"Instead of limiting ourselves to an enumeration of the obstacles to pluralism, we tried to push the analysis further, proposing draft solutions to problems raised, in a realistic way. The democratic debate today can not be limited to the political arena only, by turning up one’s nose at the debat
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e on the media, especially at television pluralism, as in a kind of conspiracy of silence by politicians in power or in the opposition. Our inner conviction is that there can be no democracy in this twenty-first century without audiovisual democracy. Unless Africa, persisting in its denial of development or having opted for backwardness, by afro-pessimism, is not yet mature for any kind of pluralism. Which is obviously not the case, because Africa is already embracing television pluralism, something which, to quote a famous retort, is too serious to be left solely in the hands of politicians. The real challenge is and remains that of professionalism and economic viability." (introduction, page 15)
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