ANC: Motlanthe: Address to the International Media Forum (22/05/2008)

Date: 22/05/2008
Source: African National Congress
Title: ANC: Motlanthe: Address to the International Media Forum

Address by the ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe to the International Media Forum

Topic: How do you communicate what the country has to offer in order to
improve international confidence and media coverage?


Chairperson, John Perlman
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Ours is an age of information.

Information is an integral and ever growing component of the modern economy.
It plays a central role in shaping political and social relations. Those
with access to information are empowered by it. Those without access are
disempowered.

More than ever before, information is a commodity ˆ bought, sold, bartered
and hoarded. It is a source of power and influence.

That is why we welcome this forum.

This forum provides an important opportunity for many of those in the
information Œtrade‚ to look at the way their Œindustry‚ works, and to
discuss how it can best be used as an instrument of empowerment, development
and progress.

In short, how can we communicate more effectively and usefully with the many
people for whom this information would be important?

And how do we do so in the face of increased commodification of information?
How do we ensure that media in general serves a purpose other than merely
the commercial interests of those who own the means to produce it?

Those of us gathered here today represent different components of the media
and communications machinery. We represent government, business, political
formations, and, most importantly, the media.

Each of us has a different role to play, and each of us engages in
communications in pursuit of different interests. And that is the way it
should be.

We should not seek to amalgamate the respective functions of each component.
They should remain distinct.

But we should acknowledge that in each pursuing our particular interests, we
all have an overarching interest in providing information that is accurate,
relevant, timely and accessible.

Whether in government, or in the media, or in business, we should interact
in a manner that advances that common objective.

Some years ago, as the ANC was preparing the ground for the achievement of
democracy, we spent some time considering how we envisaged a post-apartheid
South Africa.

With respect to media, we said:

„South Africa has been a closed society, with many restrictions on the flow
of information. Legislation, the structure of ownership of media resources,
skills, language policy, and social deprivation have undermined access to
information for the majority of the population.

„The ANC believes that the transition to democracy in South Africa entails a
movement from a closed society into one based on a free flow of information
and a culture of open debate.

„At the core of democracy lies the recognition of the right of all citizens
to take part in society's decision-making process. This requires that
individuals are armed with the necessary information and have access to the
contesting options they require to make informed choices. An ignorant
society cannot be democratic.

„The ANC asserts that mere declarations of media freedoms on their own are
not enough. These freedoms must be underpinned by an equitable distribution
of media resources, development programmes and a deliberate effort to
engender a culture of open debate∑‰

Sixteen years later, that remains the approach of the ANC.

We seek a media environment that is rich and vibrant, and which represents
the diversity of languages, interests, experiences and political
perspectives that exist in our society. We want to ensure that those South
Africans whose views and interests have not been adequately represented in
the media now have an opportunity for their voices to be heard.

That approach informs our perspective on the subject at hand ˆ how to
communicate what this country has to offer, so that we may improve
international confidence and media coverage.

Clearly, one of the chief tasks in this respect is to use whatever
mechanisms are available to promote the country in the international arena,
and indeed locally. It is important to have effective ambassadors who can
persuade people around the world that South Africa is an exciting place to
visit, a rewarding place in which to invest, and a reliable partner in the
working to forge a better world.

The work of the International Marketing Council (IMC) is important in this
regard. So too is the work of GCIS to communicate the programmes and
policies of the South African government to a wider audience.

Equally important are the statements and actions of our political leaders,
business people, members of civil society, commentators, and others.

It is correct that we should seek to expose to a world too often fixated
with the bad news from Africa with the reality of South Africa and our
continent. We should do it unashamedly and we should do it vigorously.

But that is only part of our task.

We wish to encourage an attitude towards South Africa that is founded on the
reality of this country. Where there are problems, let the world see them.
Where there are successes, let the world know.

Let the world hear the people of South Africa in all their diversity, even
if it may at times become a cacophony.

Certainly, we want good coverage of South Africa. We want the international
community to have confidence in the direction our country is taking.

But we don‚t want that confidence to be founded on spin and advertising
campaigns. We don‚t wish to generate international goodwill simply because
we‚ve managed to recruit the local or international media to our cause.

We want international confidence in South Africa to be based on an informed
understanding of what this country is all about, and to be able to form
views and make decisions based on accurate and balanced accounts.

There are, of course, a range of differing perspectives on the state of the
nation. What appears accurate and balanced to one person, could be anything
but that to someone else.

That is why diversity is so important ˆ diversity in terms of the voices
that are heard in the media, and diversity in the ownership, control and
composition of the media itself.

We have observed that rather than becoming more diverse, the local and
global media terrain is becoming less so. Consolidation of media
institutions and outlets, largely driven by commercial imperatives, is
increasing.

News is becoming homogenised. The promise of Œnew media‚ as an instrument
for the democratisation of the media has yet to be realised. That poses a
challenge for those who work in the communications fields ˆ both those who
communicate on behalf of government or other social formations, and those
responsible for reporting on developments within the country.

It places an additional responsibility on those who report on South Africa,
particularly to an international audience to be very conscious about the
need to reflect the range of developments within the country. While not
shying away from the controversial and difficult, it would be important to
find ways to portray the great advances that are indeed being made on a
daily basis.

That requires creativity, even courage.

It also requires a critical look at the identification and prioritisation of
news.South Africa has in the past few days been confronted with one of the
ugliest incidents of post apartheid era. Scores of our brothers and sisters
from the continent have been subjected to acts of humiliation and violence
simply because they were not born here.

A variety of reasons have been advanced by those who claim to be the
representatives of the affected communities where some of these attacks have
been carried out. As the ANC we wish to reiterate our unequivocal
condemnation of such acts as we have done on previous occasions. It becomes
the natural obligation of all peace loving South Africans to stand up and
condemn these barbaric acts in the strongest possible terms.
We therefore call on all South Africans to take a firm stand against such
violent acts and treat them as hate crimes.

Such acts can only take society backwards and open the wounds of racism and
intolerance against which so many of our people fought. These attacks on
foreign nationals across various townships in Gauteng and other places, are
an attack not only on foreigners, but are an assault on the values of our
democratic society. The ANC calls on all political formations, civic
organisations, community-based organisations, religious leaders, youth and
women leaders, and all institutions of the state to unite in a concerted
effort to halt these senseless attacks.

The ANC repeats its call to all state institutions and security agencies to
apply the country's immigration laws in a consistent and even-handed manner,
with due regard to the country's constitution and its international
commitments.

We believe that through the recognition of the crucial role played by the
international community in South Africa's liberation, all South Africans
will work together to ensure that we build a better world where people of
different nations and races co-exist and live in peace and harmony. There‚s
a clear need to scale up the levels of education about foreign relations. It
is important to educate our people that South Africa cannot exist as an
island.

As this conference draws to a close, I trust that all media houses
represented here will partner with government, civil society and other
stakeholders in educating our people about the importance of co-existence as
nations.

Indeed it is only when we act in unison that we will be able to overcome the
challenges of the day. Thank you very much for inviting the African National
Congress to share with you its views on issues being discussed by this
important forum.

Ends.