TV BRICS International Media Network has signed a partnership agreement with the Pan-African multimedia organization, African Times, in a cooperative move that will see the two parties exchanging content and sharing comprehensive information on joint projects.
Last month, the content syndication deal was signed on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg, Russia.
TV BRICS, based in Moscow, Russia, is a network of more than 30 media organizations and tertiary institutions from the BRICS bloc (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and other like-minded countries, including Argentina, Cuba, Mozambique, Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe and Mordovia.
It serves as a communication hub that distributes news on the key developments involving BRICS countries and the Global South, and publishes in Russian, English, Chinese, and Portuguese.
African Times is an independent, Pan-African media organization focusing on analysis, political economy, investigations, and diplomacy (international relations), with international leanings to the Global South and Eurasia, especially the BRICS agenda.
It also plays a critical role as a news agency that provides unique news coverage focusing on the general public, policymakers, academia, and key decision-makers in Africa.
In a joint statement released on Friday, TV BRICS and African Times said their partnership is part of the international network’s drive to expand across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
“We are very pleased that TV BRICS is expanding by interacting with the national media in South Africa. The new partnership agreement with African Times will allow us to diversify our news agenda, share quality news and video content, and broadcast on our resources what is happening in the countries of the African continent.
“Our editorial office is confident that on the eve of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, this cooperation will create strong ties not only between our media but will also contribute to strengthening mutual understanding between the five countries and promote cultural ties between the BRICS countries,” said TV BRICS website’s editor-in-chief, Anna Lisina.
The partnership comes when BRICS is cementing its authority as an attractive economic bloc which is changing geopolitics. In addition, it offers an alternative to countries that prefer trading outside the hegemony of the US dollar.
African Times founder and Editor-in-Chief, Mahasha Rampedi, said the partnership greatly boosted the African media landscape.
“This partnership comes at a crucial moment for the media in Africa and the Global South, especially our role in reflecting the changing geopolitics and the strides made by BRICS in shaping the emerging new world order.
“As an independent, Pan-African media organization focusing on analysis, investigations, political economy, and international relations, we bring an Afro-centric perspective and a decolonial approach to news gathering. TV BRICS can expect unique, insightful, and policy-focused content relevant to the general public, policymakers, academia, and key decision-makers in Africa and the Global South,” said Rampedi.
He said the TV BRICS partnership follows similar agreements between African Times and like-minded media organizations, including Chinese news agency Xinhua, Russian news agency Sputnik, Chinese economics and politics publication China Africa magazine, and the People’s Daily (Chinese daily).
Rampedi added that the partnership would enrich content with relevant developmental stories from BRICS member states beyond covering the Johannesburg summit later this month.
“Notably, content syndication offered by the TV BRICS partnership would further empower our readers to develop themselves and their nations, and combat misinformation and propaganda.
“Moreover, it would bolster the African Times’ commitment to uphold the highest standards of journalism, editorial independence, adherence to ethics, promotion of multiplicity of voices and perspectives, balanced and credible reporting,” he said.
The TV BRICS pool is expected to grow exponentially, especially following recent announcements by the South African government that more than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, a matter that will be fully discussed during the upcoming summit.
