AfricaVox 2007

What news do I take home for my people?

Collins Vumiria

As far as I can tell, everyone who's attended the G8 Summit here in Heiligendamm leaves it with mixed feelings. Some are bitter that the G8’s announcement of $60 billion to fight disease failed to mention when it would arrive. Others complain that the Gleneagles promises have yet to be fulfilled.

But out of all this, what do I have to tell my people back home in Uganda when I return?

To get a steer, this afternoon I rushed down to a news conference given by two musicians who for years have been campaigning to rid Africa of poverty and disease: Bob Geldof and U2’s Bono.

I find Geldof describing the Summit as a total mess. “I do not want to see 2005 reiterated endlessly,” he tells the assembled journalists. “The richest countries of the world, trillions of dollars, swirling around that table… do me a favour! Get serious guys! This wasn’t serious. This was a farce. This was a total farce.”

All very well, I think to myself. But I need specific information for my own people, not just these soundbites. I had hoped for something more constructive to communicate to my people in Mbarara than this emotional dismissal.

Next it’s question time for the journalists. “My name is Collins Vumiria, I am a journalist from Uganda.” Faces turn to look at me. “After this summit, what news do I take home for my people?”

Referring to the title of the final document released at the close of the Summit, ‘Growth and responsibility in the world economy’, Geldof says:

“Conserving growth and responsibility in Africa? It’s absolutely sickening cynicism for this weekend. I am sick to my heart.” 

So do I take this back to Radio West? Hmmm. It sounds a little downbeat.

Kumi Naidoo

But another contribution comes in from Kumi Naidoo, the chairman of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. He tells me:

“Ugandans and all Africans need to know that we have a responsibility to hold our leaders back home accountable. Whatever monies have been put on our table, African civil society need to mobilise to ensure that [it] is delivered to the people in need… in terms of anti-corruption, human rights, gender and other aspects.”

I think to myself: this sounds like something my people will want to take on. I just hope they do.

Why Geldof’s image of rotting Africa is OK by me

Today Germany’s biggest selling newspaper Bild handed over the editorial reins to Bob Geldof – and he splashed it with an image of a starving child and the headline ‘End this! Now!’. Richard M Kavuma checks it out from Kampala.

Looking at Bob Geldof’s guest edition of Bild Zeitung today, the first thing I thought of was the old accusation against Western media for only seeing the rotting side of Africa.

Initially I thought Geldof’s edition was perpetuating that stereotype and my reaction was: “Oh my God, where and when was this picture of a dying child taken?”

But then today’s edition also has positive stories about, for instance, the beautiful South Africa, the Kaizer Chiefs football club, African models… the list is endless.

I’ve never been entirely comfortable with the accusation that the West does nothing but portray the negative side of Africa anyway – partly because it’s not very accurate. You still find a lot positive stories about Africa in Western media – it’s just that the negative stories make for bigger headlines.

Then again, the same goes for newspapers in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa. The headlines tend to be ‘negative’ stories about top government officials who steal money meant to immunise children, or about a government shooting and beating up its citizens who are fighting for the right to expression.

But if you care to look at these papers more closely you also find – inside – stories about a hospital being opened in a rural area or trade agreements being sealed. That’s the nature of newspapers.

The debate within me today was: Should Geldof have led with a more positive spin so as to avoid the ‘stereotype’? Or will this drive the message home to Germans that Africa is in trouble? And, in any case, is Africa a passive victim of the processes that have led to this misery?

Whenever I’m faced with this quandary, I think of the following scenario:

Imagine you are walking on a path through the African countryside and you come to a large village. At one end of the village, a graduation party is taking place for a young woman who just got her medical degree. At the other end, a woman is on the verge of dying in labour - partly because there are no doctors in the local health centre or, perhaps, because the resident midwife is celebrating at the graduation party.

Which news would you communicate first? The graduation party so that the other villagers can join in? Or would you rather report about the mother in labour so that perhaps someone can help or the midwife can come to her senses?

Geldof chose the latter, but later reported the party as well. I would have done the same.