Africa is Not a Country

The way the media reports on a community can have a powerful impact on the way the broader society perceives them. The less that’s known about that community, the more power the media wields, as a primary source of understanding.
Media coverage can foster understanding and empathy, by highlighting achievements by community members, sharing examples of collaboration and goodwill, and telling personal stories that illuminate challenges faced and struggles left behind. But it can also stoke prejudice and cement stereotypes.
How does the Australian media report on Africa and the African community – or communities – in Australia? Is there a perception gap between reporting and reality? And how does this impact on African-Australians?
Featuring

Santilla Chingaipe is a journalist and filmmaker whose work explores migration, cultural identities and politics. She is a regular contributor to the Saturday Paper, and serves as a member of the Federal Government’s Advisory Group on Australia-Africa Relations (AGAAR). Chingaipe wrote and direc... Read more

Stani Goma is the presenter and producer of Flight 1067 to Africa on PBS FM every Sunday between 3pm–5pm. The programme features music from all over Africa, and takes the listener on a musical journey around the African continent to discover the rich and diverse sound of Africa. Born and bred in t... Read more

Ginny Stein is a reporter/producer and camera operator. She has spent much of her career working as a foreign correspondent and filming her own stories. Stein was first posted overseas by the ABC to Thailand in 1997, and later to Indonesia, covering events such as the end of the Khmer... Read more

Bertrand Tungandame has worked as a journalist in print media in Belgium and Rwanda covering events in the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa. He migrated to Australia in 1997 and joined SBS in 1998 initially as a contributor to the African Program. He was also a contributor&nb... Read more
Watch, Listen, Read

Read
The 'continuing awakening' in museums around the globe
27 May 2022

Watch
Straight Talk with Anthony Albanese
26 May 2022

Read
Don’t Be Too Polite, Girls
24 May 2022

Read
Confronting Australia's coal conundrum
19 May 2022

Read
Communicating Consent
19 May 2022

Read
Speaking back to absences and absurdities
13 May 2022