Dialogue between East and West: World's media meet in Kazakhstan
24.04.2002Dariga Nazarbayeva - chairperson of Khabar Broadcasting Agency, journalist, wife, mother of three and eldest daughter of Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev -grew weary of reading negative reports about Kazakhstan in overseas and local publications and decided to do something about it.
As a result, representatives of the world's media, famous politicians and well-known political analysts are in Almaty this week to view what she calls the ''real face of Kazakhstan.'' The occasion is the first conference of the Eurasian Media Forum, which is being held April 24-28. The forum, Nazarbayeva points out, has no political, economic or ideological allegiances. Its main aim is to build continuing dialogue and understanding between East and West, to examine the definition and identity of Eurasia, to promote the development of its mass media and to exchange professional views on the new challenges faced by the media community since Sept. 11, 2001.
'Contradictions cannot be ignored'
Nazarbayeva says she hopes that the forum will showcase Kazakhstan as a democratic country with a constitution, elections and freedom of the press. ''It's a perfect chance to tell the world about our country,'' she says. ''Kazakhstan is rich in natural resources, but richer still in educated and cultured people. At heart, we are still nomads, so [future meetings of] this forum should not be conducted in the same place. We are going to suggest that next year, it should be hosted in another country.''
She has been working on the forum idea for at least a year. ''We are trying to develop the country's positive image, and I could think of no better way than to bring the media leaders of the world to Almaty,'' she says. ''We first announced the idea in the spring of last year, and since then I have learned a lot and got to know some interesting people. We want to show the foreign press our country and tell them what is going on in our media. Then the events of Sept. 11 occurred, and it changed our attention and the world's attention. Now the contradictions between civilizations and between different worlds have been highlighted and cannot be ignored.''
Nazarbayeva points out that Kazakhstan is in a unique situation. ''We are between two very strong powers, China and Russia,'' she says. ''Although Kazakhstan is an Asian - and partially Muslim - country, more than 130 different nationalities are represented here. [This] requires the government to conduct a very flexible national policy. Kazakhstan is not a rich country, but we have survived the first, difficult 10 years of independence. The opposition criticized us, saying many people left the country because they did not feel comfortable in Kazakhstan, but it was a natural process due to economic problems.''
She says she is proud of her nation and its hospitable traditions, and she believes it could set an example for the world. ''That's why I think the dialogue between civilizations and world nations should take place in Kazakhstan,'' she says. ''Sept. 11 was a huge tragedy, and the world no longer feels secure. This will all be discussed at the forum. I feel it is better to talk than to take up weapons.''
As a warm-up to the international event, Nazarbayeva organized a congress of local journalists in Astana in March this year. She says that Kazakhstan could not play host to such a large, representative media forum if it had not attempted to put its own house in order and solve its own internal problems. ''We are going to discuss the problem of informational wars at the international forum,'' she says. ''We have our own informational war here in Kazakhstan.''
Nazarbayeva is referring to events that occurred over the past few months in Kazakhstan, which resulted in claims by opposition leaders that the opposition media had come under increasing pressure from state authorities.
According to reports, various media linked to the opposition had found it difficult to publish, broadcast licenses had been suspended and at least one television program was canceled. The incidents had been reported worldwide, and freedom of the press in Kazakhstan had consequently come under question.
''Two years ago,'' Nazarbaeva says, ''some Russian journalists asked me: 'Do you have a local media war like we have in Russia?' I said: 'No, we don't.' Now we do.'' In her opinion, the media controversy seems driven more by political purposes than by concerns about improving the quality of journalism in the country.
However, such jostling for power is not unusual, she suggests. ''In Kazakhstan, a young generation of which my father is really proud is growing up,'' she says. ''His reforms to the economic and financial sectors have propelled this generation to make money, to do business, to buy factories and to have banks. Now, these young people are dreaming of having more business and having power - political power. In a democratic, political system, this is normal.''
Nazarbayeva says that she knows the local opposition organizers well - several of them had been fellow students at Moscow University. ''They are bright, talented people,'' she says. ''In private, I've heard them say they owe everything to my father.'' She adds: ''The opposition parties do not have strong support in here - they hold meetings, but membership can be counted in the hundreds. But they have some very rich people backing them and money coming from abroad.''
Nazarbayeva says she invited all the representatives of the opposition media to the journalism congress in Astana, but only the ex-minister of energy, industry and trade, Mukhtar Ablyazov, showed up with the managers of his television station and newspaper. The other opposition representatives did not attend the conference. ''They had the opportunity to clear the air, speak about their ideas and their complaints directly to the president, the government and parliament,'' says Nazarbayeva, ''but they didn't come.'' Media outlets from across the country have chosen representatives to attend the international Eurasian Media Forum this month.
''Journalists all do the same job, whether in Kazakhstan or in some other country,'' says Nazarbayeva. ''Some of the questions at the forum will cause pain and dispute, but they need to be answered.''
Source: International Herald Tribune
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