edition-dw-akademie-in-the-service-of-the-public-functions-and-transformation-of-media-in-developing-countries-pdf

Part II Namibia: Multilingual Content and the Need for Organizational ChangeNamibia: Multilingual Content and the Need for Organizational ChangeFounded in 1991, Namibia’s state broadcaster NBC has been undergoing a long-term change process since 2008, with SwedishRadio as the most important partner. While the initial phase focussed on the improvement of editorial guidelines, since 2012,phase 2 has concentrated on change management towards multimedia production. In 2011, the Board of Directors adopted astrategy aimed at developing NBC into “the leading multi-media public broadcaster of choice in Africa.” However, the ongoingreform process has failed to include civil society, with notable impact on the broadcaster’s future integration in society.In the Namibian media landscape, NBC remains the only provider capable of producing a broad variety of programming inten languages within one corporation. Thus, with regard to the public service function of supporting integration, NBC is verylikely to remain the biggest platform for cultural expression and the strengthening of local identities for the foreseeable future.However, its TV channels do not create a public sphere at the moment, since they mainly follow the agenda set by the government.They are biased in their reporting, and controversial topics are excluded from talk shows. But in the less prominent radioprograms in minority languages, critical voices can also be heard. Overall, this state broadcaster plays a vital role in deliveringpublic service goods in particular to poorer parts of the population.The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) 1 is the statebroadcaster of Namibia. In order to understand to what extentNBC has transformed itself into a public service media outlet(PSM), the following undertakes an analysis of its public servicefunctions. The analysis will begin with a brief overview ofthe country’s main characteristics, its media landscape, andthe status of NBC as public service provider.Namibia – A Brief OverviewNamibia is a country of sharp contrasts and disparities. Thisstatement holds true for its geography, its society as well asits economy. With a population of only 2.2 million living inan area of around 820,000 square kilometres, the Republicof Namibia in Southern Africa is amongst the least populatedcountries in the world. A nation, moreover, whose citizens arevery unevenly distributed. Whilst the capital region Windhoekwith around 350,000 citizens is relatively densely populated,most other parts of the country constitute desert-like rural regions.2 Secondly, Namibia is a country of disparity with respectto the multiethnic and multilingual background of its society.Various ethnic groups with their specific indigenous languageslive in the country. For half of the population, the mothertongue is Oshivambo, followed by other languages such asDamara/Nama and Bushman/San (12.7%), Afrikaans (11.4%),RuKwangali (9.7%), Otjiherero (7.9%), SiLozi (5%), German (1.1%)and Setswana (0.3%). For the purpose of uniting this multilingualenvironment, the founding fathers of Namibia opted in1990 to introduce English as the sole official language for thenation – although hardly anybody uses English (2%) today astheir mother tongue. 3 And thirdly, the country can be characterizedby one of the sharpest levels of disparity between richand poor worldwide. Whilst Namibia is widely acknowledgedas one of the most stable and most prosperous countries inAfrica, the level of inequality within its economy is staggering.On paper, the median yearly income of a single Namibianwas said to lie at around 8,200 US Dollars in 2013, whichwould make Namibia an upper-middle income country. 4 Lookingat the distribution of family income, however, Namibia isamongst the Top 10 countries worldwide with the highest degreeof inequality. Figures of the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP) suggest that well over 50 percent of thepopulation lives below the poverty line, notably on two US-Dollars per day. 5Thus, Namibian politics remains preoccupied with the constantquest for unity and balance. It wasn’t until 21st March1990, that a century marked by German colonial rule and bydecades of South African occupation and annexation endedwith Namibia’s independence. What had been a guerrillagroup fighting for independence against the South Africanapartheid regime, subsequently became Namibia’s dominantpolitical force. The South-West Africa People’s Organization,or SWAPO, has won all elections since the country’s independence.Although the most recent elections in November 2009saw 14 different political parties running for seats in the NationalAssembly, analysts have stressed that the ideologicaldifferences between the various political parties in Namibiaremain rather small. “SWAPO is the template for all other parties,”one interviewee argued. 6 Some have even stressed thatthe political climate is streamlined – with negative effects forthe freedom of speech:“There is a lack of (self-)critical awareness and extremelylimited willingness to accept divergent opinions, particularlyif they are expressed in public. Non-conformist thinking is interpretedas disloyalty, if not equated with treason. This marginalisationor elimination of dissent drastically limits thenew system’s capacity for reform and innovation.” 71http://www.nbc.na/2CIA 2014.3Namibian Biodiversity Database.4CIA 2014.5UNDP Human DevelopmentReport 2005, as quoted inCIA 2014.6Nangula Shejavali, Researcherat the Institute of Public PolicyResearch (IPPR).7Melber 2010.Edition DW Akademie In the Service of the Public 75