Mali's free press draws praise

By Gene Mater
freedomforum.org

09.21.01

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Cheick Oumar Diarrah, ambassador of Mali.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Mali enjoys one of the freest media systems in Africa because of "the expression of the will of the people after 23 years of dictatorship," the ambassador of that country told a studio audience in the Newseum yesterday.

Speaking at another in The World This Week series of The Freedom Forum International Division, Ambassador Cheick Oumar Diarrah also stated that even the state-operated broadcast media cover political issues "with complete objectivity."

George Collinet, longtime African journalist now based in Washington, D.C., who travels frequently to much of the continent, referred to the "amazing amount" of press freedom in Mali, citing it as "the country with the most freedom in all of Africa."

The most recent Press Freedom Survey of the U.S.-based Freedom House also rates both print and broadcast media as "free," noting that "the government controls the only television station and one of more than 100 radio stations, but all present diverse views."

The U.S. State Department country report notes that "U.S.-Malian relations are excellent and expanding," a fact that it attributes to "shared goals of averting suffering and strengthening democracy."

Mali, a West African country with a population of about 10 million, is where the fabled Timbuktu is located. President Alpha Konare was a journalist before being elected to his first term in 1992. Term limits prevent him from running again.

The ambassador said "the role of media will be crucial" in providing accurate and impartial information in Mali's national elections next year.

Collinet added that he was in Mali during the last national elections five years ago and was "surprised at the full and fair coverage provided by television."

Since Mali is a predominantly Muslim country, the ambassador was asked about news coverage of last week's terrorist attacks in New York and near Washington. Diarrah said there was "a lot of coverage," with terrorism seen as "a universal problem."

"No one in my country can accept what happened," Diarrah said, adding that there was "no sympathy with the terrorists."

With all the good things happening in Mali, another questioner asked why we don't read about the country in the American press. The ambassador said that he could only urge American reporters to visit Mali, to see "the positive developments" and to write about them.

Collinet told the audience about an hourlong television series he is developing, in magazine format, covering "culture, history and politics, with some investigative journalism" for all of Africa. He said he hoped that public broadcasting might carry the program in the U.S. to foster better understanding of the continent. He insisted that "it will not be a travelogue or a National Geographic special."

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