The
mass Media in DRC
Jules Ngala Wamona
Goma / DRC
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Since 1996, the mass media in DRC are very
diversified. This is the result of the promulgation of the Law No
96/002 of June 22, 1996. This law confirms the freedom of press
and information in DRC (former Zaïre). The Article 14 of the law
mentions that « La création et la gestion des moyens de
communication des entreprises de presse, des agences de presse et
de messageries, de même que l’imprimerie et la librairie sont libres.
Ces activités s’exercent en toute indépendance, dans le respect de la
loi ». According to this article, everyone can create and manage a
mass media in the respect of the law.
With this law the DRC has experienced a development of many
Newspapers (in Kinshasa mostly) and private radio-television
Stations for the recent 10 years. Private stations of radio and
television are essentially commercial, community, associative or
confessional.
1. RTNC ( RadioTélévision nationale congolaise ): The public
media. It broadcasts mostly in Kinshasa, but it has local broadcast
stations in all 11 provinces. This public Radio and Television station is
known as the “Government-say-so” media. It covers exclusively
the Government events: Government meetings, voyages of the
ministries, meetings of Parliement and Senators, the point of view from
ministries, governors about such or such event. Although the Law
of 1996 stipulates in its Art. 53, that “La communication
audiovisuelle publique est pluraliste. Elle ne peut, en aucun cas, être
monopolisée au profit d’une seule opinion ou d’un groupe
d’individus » . « Pluraliste » means that it cannot serve only the
government side. Even the opponents can use it, in respect of the
law. But the situation is that only the ruling party, PPRD ( party of
president Kabila ) has control on RTNC. This situation pushed other
politicians in the country, as the election period was coming up, to
create their own radio and television stations. E.g. the opponent
Bemba created Radio Liberté and Canal Kin Television…
2. The second category of mass media in DRC is the
commercial radio and television stations. Apparently their purchase
is to have benefits from advertisements. The problem is that they
are linked to some politicians or political groups. As well as the mass
media created by journalists. So, this kind of mass media are not
independent. Because they have to protect their source of finance.
3. The third category of mass media in DRC, especially radio
and television, is constituted by that we call “Radios
communautaires, Télévisions communautaires ou associatives". I
mean Community radios, Community TVs or associative radios/TVs.
They were created by the people, the community [ in French, we
say Communauté de base]. Created by people, they broadcast
among people, in the rural areas. They are characterized by a
powerless infrastructures, they are poor. They broadcast in the rural
areas where the great majority of people don’t know to read or to
write. That’s why they don’t use French as the language of
information. They use local languages: Swahili in the eastern Congo,
Tshiluba in the center, Lingala or Kikongo in the western side of the
country. They are almost one hundred throughout the DRC.
4. It’s important to mention a special category of audiovisual
medias in DRC: The confessional medias. They can be included in the
community or Associative medias. In this boom media situation
from 1996, the Catholic Church, the mission churches…created
their own audiovisual medias, mostly radios and televisions. Also,
that we call “Eglises de réveil” [ I don’t know how to call them in
English. I know they emphasize on the role of holy spirit] created
also their own radio and TV stations. Formally, these media were
created only for gospel. But with the media boom of 1996 and in
willing to inform their adepts, the confessional medias started to give
news, using the pastors and some gospel teachers as journalists.
Without training! As we know, without training, a journalist can
become a danger for the public. As JED said, “we protect the
journalist in danger and not the dangerous journalists”.
So, among all these categories of mass media, only the
Community Radios or TVs play the role of development in DRC.
They inform objectively, most of them are in the rural areas, they
broadcast in the language of the majority of people; the topics are
relevant to the life of population (Agriculture, elections, etc.). Briefly,
they make people improve their conditions of life. Although, we
experienced that it is not easy for them to criticize the ruling class.
The ruling class should know that they are accountable. As we
learned in “Introduction to community Journalism”: An informed
people and a leader class accountable, this is the key of
development.”