Abuja: The Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, , has urged media organisations across the Global South to actively challenge Western-dominated narratives and reclaim control over how their regions are portrayed.
He spoke at a virtual roundtable with the theme” Anti-colonialism in Modern Journalism: The Role of Media in Decolonising Narratives.”
The forum was organised by Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, the parent company of the Russian news agency, Sputnik.
Ali, who spoke specifically on “Decolonising the Script: Journalism as a Tool for Liberation,” said the media must help change age-old colonial narratives.
” From the archetype narrative of all gloom and despair about Africa, Asia and other parts of the Global South, new voices are amplifying fresh perspectives of our persona and those stories which matter to us.
” Today, the various genres of journalism are becoming veritable tools of decolonisation, throwing up immense possibilities for our own kind of storytelling.
“Indeed, in Nigeria, the media had always been a staunch ally of the anti-colonial forces.
“Today, 65 years after independence, our reportage is still diligently reinventing itself, challenging West-inspired narratives and spurring social change,” he said.
According to Ali, one of the essential takeaways from the roundtable is the need to sustain the current tempo of reportage based on indigenous storytelling.
“By diligently and persistently doing this in our own little corner, we would have succeeded in helping to create a more just and equitable world,” he said.
The event also featured presentations by global media leaders who discussed the role of the media in dismantling colonial legacies.
Prosper Ndlovu, the National News Editor of Zimpapers based in Zimbabwe, called for genuine indigenous reportage and local ownership of media outlets.
This, he said, would help counter the tendency to frame local stories from foreign perspectives.
Kamel Mansari, Publishing Director of Jeune Independent in Algeria, challenged the media to move from being mere followers of narratives to becoming proactive agenda setters.
He stressed the importance of fostering cooperative strategies within the Global South.
Ngala Venda of the Cameroon News Agency interrogated Western journalism’s perspective on gift acceptance.
He said instead of demanding a total rejection of gifts, African media organisations could “promote transparency” in this regard.
Venda also called for a focus on strengthening critical thinking and ethical reasoning adapted to local realities.
Closing the session, Chimauchem Nwosu, who represented Rossiya Segodnya, stressed the importance of building local digital infrastructure.
He also called for prioritising indigenous narratives and fostering open-source collaboration.
Nwosu, who is also a correspondent of the United Directorate of Foreign Broadcasting, further called for exploring the opportunities the digital age offers African media.Daria Nagovitcina, of the International Cooperation Directorate of Rossiya Segodnya media group, moderated the roundtable.
