On Friday 25 February 2022, Radio Okapi celebrated its twentieth anniversary: a UN medium that has captured the hearts of the Congolese people over the years.
For twenty years, Radio Okapi has been informing women and men in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Created on February 25, 2002, the Radio for Peace gradually became a success story. Its creation coincided with the launch of the democratic process in the DRC, through a forum known as the “Inter-Congolese Dialogue” held in Sun City (South Africa). Thus, on Friday February 25, Radio Okapi’s twentieth anniversary was celebrated across the various cities from where it broadcasts. An overview.
Like in the capital city Kinshasa where the national Radio Okapi antenna is located, Beni celebrated the twentieth anniversary of Radio Okapi on Friday 25 February. The ceremony, which took place at the Okapi Palace hotel in the Boïkene district, brought together the city authorities: civil and military alike, some civil and religious notables, MONUSCO officials and staff, but also representatives of the various civil society organizations, some of whom coming from Oïcha, the administrative capital of the territory of Beni.
Speeches, testimonies, presentations & debates, and music punctuated this event. On this occasion, the mayor of the city, Kashale Narcisse Muteba, applauded the tremendous work carried out by Radio Okapi for twenty years "in the service of peace and democracy". He encouraged Radio Okapi journalists not to change course, because, in addition to being a "Pro-Peace Radio”, it is a radio in the service of the people, through its programs and debates ", he said.
Cecilia Piazza, head of MONUSCO office in Beni-Butembo-Lubero who opened the ceremony, said the radio is "an important media support, on which MONUSCO relies to disseminate its message for peace throughout the North-Kivu province, in the Beni region, more particularly, and everywhere in the DRC. It has continually supported the authorities’ efforts for the pacification of the country through its reporting and broadcasts,” she said.
The highlight of the ceremony was the debate on the impact of the radio in relation to the pacification of the Beni region. To this end, Professor Innocent Bora Uzima, head of the Department of Information and Communication Sciences at UCBC (Bilingual Christian University of Congo) indicated that Radio Okapi had a real impact on the pacification of the region through the various services it offers on the protection and prevention of conflicts. "By providing information and news explaining where conflicts are taking place, which are the safe areas, where to find help, Radio Okapi help the population to better protect themselves against the risks that threaten them.” said Innocent Bora Uzima. “Radio Okapi has really served as an instrument for spreading a positive ideology for peace, reunification of the Congolese nation and the unity of its people,” he further said.
“It is inconceivable for Ituri to do without Radio Okapi”
In Ituri, the first Radio Okapi signal was picked up on August 25, 2003. To mark this anniversary, MONUSCO's Public Information section in Ituri organized a conference-debate on February 25, 2022, around the theme: "Twenty years in existence: what contribution has Radio Okapi made to Peace in Ituri and in the DRC and what do the population in Ituri expect from the Radio?” More than 70 guests took part, including political and administrative authorities, representatives of youth and women's associations, media professionals, and the spokesperson for the Congolese army in Ituri (FARDC).
In his welcoming address, MONUSCO office chief in Ituri, Josiah Obat, paid tribute to Radio Okapi and to all those who, 24/7, keep this radio alive. He invited the participants to share their proposals for the future of this "common asset" for all Congolese men and women, after the UN Mission’s exit.
The speaker of the day, Richard Pitwa, director of Radio Canal Révélation (RCR) and leader of the Community Radios Association in Ituri, applauded "the great work done by Radio Okapi to bring to the local people national, diverse and balanced information. Radio Okapi gives everyone a voice, regardless of their background: power, opposition, women, young people, artists, in short, the ordinary citizen. Radio Okapi is probably the best journalism school in the country, a source of inspiration for us the media professionals.” He is not the only one to extoll the "merits" of the United Nations Radio station which everyone refers to as "the church in the middle of the village" or even "the peace frequency".
Social Cohesion tool
In Goma, from Monday February 21 to Friday February 25, 2022, the regional station offered, both for the daily switchover and for program broadcasts from Kinshasa, several factual radio formats, especially on the contribution of Radio Okapi over the past twenty years.
Festive-wise, the celebration of February 25 took place at the Welfare site of MONUSCO / Goma, with roughly forty guests in attendance. “Radio Okapi also plays an important role in supporting the Congolese media. United Nations radio is often the only source of national information in a country where the media is mainly local. The information from this station is repeated a lot, which helps these media to go beyond the local vision of current issues,” said Laïla Bourhil, the head of MONUSCO Goma office. She went on to say: “Needless to recall that the future of a radio station is built on the hope aroused daily in listeners. It is obvious that the Radio Okapi actors had to face many challenges to finally build this beautiful tool for broadcast and social cohesion as perceived by everyone”.
Finally, in Kinshasa, in the Grande Halle de la Gombe, live broadcasts were organized all day-long on February 25: ''Okapi Service'' (impact of the Radio Okapi's work on the Congolese population), ''Parole aux Auditeurs/Over to the Listeners'', but also artistic productions with the Sango'A theater group, MONUSCO choir ''Peace and Love'', etc. in front of a large and diverse audience.
A gala ball was organized in the evening at the Petite Halle de la Gombe with roughly 200 guests, including three cabinet ministers (Interior and Decentralization, Industry, Communication and Media), members of the diplomatic corps, MONUSCO leadership and staff including Radio Okapi staff and many other guests. The program included several activities: speeches respectively by the Director of Public Information Division, Christophe Boulierac; the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC, Kassim Diagne; the Minister of Communication and Media, Patrick Muyaya; and a video message from the Head of MONUSCO Bintou Keita; screening of the film ''Radio Okapi, the Pro-Life Radio'' by Pierre Guyot were watched and heard during the event. All the speakers demonstrated the importance of Radio Okapi's work in the country and expressed the wish to see the radio continue even after MONUSCO’s departure.
To date, Radio Okapi has reason to be proud of its achievements. It has indeed won the hearts and souls of the Congolese people. Radio Okapi rests on historically solid foundations through its journalistic know-how, prestige, and its credibility. Radio Okapi covers the whole of the DRC thanks to its 42 FM transmitters, but also its popular dimension, with 24 million listeners who listen to it every week.