The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has affirmed its commitment to fostering cultural diversity by pledging support for initiatives aimed at enhancing cultural reporting.
MCK CEO David Omwoyo told officials from the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran that lack of coverage of cultural issues has contributed to the information gap existing among nations, saying this has led to conflicts.
He emphasised the need to utilise the media as a tool for cultural education and revealed the Council’s interest to connect cultural events with specialised journalists to ensure comprehensive coverage.
“We are not using the media to inculcate culture. During your cultural events, we will connect you with journalists who specialise in culture and travel to try and fill this gap”, he said.
Mr. Omwoyo also acknowledged the repercussions of the lack of effective reporting on culture, citing audience migration to international media outlets and online news platforms.
He commended the embassy officials for extending opportunities to local journalists and academia to engage with the Iranian Cultural Centre, identifying potential areas of collaboration between the two entities.
“Visiting the cultural centre during events will provide an opportunity for interaction and experience sharing with their Iranian counterparts while at the same time providing a benchmarking platform”, he emphasised.
The Cultural Counsellor at the Iranian embassy Ali Pourmarjan underscored the pivotal role of media in promoting cultural understanding and fostering international relationships.
He advocated for first-hand sourcing of cultural information to mitigate potential inaccuracies arising from third-party reporting.
“When reporting international matters around culture, it is important to get information from the source as obtaining news from third parties usually brings in issues”, he noted.
He proposed areas of collaboration between Iranian and Kenyan institutions, including exchange programmes for journalists and academic partnerships.
“We are ready and willing to organise a courtesy call for journalists to interact with the local media in our country and see the journalism situation there. Through a bilateral partnership between Iran and institutions of higher learning, we can offer an exchange programme for short courses for journalists”, he stated.
Both organisations agreed to formalise their collaboration through a memorandum of understanding, outlining specific areas of partnership to advance cultural reporting and cross-cultural dialogue.