KINGSTON, Jamaica – (JIS) Representatives of Jamaica and Venezuela have commenced discussions aimed at developing a media partnership to exchange news and programs between both countries.
This was announced by Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Neville James, during an interview with JIS News. He was speaking against the background of a trip to Venezuela earlier this month, where he was part of a delegation attending the 7th Conference of Ministers of Information of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) at Margarita Island.
“Jamaica and Venezuela are going to try and see if [they] can get this kind of exchange going to produce half-hour documentary type programs, magazine type programs, news and a mixture of other things which we will try and do in Spanish to send into the network. They will produce programs from that end and send to Jamaica which will become part of the program mix,” he informed.
He pointed out that the decision was made after a meeting with the Director General of Radio Nacional in Venezuela, Helena Salcedo.
This announcement satisfies one of the aims of the conference which was to promote a greater exchange of news and information between developing countries of the global South.
Mr. James noted that conference participants are ready to make the transition from theory to practice on a wide scale because an increase in information flow between countries of the South has been a desired objective for many years.
“I think there is a new resolve to implement it; we certainly find that there are some countries that are actually doing it right now; it has moved from just talk. People have things happening and they want to expand that kind of facility,” he pointed out.
These facilities and projects include the Broadcasting Organization of Non-Aligned Countries (BONAC), NAM Media Network, the NAM News Network (NNN), and TELESUR (Venezuela). These media which comprise print and electronic forms give member states the opportunity to develop and exchange news and cultural programs/features.
It is hoped that this form of communication will stimulate cooperation among Southern countries on economic, social, and political issues to increase trade, enhance and share technical expertise, build capacity, and spearhead development.
“To have program exchanges [among] countries of the South will get us to know and understand each other better and stop the dominance on the information flow particularly from the north [developed world],” the JIS Advisory Board Chairman stated.
The conference which was held from July 3 to 4 featured some 70 countries including members – Malaysia, Pakistan, Vietnam, Nigeria, Colombia, Iran, India, and South Africa. Countries such as Brazil, China, Mexico, Serbia, and Uruguay participated in the conference as observers.
