Learning from the Future: by Yehia Ghanem

Africa Media Leadership Africa Media Leadership Conference Conference

20092009

““Learning from the Future: Learning from the Future: Africa’s Media Map in 2029Africa’s Media Map in 2029””

•

October 4-7, 2009 Accra, Ghana

Media, Youth and Democracy The Tale of a Newspaper’s Quest for

Transformation of Discourse (A Working Paper)

October 6, 2009

Africa Media Leadership Conference 2009

Mesfin NegashManaging Editor

Addis Neger NewspaperEthiopia

• General trends in Africa

• A Reality Check on Ethiopia

• The Tale of Addis Neger Newspaper


Media, Youth and Democracy

GeneralGeneral TrendsTrends• Waiting for freedom, democracy and

prosperity after 40 years of liberation

• A mixed picture of desolation and gradual improvements in economic growth and democratization in Africa

• Africa will have 29 % of global youth by 2050

• Technological revolution affecting life

• The Media revolution is underwayAfrica Media Leadership Conference 2009


Democratic Experiments Democratic Experiments

• Most countries begin to have a real or semblance of constitutionalism

• More countries held regular elections though their credibility is contested

• Majority of Africans (70 %) are of the opinion that democracy is the best system for their country (see Afrobarometer survey)


Freedom in Sub-Saharan AfricaFreedom in Sub-Saharan Africa



Source: Freedom House2009 report

THE REALITY CHECK I - PoliticsTHE REALITY CHECK I - Politics

• Politics - highly dominated by libration/ revolution discourse

• Issues/agendas

• Leadership and organizational structure

• Democracy as a mere tool to continue what is left from the revolutionary struggle

• Who dominates politics dictate economic policy and wealth distribution

THE REALITY CHECK II - DemographyTHE REALITY CHECK II - Demography

• Africa is demographically shifting

ETHIOPIA:

• 39% of the total population is between

15-39 (a typical post revolution generation)

• 84 % are below 39 years of age

• Access to Education is rapidly increasing

• Globalization affects the internal dynamics



THE REALITY CHECK III - MediaTHE REALITY CHECK III - Media

• Technological and demographic revolution

• Africa has more media outlets than ever

• Strong public demand for freedom of speech and democracy

ETHIOPIA:

• Freedom of speech is constitutionally recognized

• More media outlets than ever in Ethiopia



ETHIOPIA: Private Press post 1991 ETHIOPIA: Private Press post 1991

• Ownership dominated by “The Generation”

• A battle ground for continued internal struggle

• Who set the agenda? WHO ELSE?!

• Polarized and divisive agenda setting

• No solid constituency of freedom of speech



……The pressThe press

• Poor thought experiment on the role of media in the process of democratization

• Post-revolutionary journalists were simple reporters

• The “post revolution generation” has no voice on national issues

• Democratization of the media initiated slowly



THE TALE OF ADDIS NEGER THE TALE OF ADDIS NEGER

ADDIS NEGER?

• Established October 2007• Founded by 7 young

journalists• A weekly current affairs

paper• Ownership -open for new

journalists based on their merit



Transforming the discourse? Transforming the discourse?

• The revolutionary discourse need to be transformed

• The powerless and voiceless post-revolution generation should be listened

• Rethinking and appreciating the past



Rethinking and appreciating the pastRethinking and appreciating the past

• The question of collective guilt instead of criminalization of history

• The apolitical legacy of former leaders and generations

• The relevance of western ideologies to Ethiopia, where to start?

• Scientific enquiry instead of conspiracy theory



Since the past has ceased to throw its light upon the future, the mind of man wanders in obscurity

Tocqueville



A Quest for Public ReasonA Quest for Public Reason

• Appreciating new experiments and ideas

• The question of democracy, and economic & social justice at the center

• Intergenerational dialogue, instead of rejection

• Inter-ethnic dialogue, instead of mutual suspicion/mistrust

• A new culture of critical dialogue based on “Public Reason”



Challenges AheadChallenges Ahead• Political, economic, social constraints

• Restrictive laws and bureaucracy (discriminatory licensing, blocking websites...)

• Mistrust and polarization

• Political and economic crisis

• Independent enterprise Vs conspiracy theory/politicization of life

• Lack of capacity within the media (professional, knowledge, economic...)



THANK YOU



“Yes you can. Because in this moment, history is on the move!!!”

YES WE CAN

Public reason is not one political value among others. It envelops all the different elements that make up

the ideal of a constitutional democracy, for it governs “the political relation” in which we ought to

stand to one another as citizens (CP, p. 574). Public reason involves more than just the idea that the principles of political association should be an object of public knowledge. Its concern is the very

basis of our collectively binding decisions. We honor public reason when we bring our own reason into accord with the reason of others, espousing a common point of view for settling the terms of our

political life….This spirit of reciprocity is the foundation of a democratic society.



John RawlsJohn Rawls

“Persons engaged in a just, or fair, practice can face one another openly and should their respective positions, should they appear questionable, by reference to principles which it is reasonable to expect each to accept….Only if such acknowledgement is possible can there be true community between persons in their common practices; otherwise their relations will appear to them as founded to some extent on force.”

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Learning from the Future: by Yehia Ghanem