Rwanda: "Mbariza Ntore” - inform us so that we can vote

Assuring political space, avoiding political hostilities and making elections understandable to citizens

“Mbariza Ntore” (Kirundi for “inform us so that we can vote”) is a media support project of the Dutch NGO, La Benevolencija, set up with a total of 18 different media houses (radio, print press, TV, Internet and news agency) in Burundi. The project enhances the capacity of citizens to better understand the conditions in which they are being invited to fulfill their political rights.

This within a post-conflict context that is dominated by political manipulation and fear. In low income, post-conflict dominated countries, voters have in general little knowledge about the important choices they face. On top of it, the past performances of elected leaders are rarely visible or understandable, since rarely impact studies have been made available to a larger public, creating know-how at citizens’ level. The political question remains on how ignorant masses will make judgments on good or bad performances of their leaders? And within a post-conflict context like Burundi, where most often ethnic/religious/regional rivalries are not forgotten, it seems more obvious that these identities remain the key choice in the ballot boxes, or at least, remain the key factor to manipulation based on the abuse of fear.

Resulting from this short analysis above, “Mbariza Ntore” recommends to take a pragmatic approach by working with combined media houses, by following up preelection peace pledges and by tracking and avoiding violent incidents.

Electoral processes in war-prone societies present particular problems and, certainly, provide core opportunities for change, for participation in governance. However, the campaign, the voting and the proclamation phases of the elections are frequently accompanied by violence, like recently witnessed in the DR Congo and Kenya. In this process, the national and local media fulfilled an important, if not the most crucial, role. Therefore, “Mbariza Ntore” focuses on their role in the electoral process: from contribution to responsibility. To invest wisely in the media, Benevolencija presents a support model that is based on practice, experience, and impact in one country, Burundi, but that shows solidity, strength, and impact - from stronger media scenes to more robust, open, and inclusive political processes.

Mbariza Ntore creates and facilitates a “pool” of media specialists

In Burundi, journalists and media proprietors face immense commercial and political constraints which are limiting constraining their journalistic independence, their integrity, but also there practical and logistical capacity in analysing the political context. Lack of time and means limits each media outlet to have a selected, but well trained and informed pool of specialists, able to cover the elections correctly. The content debate that must be elaborated, discussed and disputed among journalists therefore limits itself often to what some might call the “personality” cult of some political leaders. The issues at stake are rarely, correctly addressed (i.e. the needs of the population as such). Through this project, Benevolencija suggests a more appropriate content debate that should enhance political leaders and factions to engage them into developing more accountability and program development.

Benevolencija has put in place a “pool” of sixteen journalists, each from most radio and print media, to facilitate investigation and production work on a common and regular basis. Among the priorities of this “pool” is the production of a common outlet (a weekly radio program/newspaper dossier) that is a source of credible information for the population. Having access to information in forms that people can understand, in their own (Kirundi) language, seems to be a basic democratic necessity in the pre-electoral phase. Together with other media stakeholders that are all unified under a PACAM umbrella, the pool of journalists will also be involved in pre-electoral debates among all political parties. Early warning – Early reaction: the challenge for the electoral and post-electoral phase is to develop a communication content that can help audiences “immediately” in helping to understand the situation better and to help them change their attitudes and behaviour, in staying or becoming non violent citizens. The main focus here in on the “bystander in transition to becoming an average potential perpetrator”. People in danger of joining a negative group and arming themselves, should be challenged by asking them questions that seek to create small “critical moments”, leading them into reflection before engaging upon violent behaviour.

Partners are: The National Radio of Burundi, The National Television of Burundi,
Radio Isanganiro, Radio Renaissance, Radio Rema FM, Radio Bonesha FM, Radio CCIB
FM +, Radio Umuco, Radio Star FM, Radio RPA, Radio Salama, Iwacu, Renouveau, Ubumwe, Arc en Ciel, Burundi Tribune, Net Press and Agence Burundaise de Presse.

More information: [email][email protected]