By Neelam Rahim

Thandi Smith, the head of programmes at Media Monitoring Africa, joins the discussion with Radio Islam International.

The News headlines have been dominated by Banyana Banyana winning the women’s AFCON in Morocco.

According to Thandi, the country requires uplifting and good news. Sport historically has always been one of the elements that build social cohesion and gives us something to celebrate. 

She says a win like this should be celebrated. Given the complexities and challenges we face now, Banyana Banyana’s victory will not necessarily distract us as we saw the win over the weekend and have already focused on other issues.

It is important to celebrate both the small and big wins. It does highlight the fact that sport is a national interest and it should be accessible by all, she added.

Angola is gearing up for elections in August, but there are issues around media freedom.

Thandi mentions that this is an interesting case and something quite familiar around the African Continent and many countries worldwide.

According to Thandi, the political system of Angola is set to be a multiparty democracy. But the question arises where one cannot enjoy functional democracy or claim to be genuinely democratic if you don’t want a high level of independent media and press freedom, a known issue in Angola, among many other problems. 

Netflix wants to invest in the African continent. 

Thandi says this is something that gives us a tiny break away from the very intense, heavy politics that we all are focused on now. 

This is around the entertainment industry. Engaging, in this case, is that historically, it seems that international development organisations often fund the local production in Kenya. Entertainment and public interest content is seen coming from local production in Kenya.

She added that we should enjoy the African content produced by Africans telling African stories.

Listen to the full African Report on Radio Islam’s podcast below.