance by 2063 from 6-8 November and brought together key media representatives based in and outside Africa to discuss developments in the industry and address among many issues, media sustainability, media freedom and media capacity.