Televisiual aid to Iraq

[Sarah Teasley]

Project X was also recently shown in Vietnam, according to yesterday's NHK 8
am morning news.

Sarah Teasley / batgirl at tkb.att.ne.jp

?          ?          ?

Ph.D. Candidate, Programme in Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies
University of Tokyo Graduate School of Arts and Sciences






on 2003.10.23 14:34, Khash Najib at najibjp at yahoo.co.jp wrote:

> NHK's "Project X" will be broadcast on Syrian TV with
> funding from the Japan Foundation.
> I am not sure how ?aid? and ?cultural exchange" are
> differentiated, though.
> The Japan Foundation helps Japanese programs be broadcast
> on foreign channels in industrial countries as well.
> Perhaps choosing a program like Project X for a third
> world country means sending a "Gambatte" message? Also,
> the popularity of Oshin and her endless struggle as seen
> on Mid-East TVs has been connected by some to the
> less-than-desirable condition of women in that region. I
> read somewhere (was it on Kinejapan?) that a woman was
> imprisoned in Iran for saying that Oshin would be a better
> role model for Iranian women that Fatima (the daughter of
> Prophet Mohammad).
> Perhaps the funding is considered as aid if there is a
> motivational message targeting an underdeveloped society
> in the program, and as cultural exchange otherwise?
> The Japan Foundation has a collection of of about 120
> Japanese films with Arabic subtitles, based mainly in
> Cairo and used for what in that case is referred to as
> cultural exchange. Japanese embassies in different Arab
> countries borrow from that collection and in many cases
> pay for the transportation fees. Would it be considered
> "aid" if some of those films are shown in Baghdad, and
> "exchange" if they are shown in Tunis?
> Spotting the headline "OSHIN Will Be Shown On Iraqi TV"
> all over the media, I could realize that the "aid" label
> is politically-motivated.
> Still, Oshin and Project X are important works (though
> there have been some controversy about what message is
> Project X sending out) that Iraqi citizens will have a
> chance to see now, so all in all it is an appreciated
> effort.
> Najib El-Khash
> 
> 
>