Africans must hear the real China story

The continent's media constitute a powerful tool that needs to be used to promote collaboration

There is no denying that the media play a vital role when it comes to cultivating and strengthening international relations, be it among countries or regions.

This is largely because the media do not only report to the rest of the world events taking place in a particular country or region but also because they help interpret the nitty-gritty of those events to ensure there is universal understanding on such decisive issues as politics, economy, society and culture.

In view of this, the International Conference on China-Africa Communications held from June 12 to 13 in Beijing and hosted by the Communication University of China should be commended for providing an opportunity to reflect on the performance of Chinese and African media in the realm of China-Africa relations.

The conference, which attracted professionals and scholars from China and overseas to discuss topics related to China-Africa media research studies, helped unveil viable ways in which the media can be fully utilized to reinforce cooperative development between China and Africa.

As Liao Xiangzhong, vice-president of the university, observed in his speech at the opening of the conference, the media play an indispensable part in promoting mutual understanding as well as in creating a sound public opinion environment for collaboration between China and all of Africa.

It is incontestable that since the launch of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2000, a new pattern of cooperative partnership between the two regions has not only been established but has also effectively attracted the attention of the world with its remarkable accomplishments.

But it is equally incontestable that it is mostly through the media that this new pattern of cooperative partnership between China and Africa has caught the eyes of the international community.

This signifies that enhancing exchanges and cooperation in the field of communications as well as formulating new structures in information communications should become an important agenda in the mutually beneficial development for China and Africa.

However, as correctly observed by a number of participants at the conference, it should be admitted that along with increasing opportunity, the cooperation between China and Africa also faces myriad challenges such as different ideology, cultural conventions and social institutions, among others.

In light of this, Shu Zhan, former ambassador of China to Eritrea and Rwanda, emphasized the need to improve China-Africa media relations.

According to Shu, as much as the Chinese media strives to tell the positive African story, there still remains the daunting task of making African media reciprocate by telling the positive Chinese story.

As an African journalist, I agree with Shu and suggest that what is needed is that African media should learn the crucial lesson from Chinese media that you can practice positive or constructive journalism and still remain relevant and appealing to your audience.

The major problem is that most African media tilt greatly toward the ideology of Western media, which largely glorify negative stories.

This issue of ideologies is highlighted in a paper presented by Zhang Yanqiu, a professor of communication and director of the Africa Communication Research Center at Communication University of China.

In the paper, Overview on China-Africa Media and Communications Research in China: Reflection and Reconsideration, Zhang points out that mutual comprehension via media communication is not an easy task due to the differences in political systems, economic development, history and culture between China and African countries.

As a result, perhaps, there is a need to seriously reconsider the role of media in China-Africa relations.

The media should endeavor to explore new ways of enhancing a shared political-economic framework between the two regions in order to create a politically trustworthy, economically converging and culturally inclusive community with shared interests and responsibility.

Newspapers, radio and television have, in a way, attempted to foster substantial political and economic understanding between China and Africa.

But, as noted by some of the participants at the conference, what largely remains to be addressed between the two regions is the issue of cultural differences or, put differently, the issue of people-to-people diplomacy.

It was pleasing to note that the conference - held under the broader theme of "media development, cross-cultural communication and public diplomacy" - brought to the fore such neglected media as films and movies in the quest to enhance cultural understanding between the people of China and those of Africa.

Zhang Yong, a doctoral candidate at Beijing Film Academy, observed that Chinese ideas about Africa are formed mainly by what they watch in Hollywood films.

He called for the development and strengthening of the African film industry to avoid the use of European or American films as a standard for assessing African cultural values.

Yet another presentation, on the role of movies in advancing people-to-people diplomacy, by Joseph Josiah, an information officer in the Malawi government's Ministry of Information, urged Chinese filmmakers to seriously reconsider the role of Chinese movies in influencing the African audience's perception of China.

In his paper, An Insight into Malawi's Perception of China Through Chinese Movies, Josiah observes that while increasing world box office figures for Chinese films over the years could mean increased popularity for Chinese film titles on the part of the international audience, the same could not be said about the audience's perception of China.

Josiah said movies have immense potential to sell China's positive image in Africa, noting that in Malawi, just as in most African countries, many people watch and like Chinese action movies.

In all, it is gratifying that the International Conference on China-Africa Communications focused on generating ways for enhancing mutual understanding and enabling objective and balanced media coverage of both China and Africa.

This is in line with China's African policy, which the Chinese government adopted in 2006 to encourage multitiered and multifaceted exchanges and collaboration between the media on both sides.

The author is a Malawian journalist currently studying at the Communication University of China. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.