Windhoek — The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in three areas in the capital on Friday.
These areas include content development and exchange, and training and cooperation in international forums.
Signing on behalf of the NBC, its Director-General (DG) Albertus Aochamub explained that through content development and exchange, the two broadcasting institutions would ensure that it is not reduced to news and current affairs only, but to tell stories of the two countries in arts, people's cultures and issues that confront both countries on a daily basis.
The MoU is particularly aimed at telling African stories, because others are currently telling them. The ZBC and the NBC have, therefore, an obligation to tell these stories.
"We will tell our own stories in our own languages, as we see it," he stressed.
In the area of training, the two countries will "learn from each other".
"It is always assumed that we run to the big broadcasters such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), but we believe that there is a lot that we can learn from each other," he noted.
The MoU will also look at the technical part and be more practical, hence exchanges of people from both broadcasters.
As president of the Southern African Broadcasting Association (SABA), Aochamub noted that under cooperation and international forums, the two broadcasting institutions want to collectively bring their voices onto international platforms.
The two broadcasters will also tell stories of Africa on the move, and ensure that the stories are shared with other countries in the Southern African region.
Signing on behalf of the ZBC, the Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Happison Muchechetere explained that the MoU is a culmination of a long process of exchanges between the NBC and the ZBC.
He said through this MoU, the two broadcasting institutions would exchange knowledge in order to build a future in Africa, starting in Southern Africa.
The MoU will also make use of SABA to bring on board other African nations to sign similar MoUs.
Also speaking at the signing ceremony was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Mbeuta Ua-Ndjarakana, who noted that other people come to Africa and never share victorious messages to the world, but broadcast these as general African stories.
"We need to go on the cradle that carried us. We have been rubbing shoulders with our colleagues in Africa and we talk the same language, because we know where we come from, and what is our destination," he added.
He, therefore, expressed joy and commended the NBC and the ZBC for following in the footsteps of the forefathers of both Namibia and Zimbabwe to be able to tell the real stories and good things that are happening in the two countries.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's Ambassador to Namibia, Chipo Zindoga, strongly lashed out at African journalists who are writing negative stories about their own countries, most especially their leaders, saying African journalists must stand firm and defend the continent and its leaders.
She said there is a need for African stories to be told aggressively and the only way to do so is to empower journalists through exchange programmes.
"When Namibian journalists go to Zimbabwe, they should be accorded the opportunity to educate Zimbabweans about Namibia so that there is a bigger picture of Namibia, having fought alongside Zimbabwe," she said.
She called on the two broadcasters to implement what is in the MoU, adding that there is a need to strengthen the level of cooperation and the cementing of relations between them.
The youth also need to respect their leaders and independence of the two countries, Zindoga noted.
(Source : New Era, Namibia)
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