REGIONAL BERICHT Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V.

South Africa What brings foreign broadcasters to Africa? MAIKA SCHMITT

May 2018 www.kas.de Using the examples of and

If you think of international and me- a Chinese point of view. Reputation is a dia, you may think of the BBC, one of the strong value in the People’s Republic of Chi- oldest players in this field. Since 1932 they na and especially after the Olympic Games have provided news not only for Great Brit- in 2008 in Beijing the Chinese government ain, but for all commonwealth states. In realized how important media is to gain a 1939 the BBC launched its program in Afri- good reputation worldwide2. The financial kaans followed by Portuguese for Africa and crisis of 2009 came at the right time for Hausa, Swahili and French in the following China. The western world was occupied with years. Today the BBC offers a wide program saving their banks and the budgets for range for the whole continent: it provides western media were cut. The timing was content for TV, radio and the internet in right for new media to fill the gap and it fit- English, French, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, Ki- ted perfectly for China’s rising news agen- rundi, Somali, Kiswahili, Afaan Oromo, Am- cies. Although the Xinhua News Agency haric, Igbo, Pidgin, Tigrinya and Yoruba1. opened its first bureaus in Africa in the And other countries have also reached out 1970s, it took China more than 30 years to to the world. They are not only sending cor- launch radio and TV stations in Africa. China respondents to report from abroad for an Radio International (CRI) opened in 2006 in audience back home, but they produce con- , the TV station China Global Televi- tent for the whole world. And the BBC is not sion Network (CGTN) - formerly known as alone; a lot of countries have entered the CCTV - was launched in 2012 as well as the global media market. The big question is: newspaper China Daily, both in Kenya’s why? What is the motivation behind this ex- capital Nairobi. This city is perfect for for- pansion? eign media to cover many of Africa’s coun- tries, because it provides a good transport In this paper we take a closer look at two connection, it’s well-developed and one of global players: Germany with its programs the UN headquarters is based there. With for radio and TV through Deutsche Welle this move, China followed the example of and one of the youngest actors on the world many international media companies. media stage: China, with the TV station CGTN, CRI radio, the news agency Xinhua Soft power is a term that is often used to and the newspaper China Daily, whose ap- describe China’s policy. It means that a po- pearance in Africa had been watched and litical player exercises power through inter- analyzed closely. national institutions and ideology and with- out military power. And whoever you ask to China’s Media in Africa describe China’s motivation for going global with their media, the answer is always “soft Western media like the BBC and CNN have power”. Because soft power relies on a good monopolized the global media market and they haven’t treated China very well – from

2 Wu, Yu-Shan.2012.The rise of China’s state-led 1 BBC: media dynasty in Africa(occasional paper no.117). http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/ Johannesburg: South African Institute for Interna- whoweare (29.03.2018) tional Affairs, p.8

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. reputation, a positive cultural credit and of China in Africa. With this strategy China that you can gain through a strong media also tries to reduce fears of military South Africa representation. strength. And the country has a lot more to prove than other countries. In the western MAIKA SCHMITT Soft power also includes economic power media its image is often: they are coming which is of course important for an export for the African resources and to exploit the May 2018 nation like China. And in this correlation one continent. www.kas.de has to consider that China not only estab- lished media in Africa, but worldwide and But positive reporting and constructive that Africa is just a small market for China journalism could also lead to biased cover- although it seems different3. age.

It’s hard to find any voluntary disclosure on A journalist from an African country, who the internet from the different Chinese me- has worked for China Daily and Xinhua since dia companies, but CGTN writes on its web- 2013 and who prefer to remain anonymous, site: tells about his work: China Daily and also Xinhua have a very strict policy on what is ”By launching CGTN, we want to re-brand published and which stories are covered. our product to the world, to cope with the Only events that apply to China-African re- global trend in media convergence […]At lations are interesting for the media compa- CGTN, we cover the whole globe, reporting nies. Negative and even critical voices are news from a Chinese perspec- removed from the articles. tive[…]Ultimately, we believe facts should speak for themselves and are committed to When this journalist wrote about current neutral, objective reporting”4 political events he was told to stop criticiz- ing former South African President Jacob The headquarters is in Beijing and that ap- Zuma for example. “Once I wrote a story plies to every Chinese news channel. Alt- about the Dalai Lama. And my editor was hough all channels have studios across the really offended and hurt. He told me to world, the organization is still centralized never send him a story like that again,” he and stories have to conform to the policy of said. From this example you can see that the government. But the quote also shows the media content of Chinese media abroad that CGTN wants to “re-brand the product” is still tightly connected to the official policy and reports from a “Chinese perspective” of the government in Beijing. two central aims that have been mentioned before. China is a new player in this media game, which was dominated by western players for China also promotes “positive reporting” a long time. It still has to learn a lot about with the aim of changing the common nar- the business and about dealing with local rative about China and Africa.5 This is what employees, an area where they are still act- also attracts many Africans who are tired of ing quite unprofessionally, explains the Afri- reading stories about their continent which can journalist: “The editor always has to be are only about crises, wars and . Chinese. But sometimes, they don’t even And it’s also helpful to “correct” the image speak English, but nevertheless they are editing the articles for the website. Also the

payment is quite poor compared to media

3 Cf. companies from America or Europe.” https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/2013- 04_China- Africa%28GamacheHammerJones%29.pdf in Nevertheless he also welcomes the diversity 2011: Africa accounted for only 4% of China’s in the media sector that is provided by the global trade 4 CGTN: new companies. This is also a fact that re- https://www.cgtn.com/home/info/about_us.do searcher Yu-Shan Wu from the South Afri- (29.03.2018) 5 Grassi, Sergio. 2014. Changing the narrative. can Institute for International Affairs (SAI- Chinas mediale Offensive in Afrika. Friedrich- IA) highlights. “China is also often accused Ebert-Stiftung, p.5

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. of not respecting human rights and that its producers, establishing its program for Afri- agenda is to bring their ideology and politi- ca in 1962. Since 1963 the South Africa cal system to Africa. What is often neglect- could be received in Swahili and Hausa and ed is that China provides platforms for ex- followed in 1965. Nowadays the MAIKA SCHMITT change and thereby a possibility for people radio program is reduced; in East Africa it’s to get informed and to communicate.” There broadcast three hours daily and on May 2018 is also new technical infrastructure in Afri- shortwave it’s still also available in Amharic www.kas.de can countries and also cheap communica- and Pashtu one hour per day. The last big tion systems that are produced in China. relay station in was closed in 2015, so And one mustn’t forget that the readers and DW cooperates with local radio stations to listeners are also aware that they are broadcast their program via FM. watching/ listening to media content that is financed by a certain government. The TV channel is available via satellite or cable – in English, German and . DW China is also offering scholarships and fund- also offers vast internet content with differ- ing for journalists often combined with jour- ent projects like 77 percent for the 77% of neys to the country itself. But that is, as Wu Africans who are younger than 35 or African explains, also a possibility for both sides to Roots a history project about important Af- learn from each other and to develop to- rican leaders. DW is also very active on so- gether. The other part of such workshops cial media, where the team interacts with can be to learn to watch western media hundreds of thousands of followers. The more critically. This can also be summed up broadcaster is financed by German taxes under the diversity of media that China’s with an annual budget of around 280 Million content is offering: one doesn’t have to rely (~$340 Million). Over 3000 staff from just on western media anymore. 60 nationalities work for DW in Germany and worldwide and the DW Akademie offers But still, there is a lot to do for China as Wu media trainings for journalists all over the explains: “Chinese media are quite new to world. It also offers internships for local the global market. They have to learn a lot. journalists in the African countries where But they are developing.” DW works.

Today Xinhua has over 30 offices across Af- On the website you can easily find infor- rica with more than 400 employees and it mation about the mission and the back- provides its news for free. The radio station ground of DW. CRI broadcasts on shortwave and FM two hours per day for African countries in Hau- “We convey a comprehensive image of sa, English, French and Swahili. And CGTV Germany, report events and developments, (former CCTV) broadcasts have a one hour incorporate German and other perspectives daily news program called Africa Live. In in a journalistically independent manner. By Nairobi and in Johannesburg China Daily is doing so we promote understanding be- available in a printed version. The presence tween cultures and peoples. We simultane- of Chinese media is undeniable and alt- ously also provide access to the German hough it’s still a long way to reach the language”. 6 league of old players like the BBC, one has to be aware of the rising importance of Chi- Besides the promotion of cultural under- nese media on the African market. standing, one function of the German broadcaster is also to sharpen the image of German Media the Federal Republic of Germany; it should explain the values and aims of Germany “Everyone has an agenda, not only China,” and promote the . An es- says Yu-Shan Wu. So after looking closely at Chinese media we turn to Deutsche Welle

(DW) a German broadcaster for TV and ra- dio. It is one of the oldest foreign media 6 DW: http://www.dw.com/en/about-dw/profile/s- 30688 (29.03.2018)

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. sential value for Germany as well as for the the ideas and renew the image of Germany DW is the constitutional democracy. Mean- in the world. South Africa while, the reporting of DW in autocratic countries is also essential; the mission of So it is interesting to notice that in the be- MAIKA SCHMITT the broadcaster is to provide access to neu- ginning Germany’s motivation behind going tral information where regional broadcasters global with its media is almost the same May 2018 can’t. So being an alternative to national reasons as China now: remediate its nega- www.kas.de media is also a function of DW. In some Af- tive image in the world. And it still has the rican countries people rely more on foreign mandate to present Germany, the language media than on national ones, especially in and the values of the country. countries where freedom of opinion is re- stricted and the media is controlled by the But the DW is now an experienced player in government. the field of global media. They rely on local journalists and Isaac Kaledzi for example is DW started as a broadcaster for Germans happy to have the opportunity to report living abroad, but began expanding its pro- about his country to the rest of the world. gram in other languages. This was a result But he also explains that working for DW is of the Cold War, where the battle for the connected to stricter rules and more effort hearts and minds of Africans was fought be- to convince editors about covering a certain tween the Western countries and the East- local story. He is convinced that foreign ern bloc states. Russia and , media in general are very important for his but also the USA, Great Britain and of country: course West Germany were investing a lot in radio productions for Africa. And although “In instances where there are no means to circumstances have changed, DW is still a tell the stories of citizens, the foreign media reliable source of information from all over usually does so and projects their circum- the world for a worldwide audience. stances to the bigger world.”

This aspect is also highlighted by Isaac Kaledzi, a journalist from Ghana who has Conclusion worked for DW since 2012: “In local media By looking closer at the German and the the focus is of course on local events. For- Chinese broadcasters you can see that the eign media like DW cover a whole range of motivation behind their global approach events worldwide and put it in context.” wasn’t very different in the beginning and somehow still isn’t. Both countries set out to To open a new range of news for the local establish a positive image of themselves in community and to support democratic val- the world, primarily interested in the re- ues through that, is still a basic value of gions where they invest and export a lot. DW. Both cover mostly stories which have a connection to the origin country and both The initial idea behind the founding of the have a wider view than local media. DW was a different one. It was to remove the tension between Germany and other It is interesting that there is a lot of re- countries after the Second World War and search about the Chinese media approach to represent these new values of the coun- but little about DW. The western media sec- try to the world. And media was a perfect is somehow seen as more positive and tool for that mission because it reached isn’t questioned any more. Perhaps because more people than the official foreign policy. the western media is already a stable and In Africa radio was and still is the most im- reliable news source for many Africans. But portant medium, because it is affordable nevertheless, DW also has a certain agenda and accessible and it’s perfect to spread that is connected to the German govern- ideas. Rebels don’t occupy broadcasting ment. studios first thing after a coup for nothing! And that’s where DW stepped in to spread

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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. While talking to journalists and academics you get the impression that China’s biggest South Africa problem in the field of global media is that it is quite new and still unprofessional and in- MAIKA SCHMITT experienced. But this disadvantage could be settled after a few years of operation. May 2018 www.kas.de With radio and TV stations, English lan- guage print publications and a news agency, the arrival of the Chinese onto the global media stage cannot be ignored. Their pres- ence could help diversify the African media landscape and offer an alternative to the Western perspective. Nevertheless it should also be remembered that these media offer- ings are connected to the Chinese govern- ment, which is not a democratic one.