The Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages Project is one of the cultural and people-to-people cooperation initiatives proposed at the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2015, aiming to help 10,000 villages in African countries get access to satellite TV signals. The project has yielded fruitful results in Africa.

It covers 10,112 villages in 23 African countries. By May 2022, the project has been completed in 9,212 villages in 20 African countries, benefiting more than 184,000 households and nearly 10 million people.

"When will the Chinese brothers who install the TV come back?"

The Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages Project has provided an opportunity for children to "watch" the outside world without leaving their homes.

"It's just great! We can see TV shows in our village, and I can see the world outside," said Sophia, a girl from Tanzania's Zanzibar Island while touching the brand-new TV set in her village.

In Madagascar, Justin and his friends from an orphanage in Tananarive stared at the "little pot lid" that receives TV signals with great curiosity. "With this antenna, we can watch TV. I hear there are many programs from all over the world on TV."

Students at the village school of Gatumba in Burundi are watching technicians installing satellite TV receivers. 

(Photo provided by the respondent)

At the installation site of the village school of Gatumba in Burundi, David, a student from the school, said, "Our Chinese brothers came again. Last time, they installed a TV set for us. My classmates and I feel it is so amazing that we could see programs from all over the world in our classroom."

Access to signals has broadened the horizons of African children and won wide recognition from them. Many local children, like David, often ask, "When will the Chinese brothers who install the TV come back?"

"Opening a new window to know about the world"

Tembisa is a large slum near South Africa's Johannesburg. In the past, residents of Tembisa cannot afford to watch TV since it costs USD 100 or more for them to get access to the TV signals alongside dozens of dollars of service fees, which is almost equivalent to the monthly income of an ordinary person. Now, the situation is changing with the help of the Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages Project. More and more satellite receivers are installed on the numerous roofs in Tembisa.

"I only pay ZAR 99 (about RMB 48) a month for dozens of channels. I used to have a TV set, but I cannot afford to watch it. Now, as you can see, I can watch so many movies and TV series, and I can even save money on DVDs," said Charles, a construction worker, as he was changing channels with a remote control on his sofa. He said that the abundant news, sports, music, films and TV series on digital TV have greatly enriched his amateur life and opened a new window for him to know about the world.

"I can watch the Africa Cup of Nations at my home"

The Africa Cup of Nations was held in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6, 2022. Watching the game has become what Ndongo, a villager of Tiruna Village who loves football, looked forward to most after his daily work. However, few households in Tiruna, a village of about 1,000 people, have televisions, and if they do, only a few local channels are available.

The picture shows Jackson Ndongo, a resident of Tiruna Village in Cameroon, watching the Africa Cup of Nations on a projection TV, January 13, 2022. Released by Xinhua News Agency (photo by Kopso)

"It is very hard to watch the game in the past," said Ndongo, adding that he used to travel a kilometer or more to bars in the town when there were major games because he didn't have a TV at home. However, the situation has changed. Thanks to the Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages Project, Ndongo no longer has to travel a long distance to watch football games because a 100-inch high-definition projection TV that can receive at least 30 free programs has been installed in his village. "The projection TV has a good signal and high-quality image, which brings a wonderful viewing experience," said Ndongo.

The picture shows residents of Tiruna Village in Cameroon watching the Africa Cup of Nations on a projection TV, January 13, 2022. Released by Xinhua News Agency (photo by Kopso)

In the near future, with the help of China, more villages in African countries will be able to get access to digital TV signals, opening up the "information highway" connecting the world.

END

Source: China Daily

Further Reviewed by: Zhao Yuhui and Jiang Yongfeng

Reviewed by: Ding Xun

Edited by: Zhu Tingjie