Do the Western media really hate Africa ?

Today, Africa celebrates Africa information Day by reminding African journalists to tell their own stories instead of leaving the job to the westerners.

From the speeches I have heard recently, “western media don’t report our stories they way we want. They exaggerate, they report only when there is famine, when Machar and Kiir want to kill each other or when our brothers have drowned into Mediterranean sea.” They say

“They hate us, somebody from another continent may think African people had had no happiness, they are born crying, suffering, and die so.

Western media is not professional, they come here when  we are destroying, you can’t see them when we are building.”

I have listened to those comments most of the time and some African journalists who try to imitate that western style are criticized that they don’t love Africa.

Maybe western media are biased sometimes as we are too when we tell our stories, we mix emotions. But we forget  one of the big principles of journalism. I have been taught that when a dog bites a man, that’s not the story, it’s  breaking news when a man bites  a dog.

So, how can a westerner be interested that in Africa they have constructed a bridge, while their last bridge was finished in nineteen century? How is he interested in knowing that we are building up new skyscrapers when they intend to do so on the moon? How  does he want  to know that northern corridor  gauge railway has been launched while they are the pioneer  of that ?

I don’t blame them to report that way, I blame African media. They don’t hate us because they attracting their audience and they are attracting them by reporting what is uncommon to them.The problem will arise if they what they report on Africa are lies.

If we want to tell African stories, let first forget to lift our burdens to others. Let accept our  weaknesses and fix them.

Lets build, empower African media that will compete with CNN, BBC ….both financially and professionally. If a western media is able to send journalists who will report on next Rwanda presidential election for two months, why can’t we try even two day in American presidential elections?

Empowering media is what we need, the same as we empower energy sector, or infrastructure sector. Let’s grow a child that will be named after us, instead of blaming the one who is on mission of  his father.