Branding Africa

Social issues, poverty and hunger, and changing the 'Afro-pessimism' image of Africa in the face of crime, poverty, corruption and war, were the themes on the second day of the Fapra conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday 23 May 2006.

The main point to come out on the second day of this historic conference was that Africans must start telling their own stories about Africa and harness their own media to tell the whole story - not just the lowlights as told in other parts of the world by media with no interests in Africa.

Johnston said the first step was to start referring to 'Afro-optimism' instead of 'Afro-pessimism'.

"The public relations industry has a definite role to play in repositioning Africa. The soccer world cup is the greatest marketing opportunity that Africa has ever had - 28 billion people watch the final and we have the opportunity to reach them all and change their minds about Africa!"

"So how are we going to make it an African world cup when all the matches are being played in South Africa?" Johnston asked. She has the following suggestions:

• By including communicators and telling African stories... she suggests creating a continental communications forum online where everyone (the IMC will assist if needed) starts to tell the success stories of Africa. They must be beautifully told, because if you go out there with unprofessional press releases, she says, we will look like a Mickey Mouse continent, which is what people think we are. We need world class communication!
• If you come from Africa you need to be far more professional in business and with your communication to counteract the stereotypes of Africa out there.
• Find your positioning statement and flog your message to death - as only then will you start to make an impact.
• Look for opportunities to brand your country and brand your continent continually. This is not rocket science, Johnston emphasises.
• Find the success stories and don't write them - that's propaganda - but make sure people see and hear about them.
• Get top level buy-in for a branding initiative for your country and continent. Our continent is filled with astonishing people, who with utmost tenacity and resilience, have achieved great things
• Bring soul, energy and the spirit of Africa alive, and give visitors an African experience - without the crime, poverty and corruption. People must feel safe. That has to be our number one priority, Johnston concluded.

Trust and infrastructure

Jerry Okungu from Kenya, a newspaper and research analyst and Nepad East Africa communications, delivered a rousing presentation on how Africa needs to trust herself and have the confidence of greatness, despite what the global media were projecting about Africa.

"The face of Africa is poverty... people dying in Ethiopia. What we see is gunmen on the streets of Somalia... violence... corruption. Wherever you talk corruption, it is the African who is seen to be corrupt... no mention is made of the Enrons of this world!

"We (Africans) tend to consume so much of other people's ideas and opinions of ourselves. We have never developed the confidence to do it on our own and move forward.

"The mistakes we have made in the last 40 years in Africa, are no bigger than the mistakes made in the rest of the world in the last 40 years!" Okungu emphasised.

He said Africa's underdevelopment on this continent is due to two things:

1. Lack of trust for one another, as countries, individuals, citizens of different countries - we don't believe in one another. That is why we have closed our borders. We treat American visitors better than those from fellow African countries.
2. Infrastructure: Uganda destroys 300 000 tons of bananas because it cannot consume everything it produces. But next door, Kenyans are starving. We need infrastructure. We need development in Africa - we need to move goods fast.

He emphasised that the PR practitioners' job is to communicate. "You are the communications experts. You are a professional. You take the entire company in your hands and influence its image. You are supposed to nurture that culture of good governance in the companies you represent and therefore beyond. The company you represent will outlive you and the company CEO... but your impact will be felt for a long time after."

Quality of information

Kenyan government spokesman, Dr Alfred N Mutua, asked whether the proliferation of media options on the continent in the last decade or so had increased communication, or simply provided more information, pointing out that readers may have more choice, but not necessarily more wisdom.

"And there are more and more PR companies popping up - but are they adding value to communications and information?"

He told the Fapra delegates to ponder the following:

• Do we understand the global phenomenon?
• Are we participants or observers in the world? We Africans must know more of what is going on in the rest of the world and be less parochial.
• Are we thumping our own chests? We need to start screaming loudly about our achievements.
• Nobody else will tell our story.
• Unity in strength - African partnerships need to be fostered.
• Sense of identity: Mbeki says: I am an African... I say: I'm PROUD to be an African.
• We need to take control and be the drivers on our own continent.
• He quoted from Edward Wilson (1998), who predicted that the future will not be run by those that possess more information alone. Thanks to science and techno access to factual knowledge of all kinds is rising exponentially... We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom... The world will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, and think critically, about it...
• The role of PR: do we communicate to our people, where are we?, where are we going?, how do we get there?

"The whole concept of managing Africa's PR is if we can communicate with our people and be fully understood when we communicate, and when we don't scare our people," said Mutua.