PM Abiy Ahmed Calls for the Creation of a Genuine African Media
Recent events in Ethiopia have shown international mainstream media up for what it is, and that is a power tool and essentially a weapon of war. The BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera amoung other media outlets maintain a narrative on the recent troubles in Ethiopia which is fictitious. The level of disinformation to which they have sunk has shocked people across Africa and the diaspora, resulting in the NoMore Movement and a rise in Pan Africanism. Africa dearly needs an Afrocentric media network that is not sponsored by any non-African source.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called for an African Union continental media network in his speech at last week`s African Union General Assembly in Addis. He stated:
“Equally important is Africa`s media representation on the international stage.Africa is often portrayed in the international media negatively. The endless representation of a continent troubled by civil wars, hunger, corruption, greed, disease and poverty is demeaning and dehumanizing and likely driven by a calculated strategy and agenda. This is still the typical negative media representation of Africa not only dis-informs the rest of the world about our continent but also shapes the way we see ourselves as Africans. Telling our own stories and shaping our own narratives must be our priority. In this regard I would like to propose to this august body the establishment of an African Union Continental Media House. This Media house could be organized to provide authoritative news and information on our continent, fight disinformation, promote our collective agenda, and offer up opportunities for Pan African voices to be heard.”
On peace and security he said that African unity was the most important road to prosperity:
“Ethiopia`s challenge was internal in nature and a matter of maintaining law and order.But resolution of our internal matters was made excedingly difficult by the role played by external actors…………The greatest lesson that Ethiopia has learned this past year that without the solidarity of our African brothers and sisters, our existence as a nation would have been at great risk. This affirms the wisdom of our forefathers and foremothers in their dream of Pan Africanism. The old saying is true `United we stand, Divided we fall`.Today we stand proud and tall as Africans in the shadow of those who struggled to liberate and unite Africa. Our steadfast unity is the anchor and foundation of our Agenda 2063.
A continent of 1.3 billion people, a substantial percentage of them young and dynamic will drive Africa`s prosperity and pull it out of poverty as we set forth in our Agenda 2063.“
His entire speech can be heard Here on OBN Oromia Broadcasting Network
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