THE MEDIA ROLE IN BILINGUAL AND MULTICULTURAL SOCIETIES

“The media have ‘rainbow rolodexes’ to make sure we have diverse sources.”
             - Minelle Mahtani, assistant professor, University of Toronto, Canada                       

 There are scores of countries around the world with multiple cultures and bilingual populations. Canada, like Kazakhstan, for instance, has an official policy of using two languages. In Canada French and English are official state languages while in Kazakhstan, the policy is for Russian to be the “official” language and Kazakh to be the “state” language, the latter coming into force as traditional culture has been revived following independence in 1991.

 How the media react and interact in these and other related situations was a part of Session 4 of the EAMF, with a lead-in from Kazakhstan’s Minister of Culture and Information, Yermukhamet Yertysbayev, who drew a picture of how things used to be in the country and where they are now.

 “Twenty years ago we had a disastrous situation  when the majority of  Kazakhs did not speak their own language,” he said. “In the years of independence we have achieved a large scale revival of the Kazakh language. It is not happening by limiting or discriminating against the Russian language.”

 The use of Russian dates from the years of the Soviet Union and the tsars before that. Russian was made the language of all the USSR countries. Thousands of Russians also moved into Kazakhstan in various waves over many decades, contributing to the expansion of residents with Russian as a first language. Since 1991, the country has moved to revive Kazakh while seeing some Russian speakers migrate elsewhere. Still, a very large number remain.

 “There are 463 newspapers in Kazakh; 874 in the Russian language,” Yertysbayev reported, adding that “bilingualism is an important component for the modernization of Kazakhstan.”

 Looking at the role of the media and bilingualism, he noted that the Ministry of Culture encourages bilingual newspaper publication. “When you open a paper and see the first page in Kazakh and a second in Russian, that is something we promote. Through government programs we offer aid to a large number of papers,” he said. Some 1.3 billion Tenge is awarded through government contracts which newspapers bid for. A substantial portion also goes to publications that are in additional languages. “This is the only country in the world that allocates money to support publications in German, Ukrainian and Uigher languages,” Yertysbayev said.

 The minister took a stern tone regarding practices he said were followed by a few newspapers. “Some media, on criminal grounds, were attempting to write stories and elevate them to the level of interracial problems,” he said. “We registered complaints with the prosecutors to press charges under laws which prohibit social or ethnic hatred.”

 Alexander Arkhangelskiy, author and TV host on  the “Culture” TV channel in Russia who moderated the session, then turned to Canadian professor Minelle Mahtani of the University of Toronto, for her description of the situation in Canada. Mahtani, a former journalist, said  Canada has to deal with not just bilingualism but multiculturalism.

 She described a series of three laws passed by the Canadian Parliament starting in the 1960s which have a bearing on the issues. The first was the official language act which set French and English on equal ground requiring their common use throughout all government offices, on signs, products and documents. A multicultural act and later a law relating to broadcasting were added with the latter stating that “media must represent the multicultural nature of Canada.”

 The underlying view is that such considerations not only make good moral sense, they make good business sense.

 “We have 300 thousand immigrants coming to Canada each year” Mahtani said. They represent a kaleidoscope of nationalities from across the globe. Canada’s national policy to deal with this has shifted over time. Initially, it was declared from on high with the government telling organizations how to act. Now, the policy is for individual organizations themselves to be the ones who develop solutions.

 In broadcasting, for instance, the Canadian Radio and Television Commission “says you must produce a diversity report. In it, you must say how you will represent minority groups,” Mahtani said. “This is not done top down – the organizations themselves have to come up with how they will deal with minorities. Measurement is now a major feature of our programs. In terms of accurate reporting on dealing with the issues, how can you know where you want to go if you don’t know where you are now?

 “It is required that French is spoken over the counter. Now we have upped the ante. It is now a question of whether the office has a positive environment for French to thrive.”

 Media practice has also had to change, particularly as it applies to multicultural issues. “Instead of an old white man, we may find a minority woman to speak on a subject,” she said. “The media have ‘rainbow rolodexes’ to make sure we have diverse sources.”

 In addition, in teaching journalism, universities work hard to say that if you want to become a journalist you need to learn another language, she added.

 Weighing in with a view of journalistic and media practices in Kazakhstan, another panelist -- Yuri Kirinitsiyanov, Correspondent of “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” in Kazakhstan -- related a recent situation which was felt to be uncomfortable for a number of Russian speakers. At a final event during a multi-day celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Kazakh television, there was a gala concert. The entire event was held in the state language, Kazakh.

 “People who do not speak Kazakh felt uncomfortable; some were hurt and just silently left,” Kirinitsiyanov said. “The Kazakh channel belongs to the ministry. There were some people there who would like to infringe on the Russians. Also, we are being told to switch to business use of Kazakh; all administrative activities must be in Kazakh. In Almaty and Astana, the big centers, yes, it is happening. But in other regions there are many people who do not know the language.

Maybe we were somewhat hasty pushing Kazakh as the state language. What is more important is the culture as a whole.”

 Didar Amantai, Chief Editor of “Nachnem s ponedelnika” newspaper in Kazakhstan, spoke of a disparity in practice, compared to policy. “We have many ministers who speak Russian and it is hard for Kazakh news people to get the information properly. We don’t have enough people with a good command of Kazakh and Russian, who can also write.”

 He listed other aspects of this problem. “Right now, it is really hard to start working with documents in Kazakh because local authorities typically write letters to Astana and they get responses in Russian,” he said. “Our laws are mostly written in Russian and translated to Kazakh, leading to misunderstandings.”

 Presenting a different view was Erlan Idrissov, Kazakh Ambassador to the United States, who said,  “I think the government is coping with bilingualism very well.

 “Yuri made a statement about the concert. The function of the state is to help people to be able to understand a language. Look at parliament – they always have simultaneous translation. It is really hard to do that in a concert. You can’t really translate the content of poetry and singing.”

 In any case, he continued, “I think any person who has given their life to Kazakhstan should learn Kazakh. We always have to take into account the basic functions of language. It is to pass on ideas. If people need me to speak Chinese to do this, I will speak Chinese.

 “We often forget language is among the powerful things granted by God, with important functions; to generate thoughts – visions of specific things in life. It is really important to understand the specific aspects, functions of language. Languages allow people to communicate. People in one language understand each other. We all need to be sure the language delivers these functions. Kazakh preserves culture. In the development of the country it was subject to strong external pressure. Today this produces many unwanted effects.

 “Life is forcing us to find more pragmatic ways to deal with the situation. Do not get involved in rhetoric about the issue. It is the basic function of language we need to keep in mind.”

 Yuri Kirinitsiyanov highlighted another aspect of transitioning in a bilingual atmosphere. “It is not reasonable to ask 50 and 60-year-olds to learn a new language. I think the idea of our president, that this issue needs to be addressed from kindergarten, is correct. Then in 20 or 30 years time people can speak multiple languages.”

 Culture Minister Yermukhamet Yertysbayev said the President of Kazakhstan had launched a program to have everyone speak three languages, adding English. “In the twenty-first century, the future of Kazakh competitiveness in the era of modernization and globalization requires three languages. This program is designed for the growing generation – not the 50 and 60-year-olds,” he said.

 There were brief discussions of some aspects of these issues in other nations. As regards the media in the new Afghanistan, it was related that laws are now friendly toward private media.

 “The Afghan people have seized the opportunity in this moment,” one session participant said. “The private channels are being trusted. The government media has not gained credibility as yet -- like everywhere else in this part of the world, its outlets repeat the government line.”

 Nenad Pejic, Associate Director of Broadcasting, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic spoke of how his organization works, noting its extensive experience of broadcasting in multiple languages. What was important, he said, was to maintain an objective approach to the news and to avoid unnecessary emphasis on sensitive issues, such as ethnicity.  “It is not our job to tell people what to think. We give pure facts. It is up to the people to decide which facts they believe are right or wrong.”

 Leaving things in the hands of the people was echoed in the session wrap-up by Alexander Arkhangelskiy, who referred to the broad topic of language issue: “In the modern world, individuals are responsible for the choice of languages they use; some languages disappear. For me this is more a personal problem.”