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Global change is on the move and South is where it's all happening. This is Global Southing, a must-listen podcast putting the spotlight on powerful stories, bold innovations, and untold leadership from the global south, all reshaping our shared future.

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You are listening to Global Soving Podcast.

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So let me start with a scene. A young filmmaker from Africa uploads a short film to YouTube. Within 48 hours only, it hits 1 million views. Another TikToker, maybe in Latin America, breaks down the inflation within 60 seconds only. So this is not fiction anymore. This is the reality we are living in. So let's think about a few numbers here. In 2023 alone, the media consumption in the global south surged by 18%, especially on digital platforms. At the same time, over 70% of the international news comes from the Western platforms and the news wires. So we have to ask a few questions here. Whose stories are told and who gets the chance to speak for the global south? So this is what we will be answering throughout this episode. And now I'm very delighted to host our guest speaker today, Hend Khleifat. She's the general manager of Diraya Speakers and one of the regional leaders in the global media as well from the Middle East. She has been leading different initiatives with regard to women empowerment, leadership development, media training, and strategic communication. Hent, welcome to the Global Southern.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Thank you so much, Najla, for having me today.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

Thank you so much for being with us. So, Hent, let's start with the roots and the very essence of the Global Southern media. Thinking about the essence of the media here, especially in the region of the Middle East, we didn't really come from a stable ground. There were some cracks, you know, happening decades ago. And so some of the national uh movements were somehow shaping the global media and the global uh south. Um, given that you come from the Middle East, we had the Radio Cairo, for example. It was more of like a pan-Arab um platform in the Middle East. So, to what extent, I mean, speaking of the media today in the global south, to what extent do you find that these identities have been shaping us today and the way we think of storytelling?

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Najla, as a person coming from south of Jordan, and there is uh a deep relation between me and South, this is as a start of my journey, always I'm looking to South as inspiration source for me. When I am looking to the this on the philosophy side, in my origin side, even when I engaged in media more and more, I notes that there is a big problem, especially when diagnosis the pattern of Western media and southern media. True. So I note that there is a big difference between the priorities in media if we are comparing southern media with other types of media. As a person who's always looking for authenticity and focusing on the good values for a human, always it goes in parallel with southern media. So in Arab world, especially if we are looking to Emirates model in media and content creation, we look to the values that's always churching, the values of supporting human dignity and things without having earlier or prepared agenda. So Southern is just only for a media, it's as a philosophy, it's type of inspiration.

SPEAKER_02 4:01

Yeah, true. But thinking about, I mean, the huge population that we have in the global south, I mean, um, and the sort of like the the quota we share of the global media overall, it's it's very minor, to be honest. So, how can we address the imbalance here?

SPEAKER_01 4:18

You know, nowadays there is a good diagnosis, a podcast like this one that shows that there's a lot of people who know or can differentiate about what's going on in the southern media.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

So the nowadays, a lot of people talking about the agenda of Western media and comparing to southern media. So if we are comparing, there's a big difference, all of us knowing this. And this is a good sign. Yeah. If you want to do a right treatment, you have to do the proper diagnosis. Three years ago, I noticed that a lot of people focusing and a lot of roundtables, big conferences focusing and highlighting this issue. Uh for me, um, I used to predict where the media goes. As a content creation, also I can know what's beyond this type of media. Uh, knowing this is can be a good start for you to know where is the proper way to create your footprints on the media.

SPEAKER_02 5:18

Or even channels, maybe.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 5:20

For the narratives, and um, okay, not necessarily to have a parallel number of um speakers or media platforms from the global south reflecting the same number of the population that the global south is sharing, especially that almost 85% of the global population comes from the global south, according to the UN Economic and Social Department. But thinking even about the narrative itself, uh I think we are somehow underestimated in the global south. What's your perspective?

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Totally, it's unfair, but you know, a lot of uh voices now they are saying and they are participating and they are showing uh this uh issue clearly. Three months ago, I participated in a summit in Tetrestan in Kazan, and we noticed this and we highlighted this challenge with a lot of students coming from PRECS nations. Yeah, so it was one of the biggest topics uh which he published a lot of papers, recommendations about this issue. Focus more in authenticity, being sustainable to focus on this uh issue. And the quality maybe of the exactly, almost more focusing on quality.

SPEAKER_02 6:27

Definitely. What about the contribution of the other side of the world, media? As you know, there is now more of like uh an increase in the interest in the traditional media and understanding the global south and bringing maybe new stories and unique stories to the rest of the world. And so the global south is is uh more of like a very unique platform to reflect these new uh stories. So um maybe there's an increase in this regard. To what extent do you think that there will be more of like a complementing rule from the global south to complement to the global media? And there is also on the other side of the world um a higher attention to uh attract more and more stories from the global south?

SPEAKER_01 7:09

I believe authenticity and creating uh uh creative content sustainable and crafted with the roots, it can one day enhance that this unfair ratio. So I believe that it's a matter of time. And uh doing things in authentic and promoting the values of the good content, it will give new directions for this battle.

SPEAKER_02 7:38

Looking at your bio, and I noticed that you have a good experience in journalism as well. How do you evaluate the the level of journalism we have in the global south? What's needed to enhance it as well?

SPEAKER_01 7:50

I started my journalism journey as always mentioning in my biography. I'm just a Bedouin girl. Okay. Yeah, and I'm coming to the city still doing my way in a simple way. So it's part of my journey that I started simple, and I want to continue with the simplicity, focusing on real value. I don't care about number of followers, number of uh conferences I participated. I just focus to enjoy moments, enjoying this cup of coffee or enjoying this conversation with you, Najla, and doing things in my value. This is more than enough for me because I believe you cannot compete with the number who's caring about the big numbers and who's doing posting and doing viral media. I create symbols because I enjoy it. If I enjoy it, I can give the privilege to others to enjoy the content. I started, it was a really difficult journey because you cannot compare. I am almost 47 years, and you cannot compare my journey now with a youth who's started their journey with exclusion of media resources, features of social media. I'm still a little bit coming from the classical media.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

And I'm trying to enhance my skills with a lot of the new features of media and things and the digital era. That's a bit difficult. But I'm so proud that I started my journey before Chat GBT. I'm still writing, I like books, I like the researching, exactly. I'm only saying to my son safe, you are so lucky, Mom. You are you have your own resources just to click it. All tools. Yeah. Look, so I'm this is enough for me that I started the journey with uh difficult roads.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

Thinking of uh other key trends you just mentioned, the digital age we live in, and that we have to catch up with the digital age. It's not about living in the digital age only, but putting all needed effort to catch up with what's happening in the digital age. To what extent do you find the global uh southing is happening uh when it comes to the digital age, contributing to the global media?

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Do you know something, Najla? I don't care too much about to be trendy or creating trendy texts and things, but I care to enhance my skills to know what's going on. Yeah. Because I believe that authenticity and creating smart, humanized content, it can compete with the trend. Because trends can stay maximum for three days. I believe when you are creating a good content, it can stay decades. So I have to learn more about the digital tools and this explosion, but to keep my style organic, okay slow. Of course I have to go with the flow, but to keep it elegant and suit my character because I like my content creations, it looks like a mirror for me. It must be similar to my values, and I cannot compete with a guy who's 22 to do TikToks. A TikToker.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

Yeah, I cannot. This is not my place. But then we have to sort of adapt at the end of the day hand. I mean, 60% of the population in the global south are under, you know, the age of 30. So they are the monopoly here. They are the majority here, not us. I mean, for those who don't really prefer the the digital age and the social media. So at certain point we would reach maybe um the realization that we have to adapt to their rules of the use of social media. Do you know what are you going to do then?

SPEAKER_01 11:26

I don't like to offer them the starter or the appetizer. I would love to offer them the main meal. If they choose my content, this is uh any a big prize for me because I show them values. I do some videos about the skills of public speaking, how to deal with the mic, how to create, how to deal with your uh voice and things. So I don't want to compete with anybody. I prefer to take the 60 persons and to send smart, elegant messages. And this is enough for me. Because I believe that the classical media and to keep our shape, it's a big challenge, and I want to continue like this.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

Interesting. And thinking of the cultural component, I mean you come from the southern part of Jordan, holding maybe some of the Bedouin, I would say, exactly uh identity, but at the end of the day, your voice is reaching globally, uh beyond the Middle East. And I'm so glad that we have such a an inspirational uh media leader in the Middle East training, providing media training for the new spokespersons, for the new um officials. Uh the cultural component is very unique, I think, especially to be the driving force behind bringing something new to the global media and um maybe shifting the direction of the global media. And so this is the process of the global southing, then. Um, to what extent do you find that um thinking, for example, of the Nillywood, um, a Nigerian platform that is now one of the top uh platforms worldwide for the prediction in such a huge volume, uh, competing with Hollywood, Bullywood, and whoever will exist in the future. So, the cultural component, to what extent we can rely on this component in our storytelling?

SPEAKER_01 13:16

I believe that it must be the spark or the trigger to create something unique in the middle of a crowd. And you can focus on the elements and to highlight it in a smart way, the stories beyond the traditions, uh, the tales, all this is so catchy component. If we focusing on this big element, authentic elements, we can create a good content flow and we can create a nice mosaic of media. So this is so much still a virgin media for me to take some component and create my meals. So I believe that the people will retrive their place by knowing more about this uh southern tales and southern media, even if they are totally emerged in other types of media.

SPEAKER_02 14:05

To what extent also we can rely maybe on the culture or the cultural component to connect the diaspora outside, I mean, in different sides of the world. I mean, thinking of Africa, how African people could be connected, uh given the example of Nellywood or the Bullywood of India, how Indian diaspora, uh I mean, throughout the whole world, could be connected in such a um film production.

SPEAKER_01 14:29

Exactly. In the drama, there is a nice enzymatic effect that can be done. Drama always can in the good uh cinema, good filming, and also to use the features of social media, it can attract a lot of people, especially youth. You don't have to travel a lot nowadays, you can reach and explore a lot of experience and also destination just by scrolling TikToks and Instagram. So I believe that to keep your identity and to protect it in a smart way and to continue even with challenge to creating your story, to keep your narratives, it can attract a lot of people far away. And you can advocate also about your culture, about your narrative by adding a lot of human values. When you are humanizing your story, humanizing your media, you will have the price one day.

SPEAKER_02 15:26

Definitely, and maybe come up with something new. A lot contributing to the full image and the full story of what's happening right now in the world. Other key aspects, I mean, we can't really um discuss all of these points related to the global media and the global southing process of the global media without really tackling the trends, what's happening right now. How fast uh is it, I mean, when it comes to the um global south media, when it comes to following up with what's happening in terms of trends?

SPEAKER_01 15:56

I told you that I'm not uh following so much trends, but I already am affected by trends. Yeah. Yeah. So my philosophy in just watching the trends and to read the pattern, how people dealing with the trends, it's a big story. Why the I think In terms of reaction. Exactly. Reactions and how much the looks like slaves when they are dealing with the trends. Even a lot of who I know and I know how they are conservative, they showed me a lot of doing trendy things. But I don't have problem with trends, but I have problem with the how they promote the shallow contents with the trends. So they are behaving like just they want to follow trends. I believe that you know you can create good contents and to use the smart features and to study your algorithm smartly without following the crowds because I don't believe in crowds. But sometimes we have to to convince them. I know. But to reach these minds. It's my way. I I like to walk solo. It's not trendy, it's not popular. Yeah. It's a very brave decision to be solo. But I'm 47 and I'm okay with being solo even in my media. And this is a sign. We we met today and we are having coffee and conversation when I am not following, I'm not doing popular things, but maybe sometimes the solo content creators can attract some good audience like you and a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02 17:28

Interesting. So, what about the the other way around? To what extent that the the new users of the internet, especially that uh more than 67% of the whole world is using the internet right now, um more than 60% of this number is also on social media. So, to what extent you find maybe in the near future, perhaps, uh, those users uh following the trends and those users of social media will be maybe looking at the other side of the world uh for those who are naturally interested in doing the trendy uh global south media.

SPEAKER_01 18:03

I believe that as a content creator or a consumer, you don't have to eat the whole cake. You cannot have the cookies and eat it. Just you have to decide. So you can get what you want and uh let me focus on one thing, that you have to build a media immunity. If you are building a good media immunity, you can take what you want and remove the things that you uh to do filter. So I believe that we don't have to aim to focus and to dominate we have to focus to make a big difference, deep uh impressions. But we don't have to put ourselves in the front of the huge capitalism of media. Just go with the flow. Go with it. Slowly. Exactly. And it's this will be the unfair ratio, it will be the soldiers.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

And maybe one day there will be a balance as well between being very speedy, very trendy, and be between being more of like a classic, solid and profound. I can see it. Yeah. So it's happening soon, half of a um another key aspect uh that was very interesting whenever I was like doing the uh my assignment to research for this episode, it was like the the media platforms, the digital uh advertising as well. So uh now, for example, we have the Arab world, we have Shahid, uh, we have some other platforms in India. Um yes, I mean, besides the Netflix, for example, of course. So, to what extent do you think that these platforms are also uh good drivers behind the global southern process of the global media? Uh, because they are also viewed by the other side of the world, the uh the western uh part of the world. So will these platforms maybe cause more also uh more of a misunderstanding, or you think that they are contributing to the to the full image of the global media from the global south? I believe that's this is just a tool.

SPEAKER_01 20:09

The content creators, the people who is working in this industry, filming and cinemas and uh all this industry, they have privilege to reach these platforms. Uh uh we we watched a lot of big films coming from southern world, and it was not trendy, it was not popular, it was not too much promoted, but the code content reached to us and uh left uh impressions in the world of uh this industry. So I believe that you know you don't have to be too much any supported. Sometimes when you have a good idea, nice implementation, it can uh help a lot. So I believe this is okay to have a lot of platforms and a lot of uh media outlets, the good content can find their way. Through these platforms.

SPEAKER_02 21:00

Exactly. Interesting. Given that you train different levels, I mean, of uh directors, of uh maybe young also um per um officials who are I mean on their way to towards the global south media and maybe perhaps in the future global media overall. What advice would you like to to share? I mean, through this platform and through this uh podcast? Good question.

SPEAKER_01 21:23

I'm almost saying for them, just be yourself, enhance your skills, keep on going. You have to let yourself always open for learning a new skills and practice. Just focus on the body language and your stability. I believe that psychological stability, it will be reflected always in your body language, in your performance. If you are doing a moderation or doing a speaker or doing anything, you can always focus on your inner peace. If you focused in this part, all things details will be amazing. It really goes like this. a musical performance. So always I'm saying that to them just trust yourself.

SPEAKER_00 22:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

Just go with the flow. Just prepare yourself. You have to keep yourself always reading, reading, even a cooking book. So you have to make yourself that your your life is still open for new skills, new practice. After this, you will just enjoy doing any shows. Even just doing a bodium style or a moderation.

SPEAKER_02 22:30

Yeah. But sometimes isn't it dangerous to oversimplify it for them? I mean I don't want them to be shocked one day whenever they are on the stage, you know, covered by global media or it's amazing too.

SPEAKER_01 22:42

I believe that this is the start of training to create the confidence and to give them the right motivation and inspiration. After that, we'll start our aggressive training by doing practice, different instructors, different trainers. So you have to build the humanized bridge between you and your trainees. After that everything will be settled. So just build this connection in emotional level and after that they will be ready for a lot of practice, training, advanced curriculum, different schools of trainers because I'm a trainer with this my classical style. Style. A lot of trainers are coming from new modern so after that it's like building a mosaic. Yeah. Yeah so a package. Exactly. So packaging their personal training journey I would say exactly. Any final takeaways uh I mean hint for this podcast for this special I mean episode in Georgia yeah talking with you uh Najla and I like her style because you are amazing and you're doing a nice job and thank you for the lovely coffee it was amazing. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 23:57

A very final conclusion that we have to draw here the global southing process of the global media is not really an alternative but an essential element for telling the full story of now you are listening to Global Southern Podcast