KENYA: Kenya hosts first African Broadcast and Film conference

Record ID: 361921

  • Title: KENYA: Kenya hosts first African Broadcast and Film conference
  • Date: 25th September 2008
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF EXHIBITION STANDS
  • Embargoed: 10th October 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVA6V893VGKUZ2QLB20JQWP4C9CB
  • Story Text: The first African Broadcast and Film Conference is held in Nairobi.
    The first Broadcast and Film Africa Conference drew to a close on Thursday (September 25). The three-day conference held in Nairobi brought together players in the broadcast industry to discuss the challenges they face and chart the way forward for the next five years.

    "I think it's an important forum, for exchange of views, between the Africans and with other broadcasters, and equipment suppliers and others governments from outside the continent," said Daniel Obam, Head of Kenya's Digital Television Committee, a government initiative to oversee the transition from analogue broadcasting to digital broadcasting.
    Some of the main issues addressed at the conference in Kenya's capital were the liberalisation of Africa's airwaves and the migration from analogue broadcasting to digital broadcasting. It's an international requirement that all broadcasting goes digital by 2015. While some delegates felt that both of these would only increase development and create employment opportunities on the continent, others held a different view.
    Elizabeth Lwanga, Director of the NGO, Africa Development Assistance, expressed concern that without proper regulation, Africa stands to lose.
    She said that there was need for more local content as many television and radio stations across the continent are broadcasting mainly western programs.

    "We have seen what this is doing in many of our countries, the impact on our culture. And what is I think more grave for Africa, is that so far we have actually made no input into content that is being disseminated or absorbed by other people, we are just consuming other people's knowledge , information, methodologies, processes, ideologies, everything and culture.
    These, I think are some of the greatest concerns," said Lwanga.
    At the conference there was an exhibition where various film and broadcasting companies displayed their products.
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