African Must Take Charge Of Own Narratives – Experts

For stakeholders in the nation’s integrated marketing communications space, the time is now for Africa to take charge of its narratives, and stop the well-orchestrated ‘single’, and lopsided narratives of the West about the continent; since such single stories have done incalculable damage to the image of the continent.

Making the appeal at the 22nd NECCI PR Roundtable, held recently in Lagos, the experts comprising Public Relations practitioners, media chiefs and industry captains, argued that African stories and narratives should be told by Africans since the foreign narratives about Africa have not helped the cause of the continent.

Delivering her keynote address tagged: ‘Danger of a single story: Communication & Reputational Crisis in Africa’, the Chairman of Access Bank Plc, Dr. Ajoritsedere Josephine Awosika stated that Africans must begin to consciously disown stereotypes of hunger, poverty, disease and corruption the western media had tagged it, and create messages of prosperity, invention and development for, and about, the continent.

She argued that the continent has a lot of positives to showcase and, as a result, should never allow other continents to take ownership of its story.

Awosika, therefore, charged communication experts in the continent on the need to create and generate positive messaging that truly reflects the African people, and the continent’s immense natural resources.