Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
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exhortati<strong>on</strong> to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> media to adopt<br />
a soluti<strong>on</strong>-based approach as<br />
dem<strong>on</strong>strated by Nobel Prize winner<br />
Amartya Sen.<br />
In his book, Poverty and Famines:<br />
An Essay <strong>on</strong> Entitlement and<br />
Deprivati<strong>on</strong> (1981), Sen argues that<br />
no famine has ever taken place in<br />
a country with multi-party politics<br />
and a free media. Famine, he says,<br />
occurs not from a lack of food,<br />
but from inequalities built into its<br />
distributi<strong>on</strong>. Fix that reality and half<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> famine problem is resolved. It is<br />
<strong>on</strong> record that his work <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> causes<br />
of famine led to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> development of<br />
practical soluti<strong>on</strong>s for preventing<br />
or limiting <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> effects of real or<br />
perceived shortages of food. It is a<br />
less<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> media and policymakers<br />
in much of Africa would do well to<br />
learn.<br />
“... Were it left to me<br />
to decide whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r<br />
we should have a<br />
government without<br />
newspapers or<br />
newspapers without<br />
a government, I<br />
should not hesitate a<br />
moment to prefer <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
latter.”<br />
In July 2009, in his historic address<br />
to Africa from Ghana, US President<br />
Barack Obama emphasised that an<br />
“independent <strong>press</strong> is part of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
capable, reliable and transparent<br />
instituti<strong>on</strong>s that will lead Africa to<br />
success in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 21st century”.<br />
Yes, we can, but <strong>on</strong>ly if we can<br />
tame <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> enemy within. Fixing <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
reality that is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> sorry state of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
c<strong>on</strong>tinent is <strong>on</strong>e thing; leading <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
c<strong>on</strong>tinent to success in this century<br />
is a different kettle of fish. Obama’s<br />
54 | Media in Africa - 2011<br />
optimism is as inspiring as is Sen’s<br />
endorsement of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> role of free<br />
media. But let’s get real.<br />
Despite this upbeat mood, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
media sector still faces many<br />
challenges that prevent it from<br />
fulfilling its promise: from repeated<br />
vicious attacks <strong>on</strong> <strong>press</strong> <strong>freedom</strong>,<br />
very little technology adaptati<strong>on</strong><br />
and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> almost impossible task of<br />
accessing capital, to a lack of ethical<br />
leadership within a large number of<br />
media organisati<strong>on</strong>s.<br />
Lack of ethical leadership, in<br />
particular, is of growing c<strong>on</strong>cern<br />
as evidenced in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> recent general<br />
electi<strong>on</strong> in Tanzania, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> goings<strong>on</strong><br />
in Uganda, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 2008 civil strife<br />
in Kenya and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 1994 genocide<br />
in Rwanda. In all <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se cases, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
media’s shameless partisanship flew<br />
in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> face of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> much-touted<br />
ethical principles <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y claim to<br />
ascribe to.<br />
To help address <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se core<br />
c<strong>on</strong>straints, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> African Media<br />
Initiative (AMI) has embarked <strong>on</strong> an<br />
ambitious programme of activities<br />
anchored around streng<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ning<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> sector from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> owners’ and<br />
operators’ perspective. Indeed, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se<br />
key players have traditi<strong>on</strong>ally not<br />
been involved in media development<br />
efforts. Yet <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y hold <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> future<br />
of private and independent media<br />
houses in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir hands.<br />
The African Media Leaders Forum<br />
(AMLF) is precisely designed to address<br />
this anomaly by bringing toge<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r<br />
every year some of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> most<br />
respected media owners and operators<br />
from around <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tinent. This<br />
flagship AMI programme represents<br />
a unique platform to discuss <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
challenges and opportunities <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y<br />
face and provides <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
necessary tools to fully participate<br />
in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ec<strong>on</strong>omic and human development<br />
of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tinent.<br />
AMI does not waiver in its belief that<br />
str<strong>on</strong>g, independent and professi<strong>on</strong>al<br />
media are central to achieving<br />
and maintaining good governance<br />
and all <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> positive good that stems<br />
from having resp<strong>on</strong>sible and accountable<br />
authority. It accepts as a<br />
truism that media are irreplaceable<br />
public watchdogs, providing a platform<br />
for a well-informed citizenry<br />
to endorse or sancti<strong>on</strong> its leaders. In<br />
additi<strong>on</strong>, media that perform <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir<br />
watchdog role by making government<br />
acti<strong>on</strong>s more transparent<br />
helps spur ec<strong>on</strong>omic development<br />
overall by making it more difficult<br />
for public funds to be embezzled.<br />
The danger is that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> political<br />
class often mistakes this critical<br />
role of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> media, especially, for<br />
“irresp<strong>on</strong>sibility”, leading many<br />
important media players to be<br />
labelled state “enemies”. In this<br />
regard, AMI is forthright in affirming<br />
its defence of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> media as a friend<br />
and not enemy of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> people.<br />
African media do not want to be<br />
and will never be <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> enemy. We are<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> friend of African progress, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
partner of African success and an<br />
important element of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> African<br />
renaissance.<br />
By stating this belief, we at AMI<br />
are not denying that in some<br />
unfortunate instances some media<br />
houses have participated in failing<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir societies. That needs to be<br />
corrected.<br />
Indeed, for African media to play<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir fundamental and critical roles<br />
of streng<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ning our nati<strong>on</strong>s, it<br />
is essential that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir leaders take<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>mselves and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir operati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
seriously. That is why African media<br />
leaders attending <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 3rd AMLF<br />
in Yaoundé, Camero<strong>on</strong>, <strong>on</strong> 18-19<br />
November 2010, recommended that<br />
AMI spearheads an industry-led<br />
process to develop a “Leadership<br />
and Guiding Principles” code for<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> exclusive use of African media<br />
owners and operators.<br />
This work has started in Kenya<br />
and we are looking forward to report<br />
significant progress at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 4th<br />
AMLF to be held in Tunisia <strong>on</strong> 9-11<br />
November 2011. We cannot overes-