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I missed the discussion with Chuka Umunna,
See also this article in The Guardian
"A future Labour government would seek to stimulate Britain's trade with Africa, the shadow business secretary, Chuka Umunna, has said, as he warned of the risks of missing out on the opportunities from the fast-growing continent.
On a visit to Nigeria, Umunna warned ministers against an over-concentration on the bigger emerging market economies – the so-called Bric nations of Brazil, Russia, India and China – as they sought to diversify exports away from a sluggish Europe".
More from Chuka Umunna
Apparently he made the point on LBC that Britain could and should be doing much much more (as it used to in the 1970s), to help, for instance, with training staff in the new film and television technologies, in areas where we have considerable expertise.
Countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Ethiopia.
Countries where we once had extensive and impressive programmes of technical assistance and training in the new technologies and media.
I myself helped to run media (film and TV) training courses in Addis Ababa, Accra*, Kano and Nairobi.
Britain had globally recognised centres of excellence in many specialist fields like educational broadcasting.
What happened?
CETO, The Centre for Educational Television Overseas, which became CEDO, which was merged into a larger organisation as its Media Department, proved to be anathema to bureaucrats because they failed to understand the importance of maintaining a modest training complex and small studio in London. So it was closed down, in spite of strong and growing demand, in spite of its impressive record in support of Africa, Latin America, the Arab world and Asia. I helped to train producers (in London) from Egypt, Afghanistan, India, Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, the Caribbean Islands, Nigeria and Ethiopia, for example.
For three years I also edited the journal Educational Broadcasting International, which had won a solid reputation around the world, and which was read in studios and media centres in most countries where radio and TV was being utilised for developmental, educational as well as entertainment and information purposes. Closed down. Non-priority. A shift in international aid priorities. A little bit of cost-cutting was deemed necessary.
So I feel quite saddened when I hear or read that the UK has failed to focus on countries which would welcome our collaboration, trade and technical assistance. I don't know what the BBC and private media organisations are doing in this respect. My daughter has been helping to train Iraqi Kurdish TV news journalists and producers in Erbil, Northern Iraq, so there must be a lot going on that we don't often hear about. The French and Germans used to be very active too. Perhaps they still have more hardware and equipment to trade and sell?
Arriflex. Steenbeck. Nagra. That's what we all wanted then. Not a question of tied aid.
I must try to hear what Chuka Umunna actually said. It sounds as if he knows what he is talking about, regardless of the political party he happens to represent. Britain is "behind the curve". It used to be ahead.
*Note
A Letter from Nick Teye, Accra, Ghana
I still recall with pleasure a letter I received from a Ghanaian film student, after I’d run a seminar on Script-Writing for Documentary Film Makers in Accra, Ghana, back in 1980, at the National Film and TV Institute. I had been involved in film making and TV production and training for ten years in Africa (mainly in Ethiopia and Kenya). Useful feedback:
“After the priceless seminar with you in Accra…I now view documentary films with a very critical mind…your approach to the subject was revolutionary and challenging, which third-world film makers need most”.
(Nick Teye, 25/9/1980)
An article on film training issues I wrote for Sight and Sound
Meanwhile, back in Addis Ababa in July, 1972
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