Rewriting the story together

When asked how direct media partnerships could give African countries a greater role in shaping how they are represented internationally, Chernor Bah, Minister of Information and Civic Education of Sierra Leone, returned to a fundamental question: Who gets to tell the story?

"For years, Africa has been diminished and Africa's story has been told by Western narratives," Bah said. "Those narratives do not exalt us and they never make us really the heroes of our own stories."

Bah's concern was the extent to which Africans themselves help shape coverage of their continent. Closer China-Africa media cooperation, he said, offered "a huge opportunity to learn from each other" and to "author a different story" rooted in people's experiences, cultures and aspirations.

That idea ran through discussions at the 7th Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation, held in Beijing from Aug 19 to 21. Delegates noted that authentic representation requires practical involvement at every stage, from developing ideas and identifying sources to local-language reporting, editing and distribution.

The forum brought together about 400 representatives from China and 45 African countries, including a record 33 ministerial-level guests from African countries, according to the organizers. It was co-hosted by China's National Radio and Television Administration, the Beijing municipal government and the African Union of Broadcasting.

The forum came as 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Africa and is the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Egypt became the first African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1956.

Co-production emerged as a main way to give local partners a role from the outset, bringing them into story development, editorial decision-making and production, rather than simply exchanging completed programs.

Dr Ismaila Ceesay, Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services of The Gambia, said agreements reached with Chinese partners, including arrangements involving the country's public and private broadcasters, should provide a foundation for moving beyond content exchange toward co-production, particularly of programs concerning young people, culture and history.

Chinese programs were already being broadcast weekly on two television stations in The Gambia, Ceesay said, while a coordinating team was being established to bring media organizations together around co-production.

He also identified modern technology, digital skills, technology transfer and newsroom modernization as pressing needs. Gambian professionals trained in China, he said, should apply and share their knowledge at home so that one training opportunity can benefit an entire newsroom.

Ceesay described young journalists as eager to demonstrate their abilities and adept at using technology to introduce their cultures and countries. Bringing Chinese and African journalists together during planning and production, he said, could also build lasting professional relationships and improve access to local languages, sources and knowledge.