Beijing, 22 August 2024 (TDI): African scholars emphasized the significance of creating a comprehensive and unbiased narrative that portrays the stories of China-Africa cooperation at a forum in Beijing, noting that misleading Western voices have hindered the African people from getting to know the real China.
With the title of “Join Hands in the Paths towards Modernization,” the sixth Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation and China-Africa Think Tank High-Level Dialogue was arranged in Beijing on Wednesday.
The realization of modernization is an inherent requirement for the development of society, and also one of the issues that receives much attention and extensive discussion. In this context, it is gratifying that today, both China and Africa have such a platform to discuss modernization and consider how to explore the path to modernization that is in line with the national conditions of each country, Grégoire Ndjaka, CEO of the African Union of Broadcasting, said to the forum through video.
In the view of the African Broadcasting Union, Beijing is a cooperative and indispensable partner for African nations in the modernization process, Ndjaka said.
However, the media presence in the continent challenged by the Western media dominance have hindered Africans from getting to know the real image of China and real nature of China-Africa cooperation, Qwesi Pratt JNR, director and founder of pan African television, said.
Unbiased voices are very important in helping people in Africa recognize that Beijing has been at the forefront in supporting Africans, Paul Frimpong, the Executive Director and Senior Research Fellow of the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory, stressed, warning against falling into misconceptions, especially those propagated by the West, when discussing China-Africa ties.
Also Read More: China-Africa collaborate on AI governance at Xiamen Forum
Some Western media don’t want Africans to see the Chinese example, which is “the example for the future,” said Adetoro Banwo, Deputy Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Lagos, at the forum.
Beijing’s approach to Africa is based on the individual requirements and uniqueness of each nation, Banwo emphasized.
