By: Ryan Emery
Source: SBS News
What do you do when the mainstream media isn’t telling the stories you’re interested in?
There’s always social media, of course.
Or you could start your own media organisation and tell the stories your way.
SBS correspondent Ryan Emery visited the set of Roots TV to see how a group of Muslims are doing it for themselves.
“We’re about to start. Might want to tell them to close that door. Ok guys, we’re about to start, can you turn off your mobile phone?”
On the top level of Perth’s state library, Roots TV creator Abdulrahim Elmi is marshalling his troops.
Getting ready for what’s about to be a mammoth filming session.
“As salamu alaykum, peace be upon you, and welcome to another Roots TV, my name is Alim and I’ll be your host this evening. Roots TV is all about empowering and celebrating the lives of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”
In front of cameras and bright lights with Perth city as the backdrop, host Alim and refugee advocate Sarah Ross are talking about her work helping people to find asylum in Western Australia.
“One that comes to mind is a man I visit from Afghanistan, he’s been refused refugee status ⦔
Their chat will be uploaded to Roots TV, which is a growing online TV channel.
It was started a few months ago by former marketing executive Abdulrahim Elmi as an alternative to mainstream media, which he says isn’t telling the stories he and his community are interested in.
“We’re using the media to dictate our own narratives. To control exactly what we broadcast and we’re so proud of that as a community and we’ve met some amazing people along the way.”
Tonight’s filming session will take three hours – and included are many guests such as the former director at the WA Office of Multicultural Interests Maria Osman.
She says Roots TV is an important voice to be heard, not just by Muslims, but the wider community.
“I think these notions of being moderate or not, you’re just a Muslim. And I think that it’s critical that mainstream society look at Roots TV and see some of the great interviews, some of the dynamic people, the comedians, some of the political commentary that’s coming out of Roots TV, I think it’s really filling a niche and giving people an opportunity to shine as well, which is great.”
Abdulrahim Elmi says Roots TV has a wide range of interview subjects, special presentations and even features a female Muslim comedian – who’s not shy about voicing her dislike of Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
But he says it’s a channel for everyone.
“We have a lot of things in common. Whether you’re an atheist, whether you’re a Muslim, we have a lot of issues that we need to tackle, to address. And it’s all about living in harmony and making sure that we are engaging and not being passive about what we do. We have to be more countering of all those issues in a very bold position and hopefully Roots TV is a platform for that.”
One of the hosts is Aisha Novakovich who says she wants to stop the labelling of Muslims as either only moderate or radical.
“It’s very topical. It’s like it’s the Muslim Nightly News, and we want to provide a counter narrative to what the dominant media is providing. We want to have a platform where we can voice our own concerns, where we’re empowered, where we’re setting the terms of our narrative and we’re discussing that discourse in a very respectful manner, but it certainly is counter to that dominant narrative being spouted by the media and politicians.”
The law student says she hopes Roots TV will reach a wide – and diverse – online audience.
“It’s like when you’re traveling through life and you meet these amazing people who have these incredible stories and you just want to share it with the world. Those are the kinds of people we want to interview. We call them the ordinary people doing extraordinary things. They’re our unsung heroes and sure we have high-profile guests as well, but we like to mix it up.”
It’s an ambitious agenda for Roots TV as well – sport, technology, travel, a radio show and an online app.
If its creator Abdulrahmi Elmi can get enough funding though.
But Elmi has vowed, that no matter what, he will keep this alternative voice alive in one form or another.