Ruth Butaumocho, CHANGSHA, China
African and Chinese journalists here have called for deeper cooperation between Chinese and African media through co-production of documentaries and sharing positive stories to promote Hunan Province and Africa.
Speaking during a face-to-face media dialogue in Changsha, journalists said it was important to produce documentaries and stories that promote Hunan Province and Africa.
Director of Xinhua News Agency, China Economic Information Service (Hunan Centre) Wan Fangming said Chinese media organisations are willing to cooperate with African media organisations in content sharing, exchange programmes for young African journalists, and co-production of programmes to strengthen relations.
“We have already made progress in co-production of programmes and documentaries to promote relations.
“Currently, we are producing a musical competition show in Kenya, under the title ‘Sing for Africa’. So there is so much we can benefit from each other, “he said.
Yang Liu, Editor of the International Communication Centre, Rednet, said Chinese and foreign media should not operate in isolation.
“Capturing specific details and honestly sharing what we see, that itself is real communication,” she said.
Yang revealed that she visited Ethiopia last year, an experience that gave her a different perception about Africa.
“I sat with the people, shared a meal and got a better understanding on what shapes their values. That’s quite different from what I had seen in some videos. It’s a different feeling,” she said.
She said although Chinese and African media serve different audiences, come from different cultural backgrounds, and use different modes of expression, they share one common pursuit.
“How can we use our cameras to help others understand the world better? That is the question I want to ask today,” she said.
Yang added that her organisation is willing to collaborate with African media houses to produce short documentaries on industrial tourism, culture and lived experiences from Hunan Province and Africa.
She highlighted that the meeting is not just about sharing experiences, but also a great chance for journalists to learn from each other.
“We hope more people in Africa get to know about China,” he said.
Mr Benjami Frederick Bailey, chief executive officer of Sunday World, a South African publication, said Africa is keen on collaborating with Chinese media in identified areas of mutual interest and amplifying what the Asian giant and the African continent have to offer.
“We believe we can strengthen our relationship as media through knowledge transfer and co-producing documentaries.
“There is so much we can share on industrialisation, tourism and African culture. We all stand to benefit from such collaborations,” he said.
The meeting was held to advance the implementation of the “One Heart: One Road: One Journey – 2026 China – Africa Partner Empowerment Action Plan” under the Global South Media and Think Tank Cooperation and Communication Partner Network.
It was attended by African and Chinese media owners, editors, journalists and social media opinion leaders.
The dialogue was part of ongoing exchanges between Chinese media groups, including Xinhua, and African journalists.
It was aimed at improving mutual understanding and telling the real story of China-Africa cooperation, and also to establish a regular dialogue platform for Xiang-Africa media to foster practical cooperation in content cooperation, content co-creation, channel sharing and talent exchange.
