Media är en stor del av den Sydafrikanska kulturen och har länge varit. Under apartheidregimen fördes en del propaganda ut via medier. Lailah menar att det än idag finns en viss misstänksamhet hos befolkningen gentemot vad som visas i media. Hon berättar att korruption även idag är ett stort problem i mediebranschen och anser att staten för stort inflytande över vad som förmedlas. “We've got a history of censorship in this country, I mean it's how people were indoctrinated. The kind of news that were shown and the kind of propaganda that was shown. The whole narrative of the country during apartheid was really pushed by the media and I think people are very scared that it might happen again.”
Även om många kanaler idag är lättillgängliga för alla och en del program sänds på flera av de elva nationella språken eftersom Sydafrika har public service, så är konsumerandet av TV en klassfråga. Majoriteten av programmen är på engelska och betalkanalerna är dyra.
Lailah berättar att mediebranschen i Sydafrika är mycket homogen. Det finns en stor brist på både kvinnor och POC vid höga positioner inom media då de framförallt är dominerade av vita män. Hon säger att det idag ges för få chanser till både POC och kvinnor att ta sig upp i hierarkin och upplever själv att det varit svårt att arbeta som kvinna i en mansdominerad bransch. Det har varit svårt att få respekt och hon har ofta blivit ifrågasatt av sina manliga kollegor.
Hon pratar även om vikten av att folket känner sig representerade i media. Det är viktigt att Sydafrikansk media visar mångfalden i landet, inte minst den språkliga. Hon anser att media idag ger en alltför ensidig bild av befolkningen, en bild som många inte kan identifiera sig med. Det krävs att bilden blir mer mångfacetterad, inte minst idealbilden av kvinnan som idag är baserad på att skönhetsideal och materialism. Däremot finns det idag initiativ som förespråkar lyftandet grupper som i dagsläget inte blir representerade i media och Lailah påpekar också sociala mediers betydelsefulla roll i skapandet av alternativa, mer inkluderande mediala plattformar.
“Media tells you who you are. We talk a lot about representation. You want to see yourself represented and your ideas and ideas that you can inspire to. You want to push diversity and you want to push language. You don't want to push patriarchy and white supremacy. You want to show people how the world can be so that they can see themselves and better versions of themselves.”
Lailah har förhoppningar om en andra revolution i Sydafrika där marginaliserade gruppers röster får höras och där de äntligen får bli representerade.
Translation
Lailah Ari is a freelance director and TV producer. She was raised in Wyneburg, a suburb outside of Cape Town, where her family had been placed because of the forced removals of POC during apartheid. Lailah says that she has had an interest in observing people and telling their stories all her life. This resulted in a degree in journalism at the Rhodes University in 2002, and since then she has worked in the film- and television industry. Nowadays she mostly directs and produces commercials for national and international corporations.
The media has always played an important role in the South African culture, and during apartheid propaganda was partly distributed through the media. According to Lailah there is still a fear and suspicion among the people of the content that is broadcasted. She states that corruption is a major issue and that in fact, the government still is very influential in what is conveyed. Although many of the TV channels are accessible to everyone, and some of the shows are available in the eleven official languages since South Africa has public service channels, access to a broader content is still a question of class. The majority of the shows are in english and the satellite subscription channels are very expensive.
Lailah describes the industry as very homogenous. There is a lack of women and POC, and most higher positions are held by white men. Women and POC are not given the chance to climb the ladder and, Lailah herself has experienced discrimination being a woman in a male dominated industry. She has had difficulties gaining respect and has often felt questioned by her male colleagues.
She tells us about the importance of diversity, especially when it comes to the official languages, for people to feel that they are represented in the media. Today the content is too undifferentiated and does not forward a reality that most people can identify with. According to Lailah, the image needs to be more multifacetted, not least when it comes to the portrayal of women, which is both materialistic and superficial. There are, however, initiatives promoting the representation of marginalized groups and Lailah points out the importance of social media in creating more diverse and inclusive platforms.
Lailah has hopes for a second revolution in South Africe where marginalized groups demand to be heard and fully represented.
Hon pratar även om vikten av att folket känner sig representerade i media. Det är viktigt att Sydafrikansk media visar mångfalden i landet, inte minst den språkliga. Hon anser att media idag ger en alltför ensidig bild av befolkningen, en bild som många inte kan identifiera sig med. Det krävs att bilden blir mer mångfacetterad, inte minst idealbilden av kvinnan som idag är baserad på att skönhetsideal och materialism. Däremot finns det idag initiativ som förespråkar lyftandet grupper som i dagsläget inte blir representerade i media och Lailah påpekar också sociala mediers betydelsefulla roll i skapandet av alternativa, mer inkluderande mediala plattformar.
“Media tells you who you are. We talk a lot about representation. You want to see yourself represented and your ideas and ideas that you can inspire to. You want to push diversity and you want to push language. You don't want to push patriarchy and white supremacy. You want to show people how the world can be so that they can see themselves and better versions of themselves.”
Lailah har förhoppningar om en andra revolution i Sydafrika där marginaliserade gruppers röster får höras och där de äntligen får bli representerade.
Translation
Lailah Ari is a freelance director and TV producer. She was raised in Wyneburg, a suburb outside of Cape Town, where her family had been placed because of the forced removals of POC during apartheid. Lailah says that she has had an interest in observing people and telling their stories all her life. This resulted in a degree in journalism at the Rhodes University in 2002, and since then she has worked in the film- and television industry. Nowadays she mostly directs and produces commercials for national and international corporations.
The media has always played an important role in the South African culture, and during apartheid propaganda was partly distributed through the media. According to Lailah there is still a fear and suspicion among the people of the content that is broadcasted. She states that corruption is a major issue and that in fact, the government still is very influential in what is conveyed. Although many of the TV channels are accessible to everyone, and some of the shows are available in the eleven official languages since South Africa has public service channels, access to a broader content is still a question of class. The majority of the shows are in english and the satellite subscription channels are very expensive.
Lailah describes the industry as very homogenous. There is a lack of women and POC, and most higher positions are held by white men. Women and POC are not given the chance to climb the ladder and, Lailah herself has experienced discrimination being a woman in a male dominated industry. She has had difficulties gaining respect and has often felt questioned by her male colleagues.
She tells us about the importance of diversity, especially when it comes to the official languages, for people to feel that they are represented in the media. Today the content is too undifferentiated and does not forward a reality that most people can identify with. According to Lailah, the image needs to be more multifacetted, not least when it comes to the portrayal of women, which is both materialistic and superficial. There are, however, initiatives promoting the representation of marginalized groups and Lailah points out the importance of social media in creating more diverse and inclusive platforms.
Lailah has hopes for a second revolution in South Africe where marginalized groups demand to be heard and fully represented.
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