Raila: West not to blame for bad press
International Federation of Journalists President Jim Boumelha (right), Information and Communications assistant minister George Khaniri (centre) and Prime Minister Raila Odinga arrive for a congress of African Journalists at Nairobi's Stanley Hotel. Photo/PHOEBE OKALL
What you need to know:
- Raila absolves foreign media of negative reporting on Africa.
- PM says Africa should put its house in order.
The foreign media should not bear the blame for their reporting on Africa, Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said.
He disagreed with some speakers at Congress of African journalists held at the Stanley Hotel, Nairobi who said that foreign media only highlighted negative aspects on the continent such as war, disease, floods and other disasters.
“I don’t agree with Mutua (director of information Ezekiel Mutua) that you don’t uncover your mother’s nakedeness,” he said.
“I believe it is time we in Africa put our act together and our house in order.”
Mr Mutua had taken issue with the Western media saying they concentrated on negative reporting in the continent. He said the American media never exposed the victims of November 11, 2001 terrorist attack in the country.
Mr Odinga, however, agreed that Africa never gets noticed on the global stage unless something bad happens adding that the continent must generate positive news it wants the world to hear about it.
Africa, he added, should also come up with its own equivalent of BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, Reuters or Associated Press to tell its story to the world.
There have been plans to establish a 24-hour Pan African TV service to help correct some of the negative coverage that the continent receives.
The PM, who was accompanied by Information and Communications assistant minister George Khaniri, took issue with African governments for violating press freedom and cited Eritrea and Zimbabwe as examples.
“It is unfortunate that some African states still believe they can muzzle the media through intimidation and incarceration of journalists, and even by staging night time raids on newsrooms and printing presses.”
Mr Odinga reiterated his criticism on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe for clinging on power despite losing to Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai in elections held earlier in the year.
He also hit at African leaders for remaining silent on the Zimbabwean crisis saying they were doing a great disservice to the continent.
The Congress, organised by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and hosted by Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) was also addressed by EAJA President Muheldin Idriss, general secretary Omar Osman and IFJ President Jim Boumelha.
Journalists from 41 African countries are attending the conference.
