The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

US President Donald Trump famously asked about immigration to America at a meeting with congress members at the White House “Why are we having all these people from s***hole countries come here?”

The countries in questions were El Salvador, Haiti, and African nations. While Trump is known for his crass comments, his remarks demonstrates a perception First World countries have towards these “Global South”.

Eighty percent of the global population and 40 percent of the world’s GDP are from these 78 countries mainly in the southern hemisphere across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

These nations, often labelled as “developing”, have seen significant economic growth in recent years. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Brazil’s economy is expected to become the world’s eighth largest by 2024, surpassing Canada.

However, “Global South” countries can feel a political or cultural exclusion by the wealthier Global North countries including the United States and United Kingdom.

The issue of representation and development were explored at the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum held in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on November 11-14, under the theme “Development and Revilatisation: A New Journey for the Global South.”

The forum gathered around 350 representative of 170 media organisations, think tanks, governments, and enterprises from 70 countries and regions. The hope was to amplify voices of the global south countries and focus on development and revitalisation.

Speakers discussed how the media can enhance solidarity and cooperation within the Global South, increase its representation in global governance, and promote reforms to ensure greater fairness and justice in global systems.

A strong show of diplomatic relations between the host nation and China, one of the organisers was China’s state news agency Xinhua News Agency, was on display. Surrounding the forum floor was the dozens of country flags, a display of solidarity.

Many of the presentations had exciting developments and projects different Global South countries to create opportunities.

It was muscle stretching exercise that these countries combined powers can produce initiatives on the scale of the US or Canada without such countries intervention.

At the heart of the forum, the unity of southern countries was at the centre as each presenter expressed an undertone of frustration but an optimism for development.

Fernando Javier Reyes Matta, director of the Andrés Bello University Latin American Centre for Chinese Studies in Chile, highlighted the need for a global, pluralistic approach to solving the world’s problems.

He emphasised that in the coming decades, no issue will be resolved without the consultation and cooperation of countries.

Moreover, the new global world order in communication and economic requires a global, plural emphasis to the problems that humanity cites. In the next decades, no problem will be solved without the consultation and cooperation among countries

The idea that it was needed to decolonise information and UNESCO’s commission, which has been active for over 45 years, advocated for a world with multiple voices.

One of its members was Gabriel García Márquez, the world-renowned Colombian author of One Hundred Years of Solitude, who represented Latin America on the commission.

A key proposal from the commission was the need to create a new information agenda—one that challenges the flow of colonialised information and promotes a more balanced and equitable global communication systems.

“We realise that agencies like nation transnational agencies and others, all were agencies who became a dominated agency in the southern countries, and placement of these agendas was more important than the content itself and this was silencing the alternative voices of the Global South and we lived with this burden for quite some time.”

Generating credibility to move over an agenda that is proposed by the dominant system has been the biggest challenge for Southern media. In other words, media companies in these regions are not being taken seriously.

“We know the agenda that is not highlighted, especially in the Western world. We know how to write we know how to record new TV. What we can’t do yet is to reach a high level of credibility so the big masses of the global South understand that there is a different reality that we also need to advance.”

In the century, developing countries endeavor to establish a new world order of communication on the exploration for new economic order that’s been more fair. They start to strengthen the formation infrastructure of international communication and several institutions with global influence start to be a strength on the public opinion internationally.

Western media remains largely a prevailing presence in southern countries.

“If these country don’t have a dominant voice in this power structure, even though, if they are frequently facing some judgment, it’s going to be hard to be developed and this influence will be very limited,” said Cheng Manli, the honorary Dean of Institute of International Communication at China’s Peking University.

“Today, a common test that the Global South countries have is to have a standardised opinion and the monopoly of the speak show their dominant position to discuss a new and diversity development of this world and transform.”

While many South Global countries have improved standard of living and many still experience poverty. The United Nations Development Programme reported poverty rates still average 30 percent of the Caribbean population.

A two-day think tank forum primarily about media may seem trivial considering all the problems of the world. The media has been demonised and public trust as decreased towards the industry, but the power of the media cannot be understated.

Dima Al-Khatib, director of UN for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), revealed less than 17 percent of the SDG targets are on track to be achieved globally by 2030 to date. The stark reality is a call for urgent and intensified action, involving the collaboration, innovation and commitment of all partners. Among the partners was the media.

She lauded southern media plays a vital role, and is a driving force for raising awareness, formulating sound information, for stretching guides within and across communities, nurturing a sense of solidarity among people, and monitoring needed action”

“Southern media is also promoting a great sense of understanding of the identities and values of the neighboring countries in the Global South. This cultural exchange fosters mutual respect and paved the way for collaborative efforts on both local and international levels, promoting the spirit of South South cooperation.”

“Media’s engagement is part of everyone’s life. It is the most powerful and accessible benefit of information and the work of all forms of media is invaluable in our shared pursuit for a better world, and in this pursuit, we need your partnership more than ever.”

“We need your platforms to amplify the stories of trying and success that spotlight the way forward. We also need your scrutiny to push us to be bolder, to act with greater urgency.”

Her remarks encapsulates the importance of why representation matters because without it not only does the narrative remains outdated but tangible changes will not be seen uniformly throughout the world.

It is easy to forget behind the camera that the media has real effect on the audience. It’s bigger than the Southern leaders not being heard when it comes time for global policy. The selective hearing on policies can leave children without advanced education, stagnate GDP, and prevent further job creation.

The countries may be ‘s***hole’ to some but it is not the complete doing of the native. Keep in mind, many southern countries were colonised hence the present day is the residual effects of oppressive regimes.

However, first world countries isolate themselves from the struggle as it is not at their doorstep on a large-scale. The reality is the Global South is gaining confidence, retaining their identity, and becoming major players. No longer while the south be limited and it is time for the north to listen.