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161 8 Media sustainability in a Postconflict environment Radio Broadcasting in the DRC, Burundi, and Rwanda Marie-soleil frère this chapter interrogates the capacity of radio stations in three countries of the african great lakes region (democratic republic of Congo, burundi, and rwanda) to act as influential independent stakeholders in the postconflict public debate. The three countries are all former belgian colonies and have been historically, economically, and culturally interconnected for decades. during the past twenty years, burundi, rwanda, and the drC have experienced varying degrees of liberalization of the political space as well as the media landscape after decades of single-party rule and state monopoly on the media. Moreover, these three countries have also undergone armed conflicts in which some journalists and media agencies have been key players. radio stations especially have experienced significant growth in recent years and radio broadcasting in these postconflict environments is clearly superseding print and television media, both of which are perceived as elitist and urban-based. i first present an overview of the radio broadcasting landscape in the three countries . after examining the obstacles that radio stations face in that environment, i then analyze a peculiar dynamic that has spread in recent years among radio stations in the three countries, known as “media synergy.” These initiatives, aimed at sharing human and material resources between media outlets and at producing joint contents, were established during elections as the stations were trying to overcome the obstacles they faced. finally, i interrogate the sustainability and professional autonomy of some of the main local radio stations in the three great lakes countries, which have become financially dependent on Western donors. 162 | Social and Cultural Dimensions of Conflict and Peacebuilding an overview of the radio broadcasting landscape radio remains the leading news media in the drC, burundi, and rwanda. a survey by the international telecommunications union (itu 2008) shows that 88 percent of burundian households possess a transistor (while only 23 percent own a tV set) and that 97 percent of kinshasa households and 85 percent of rural households in the drC have a radio (while only 30 percent have access to television, except for kinshasa where the percentage is much higher). With regard to rwandan households, more than half own a radio. being the most popular media with people in both urban and rural areas, radio broadcasting is the most likely media that apparently can contribute most effectively to public debate, information dissemination, and the political education of citizens. in the drC, the radio broadcasting landscape was first liberalized in the 1990s and this was followed by a huge increase in the number of radio stations in the country (frère 2009a). in 2011, some four hundred mostly local stations operated in the drC, notably community-based stations, faith-based denominational stations, and profitoriented private outlets. nevertheless, this large number of stations has not necessarily meant a huge diversity of choice for the Congolese audience. except for kinshasa where almost forty stations are available, most local audiences only have access to very few stations, as radios broadcast on a limited wavelength with a range of between fifty and one hundred kilometers. only two stations tend to offer national coverage. on the one hand, the government-owned national broadcaster rtnC (radio télévision nationale du Congo), based in kinshasa, maintains a subsidiary broadcasting studio and newsroom in each of the other ten provinces. The subsidiary studios are supposed to receive and broadcast the programs from kinshasa and also to complement broadcasting schedules with local productions, but most of them are experiencing major technical problems. radio okapi, an international radio station established by the un Peacekeeping Mission in the Congo (MonuC, renamed MonusCo in 2010) and managed by the swiss foundation Hirondelle (swallow), was set up in 2002 with the aim of reinforcing peace through proactive broadcasting and sensitization of the public. radio okapi, which covers 85 percent of the territory, has become the nation’s most widely developed station. established when the country was still split among different armed groups, radio okapi has done a remarkable job in restoring the Congolese social fabric nationwide, enabling the inhabitants from the different areas to share their views again after years of alienation. broadcasting in french and in the four national languages (lingala, kikongo, tshiluba, and kiswahili), it has progressively set up a newsroom with over 120 journalists and has distinguished itself as the most credible and professional journalistic outlet in the country. besides these two, the forty...

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