Images Of Our Land: The Imperatives Of Sustainable Development Stories – By Abdulwarees Solanke

*Photo: Abdulwarees Solanke*

In the past few weeks, I have tried to interrogate public concerns and policy questions that should inspire the content of mass media in the African and Asian continents because their countries offer graphic case studies of development challenges.

These challenges are what motivated the United Nations to come up with development goals that their countries must endeavour to attain with certain deadline.

A country like Nigeria now facing food shortages and economic crises that are now of national security is even more in need of responsible mass media to be setting for the nation agenda for national development and preservation peace, stability and citizens well being rather been used to champion the demolition of the national edifice on the alter of ethnic or political interests.

In specific terms, therefore, the following are pertinent in the way we tell our stories, not only in Africa but also in other countries pursuing or implementing policies on sustainable development as enunciated in the 17 SDGs. Our stories must:

Assure fidelity to policy, plans, and programmes for enunciated in the 17 UN SDGs;

Stimulate productivity in industry and economy of Africa, Asia Pacific, and the Caribbean nations at whom the SDGs are principally targeted;

Mainstream Peace and Nation-Building/Conflict Resolution; Pluralism, Diversity & Inclusiveness in the continents that are mostly victims of political, ethnic/racial and religious crises which stultify development;

Encourage Participation in governance as there is usually a wide gap between governing elites and common citizens;

Monitor Provision of critical social infrastructure that is being provided in the transformation projects of the SDGs;

Engender partnership and collaboration for development not only among internal stakeholders but also with UN institutions, international agencies, and NGOs committed to the success of the SDGs;

Advocate Protection of the Environment through   responsible use of resources

Promote Positive Values, Ethical Practices, and Integrity in Public Management and Leadership

Served as Performance Measurement Mechanism;

Assist in Prioritization of Public Needs;

Use Platforms for Provision of policy choices and determination of alternatives; and

Sensitize the public on issues of sustainable development through Publicity of Achievements and Progress Reports,

Certainly, it is our responsibility as media content providers and distributors in Africa, Asia and more to tell compelling and impactful stories about our continents’ strides which would galvanize all stakeholders to commit themselves and indeed ensure the attainment of the 17 lofty sustainable development goals within target.

But how do we tell these stories? Such stories must be told creatively and engagingly for the governments to appreciate and respect the mass media as partners in progress and not just as mere watchdogs of society.

The strategies and approaches to telling our stories must be able to galvanize citizens understanding that it is in their interest to think and act responsibly in their exploration and utilization of the resources of the earth, and protection of the environment. These are what we must commit ourselves to if we in public service media industry must live up to the demands of our roles as facilitators or agents of change in the stories we tell about our society.

It is compelling that we tell stories of how to regenerate, conserve, protect, and manage the earth resources so that the environment we are bequeathing to the future generation is not over-used, abused, or compromised. Telling truly impactful Sustainable Development Stories demands that we are authentic, creative, committed, enthusiastic, patriotic, yet professional, taking our mission for development as a TRUST.

We must reinvent the matrix of SWOC/T stories mostly told about us in the Western media to that of stories that show our strengths and celebrate our successes, stories that reveal worth of our wealth and wins, stories that will advance our ownership of our opportunities and explore our potentials.

Certainly, we must  tell stories that will increase our chances in achieving the goals and objectives of development as enunciated by the UN in the 17 SDGs  in the issues we frame, the themes we focus on and the choices we consider or mainstream in the media production processes, the talents and opportunities we unveil in our programmes and publications, the courage and commitment we demonstrate in the feature or coverage of the critical infrastructure needed to fast track development: We must tell stories celebrating our creativity, showcasing our investments in human capital or  talents and promoting our cultural heritage, not ones that demonize our values, traditions, rites, symbols   and practices. 

This, I believe, is the way we should tell our stories to advance sustainable development in Africa, Asia, and more.

*Abdulwarees, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Diplomacy and Management, and  2007/2008 Commonwealth Broadcasting Association scholar in Public Policy at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam is Deputy Director/Head, Strategic Planning and Corporate Development Department Voice of Nigeria.
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