How The Africa Channel Can Help Multiculturalism On British Television

By Emma Fox

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has expanded its repertoire and global reach to the point where it regularly broadcasts to an American and Arabic audience. It gives the Americans an opportunity to explore the best of what British television has or has had to offer and allows an expanding Arabic audience to feel that they are not forgotten by the Western world. Because services like this have been positively accepted, it was important that a similar service was launched for African people in the United Kingdom.

BBC America

BBC America was launched in 1998 and broadcasts popular British programming such as Doctor Who and In The Flesh. What is unique about BBC America is that, contrary to its name, it does not solely broadcast programmes from the BBC. Instead, it opts to broadcast popular programming from other British networks as well as its own. This allows the American audience to gain an understanding of British television and can also assist British television and film producers to gain recognition in an otherwise difficult environment to crack. A station such as this in the United Kingdom would inevitably do the same for African filmmakers and television producers.

Multicultural television in the United Kingdom

The acknowledgement of multiculturalism in Britain has taken a long time to come to fruition. Although it is argued that this is counterproductive towards a true British identity, the introduction of radio stations and television channels that cater for these communities is important. Although the Africa Channel is available on Sky and Virgin, perhaps availability on Freeview would truly allow all British-based Africans to gain a true representation.

Generally speaking, programming about Africa that is broadcast on Freeview or terrestrial channels often refers to its climate or its wildlife rather than the people themselves. More often than not, an educational programme about Africa will be a wildlife documentary about the survival of a specific species or the history of the evolution of another. The most recent programme of note about this was Africa (2013), presented by David Attenborough, which was broadcast on BBC One. Although it did concentrate on a wide variety of locations within Africa, its representation of the continent is questionable.

However, that is not to suggest that British television does not attempt to provide a different insight into African life. Although programmes such as Reggie Yates’s Extreme South Africa (2014) provide an insight into the crime rates and stories of South Africa, they do not provide a positive aspect into life in the country either.

The African community in British media

That is not to suggest that other forms of media in the United Kingdom do not represent the African communities. A prime example of this is African Dazzle Magazine, a London-based magazine which highlights film, music, fashion and other events from Africans all over the world. As it is primarily available in the United Kingdom, it allows Africans who work in the media to be featured and also allows Africans living in the United Kingdom to know more about their media abroad. The editor and creator, Noellin Imoh, recently won a BEFFTA (Black, Entertainment, Film, Fashion, Television and Arts Awards) for the creation of the magazine.

(pix: atvtoday)

The Africa Channel

The Africa Channel was launched in 2007, with the slogan ‘inspired by Africa.’ Originally, it sourced the majority of its programming from television production companies in Africa and covers a wide range of genres including drama, travel and lifestyle. As the programming is obtained from various countries in the continent, primetime slots are often dedicated to dramas from South Africa and Nigeria. A particular example of this is the soap opera Scandal!, which originated in South Africa. As the focus of this channel is upon Africa and its population, realism is paramount. Storylines regarding drug addiction and domestic violence have ensured that Scandal is one of the most popular programmes on South African television.

The Africa Channel and the United Kingdom

As well as broadcasting popular African television programmes, the Africa Channel also provides a news service, broadcasting the top news stories from Africa and all over the world. This not only allows Africans in the United Kingdom to know what is happening in their home countries, but also allows British people with an interest in African culture to know about current events in the continent.

Perhaps as a way to reflect the nature of multiculturalism in the United Kingdom, the Africa Channel broadcast a sitcom called Meet The Adebanjos in 2012, about a British Nigerian family living in Peckham, South London.  In 2013, the channel also relaunched Desmond’s, which was originally broadcast on Channel 4 in the early 1990s and was set in a barber’s shop in Peckham. Both of these programmes were set in a diverse setting and showed that a humorous take on multiculturalism can do wonders to build bridges in an otherwise varied community.

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*Ms. Emma Fox, a freelance writer residing in London is a contributor to SCRUPLES. Prior to becoming a full time scribe, she worked in banking