Life. Seasoned with perspective.
A continent full of riches, stories full of power, and a world finally waking up to the truth if we tell it ourselves.
Africa is not poor.
Africa is not helpless.
Africa is not the tragedy the world keeps replaying.
The Democratic Republic of Congo sits on mineral deposits worth an estimated twenty-four trillion US dollars. Rwanda leads the world with sixty per cent women representation in parliament. Somalia owns the planet’s largest camel population, exports hundreds of millions of US dollars’ worth of meat each year, and boasts the longest coastline in mainland Africa. Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt, built by the Kingdom of Kush along the famous River Nile.
These are not secrets. These are facts.
Yet sadly, they sound like breaking news.
Why?
For decades, the world has consumed Africa through a foreign lens. A lens that highlights war but hides wonder. A lens that amplifies crisis but mutes progress. A lens that zooms in on our struggle but cuts out our victories.
For communicators like me, this is frustrating and embarrassing. It is also the reason I honoured the invite to the Global South Media Partners Mechanism Inauguration and the thirteenth Global Video Media Forum in Xi’an, China.
This was not a trip.
This was a mission.
Sixth of November 2025.
Six in the morning in Xi’an, one in the morning back home.
Jet lag had wiped me out mid email the night before. I woke up confused, staring at a ceiling that was not mine. Then my second alarm went off, my guaranteed insurance against oversleeping on important days.
A quick shower. A rushed breakfast. A mental reset.
It was time.
I stepped into the crisp morning air of the Chinese autumn and headed for the Xi’an International Convention Centre, an architectural masterpiece that felt even grander now that the world’s eyes were on it. Inside, the auditorium buzzed. Delegates from Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East filled the room. Over three hundred representatives. Forty countries. Media heads. Diplomats. Scholars. Global thinkers.
All gathered for one reason:
“If we do not tell our own story, someone else will.”
I took my seat in the second row after a round of quick fire introductions, almost like speed dating for media people. Then the event began.
Messages of support came from the presidents of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Uruguay. The atmosphere shifted instantly. This was bigger than a forum. It was history.
Shen Haixiong, President of China Media Group, set the tone in his keynote. The world, he said, had entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. And in this moment, the Global South needed to strengthen its voice, sharpen its tools and claim its rightful place in global communication.
His message was simple.
Media is not just storytelling.
Media is power.
What followed was a series of bold commitments that felt like a reset button for the Global South.
Speakers pushed for deeper content collaboration, not surface exchange but joint storytelling on issues that matter: economy, culture, environment, governance.
Inauguration and the 13th Global Video Media Forum.
They spoke about a shared media platform that would allow member countries to exchange high quality news materials, documentaries, live feeds and feature programmes with ease.
There was a strong call for technological advancement, especially the use of artificial intelligence to speed up production, improve accuracy, translate languages and increase the reach of Global South media.
Training also took centre stage, with emphasis on exchange visits, internships and practical learning to shape the next generation of storytellers.
And finally, the room aligned on the need for a long-term partnership, not one-time events, but a stable, unified media force capable of influencing global governance and global conversation.
The moment that sealed everything was the signing of the 2025 Global South Media Dialogue Consensus, a historic commitment to shared growth, shared power and shared voice.
For once, developing nations were not reacting.
They were leading.
Africa’s story has never lacked depth.
It has lacked ownership.
For too long, others have defined Africa’s image, shaped Africa’s narrative and edited Africa’s truth. And the consequences have been real, from investment decisions to tourism perceptions, from diplomatic relations to how young Africans see themselves.
This forum was a reminder that narrative is currency.
Whoever controls the story controls the influence.
And for the first time in a long time, the Global South looked ready to take back the pen.
Next week, we step away from the conference hall and dive into the heart of Xi’an.
The streets.
The culture.
The food.
The people.
And the world-famous Terracotta Army Museum.
Stay locked in. The journey gets richer from here.
About the author:
Kibisu Mulanda is a media executive and strategic communicator with over twenty years of experience in television, NGO storytelling and youth-focused content. He is the Acting Head of Switch Media Ltd and teaches media at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC). A Certified SIYB Trainer, he blends storytelling with strategy to drive social impact.
About the Author
