Radio Inzamba provides Burundians hope and comfort in addition to daily news and information

It’s 10 a.m. in a sparsely furnished flat where a group of Burundian journalists from a number of different radio stations are holding their daily story meeting. But rather than meeting in their stations in Burundi, they’re meeting in the Rwandan capital of Kigali.

When a political crisis erupted in Burundi in the Spring of 2015, following President Pierre Nkurunziza’s refusal to leave office, nearly all independent media outlets were closed or destroyed in only a few weeks. And more than 100 journalists have fled the country – most to Rwanda. The three most prominent independent radio stations, RPA, Insanganiro, and Bonesha FM, were all created during the country’s civil war and all with the explicit goals of peace, reconciliation and education. All three, in addition to Radio-Télévision Renaissance and Rema FM, were attacked by unidentified individuals and largely destroyed on May 14, 2015 and, with the exception of Rema, have not broadcast since.

As part of IMS’ rapid response intervention to try to counter the state-controlled narrative and provide access to independent information, the Burundian online radio in exile, Inzamba, was set up in July 2015.

Setting up Inzamba came after an initial desk study of the situation in Burundi was completed in June 2015 and by July not only was Inzamba set up with the assistance of local partner, Association of Rwandan Journalists, but IMS worked closely with international partners to coordinate efforts on the ground to support exiled journalists.

The importance of Inzamba cannot be underestimated – not only does it provide important news and information to Burundians around the world but also provides Burundian journalists in exile an outlet through which they can continue working and serving their community. As one listener said: “Inzamba helped us to make difference between rumors and true information”.

“Inzamba gives us reliable and diversified information that we do not receive from state radio and Television(RNTB). The state media never talks about citizens kidnapped, tortured by government security services, but Inzamba does investigation on various cases of torture and reveals the names of perpetrators of torture,” according to one Bujumbura resident.

Inzamba also provides an important service for Burundians in exile with Burundian refugees in Rwanda among the beneficiaries of Inzamba programs. One refugee from Mahama camp in eastern Rwanda where there are some 50,000 refugees says: “Inzamba is helping us a lot, it allows us to know all news about where we come from. Not all refugees have smart phones to listen to Inzamba news, but those who have smart telephones upload news and share them with others in groups”.

Burundians as far away as Europe also listen. According to the president of the Forum of Burundi Diaspora in Europe, Oscar Butare, “when the Burundian leadership has destroyed all free media, the Burundian population was in total darkness. Lies, rumors took an important place. But when Inzamba was created, we began to have reliable and well documented information”.

But Inzamba does more than provide news and information to Burundians at home and in exile according to this year’s Aurora Prize winner, Burundian humanitarian Marguerite Brankitse, Radio Inzamba has “created hope, you informed us, you have comforted us, you showed us where is the truth, you have informed national and international opinion, you have encouraged the refugees and all those who were affected by war.”

However, listening to Inzamba’s news is not without risk. A listener in the northern Kanyanza province of Burundi told Inzamba’s director: “Yes, I listen to Inzamba, but because of fear of being arrested by the police, you listen to Inzamba when you are in your bedroom and you use earphones.”

To ensure that Inzamba fulfills its mission of providing independent news and information, IMS has also supported independent content monitoring of Inzamba. Inzamba’s daily French and Kirundi news programs are currently pre-recorded and distributed via WhatsApp, on the Inzamba website and Bujumbura.be. Efforts are also being made to make the broadcasts available via satellite.

Inzamba has 23 journalists including three supervisors who work closely with the two chief editors. Every morning from Monday to Sunday, journalists on duty meet to to discuss about story ideas which will be developed in Kirundi and French news editions. Inzamba has shifted from live streaming to a pre-recorded broadcast distributed in the evening hours on WhatsApp and posted on Inzamba website.