Cape Town - In his welcoming speech on the first day of the BRICS Media Forum, Dr Iqbal Survé, Executive Chairman of Independent Media and Co-Chair of BRICS Media forum, invoked Nelson Mandela's beliefs and everything he stood for as a symbol for inspiration.
On Mandela Day, Survé said "it’s a special day for us as South Africans to share Mandela with the world. Mandela must be shared with the world", referring to Cape Town as a “place of great pain and a place of great freedom", where Madiba was released after his incarceration.
“Because Mandela stands for the kind of world we want. Mandela symbolises all that is good in this world," Survé said.
So at a time of unilateralism, at a time of polarisation in the world, for those who represent a large portion of the global population, Survé said, there is a need to shape a “great future of co-operation with our partners from our BRICS countries".
“We see in the US that they have elected a person who doesn’t stand for the kind of values we believe in. So as the BRICS Media Forum we have to take that (Mandela) mantle forward. We have to make sure that we speak to those who don’t have a voice to speak. We have to inspire our people to deliver news of integrity."
Survé stressed that the BRICS conference "isn’t just simply about media entities from BRICS countries simply exchanging ideas". It had to be "very practical... in order to achieve much better social and economic development".