China’s mission to win African hearts with satellite TV

According to Dr Angela Lewis, an academic who has written extensively on StarTimes in Africa, the project had the potential to leave a positive image of China for African audiences.

Villagers under the project ostensibly received everything for free, including the infrastructure, such as a satellite dish, battery, and installation, as well as a subscription to StarTimes’ content.

This was a “game-changer,” according to Dr Lewis, as remote villages in Africa previously mostly had access to choppy and unreliable analogue TV.

For many, this was their first access to satellite dishes, altering the way villagers interacted with the outside world, she said.

For community centres like hospitals and schools in Ainomoi village in western Kenya, subscriptions remain free.

At the local clinic a digital TV in the waiting room helps patients pass the time. And at a primary school, pupils enjoy watching cartoons after school.

“After we finish schoolwork, we’ll all watch cartoons together and it’s a very enjoyable and bonding experience,” said Ruth Chelang’at, an eighth-grade student at the school.

However, several Kenyan households interviewed by the BBC say the free trial unexpectedly lasted only a limited amount of time.

Despite its relatively cheap price, extending subscriptions was considered a significant financial burden for many.

With that, the initial excitement has waned among some of the project’s beneficiaries, putting a dent in China’s push to build up goodwill.

“We were all very happy when we first got the satellite dish, but it was only free for a few months, and after that we had to pay,” said Rose Chepkemoi, from Chemori village in Kericho county. “It was too much so we stopped using it.”