Interactive Radio for Justice

Insight Collaborative and the organization Interactive Radio for Justice Project (IRfJ) are nearing the end of their fruitful year of collaboration and look forward to securing additional funding and furthering the relationship. IRfJ uses radio programming to encourage dialogue between people in regions where the International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating war crimes and genocide. IRfJ has been active in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since 2005 and in the Central African Republic (CAR) since January 2008. Working with IRfJ, Insight Collaborative secured $190,000 in 2007-8 funding for IRfJ projects from the MacArthur Foundation and the Trust Fund for Victims.

IRfJ journalists visit markets, churches and homes in often remote communities and ask people what they want to know about justice. Every question gets an answer and IRfJ often pursues responses from the highest available authorities. IRfJ has started listening clubs where people gather once a week to listen to and discuss the broadcasts. In regions with little infrastructure and high illiteracy rates, IRfJ often provides the only opportunity people have to get information and communicate with authorities and government. IRfJ has four programs that are broadcast over community radio in French, Swahili, and Lingala in the DRC, and in CAR they have produced six programs in the base series of the project in French and Sango. The most recently added program, Our Reconciliation, examines how communities in the Ituri region of the DRC have resolved their conflicts and how their efforts can be duplicated.

"There is a deficit of information,” explains Director Wanda Hall. “They don’t have enough contact with the outside world. Communication is essential for the development of civil society and media plays a big part in that." IRfJ encourages this communication and participation by giving communities the opportunity to take advantage of the newly built justice systems. IRfJ is growing and visits a new village every week to promote education and awareness.

In addition to the radio programming, IRfJ also organizes public meetings between citizens from target communities and justice officials who speak regularly on the programs. To celebrate the twenty-fifth IRfJ program, ICC Deputy Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and ICC Registrar Bruno Cathala came to Bunia to take part in these meetings. Additionally, in Bangui, CAR, ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Morena Ocampo came to answer questions from citizens as well. Another newly launched initiative in Bunia is called Music for Justice. Local music groups are writing songs around four themes: reconciliation, sexual and domestic violence as a crime, the future of our youth after the war, and the importance of rule-of-law. IRfJ will distribute CDs to radios throughout the Ituru and Kivus region of the DRC.

“I am hoping that the IRfJ/Insight Collaborative partnership will allow for an exciting expansion of the projects currently being implemented in DRC and CAR,” says Hall. “Through this collaboration, structural and organizational growth is possible for us. I hope this will include new projects promoting a dialogue about how the rule of law and conflict management can work effectively together to promote sustainable peace in these regions. IRfJ must grow to survive, and I think working with Insight Collaborative will make that growth possible.”

Radio is an extremely effective tool in Africa in general because it is the primary source of information for people. Radio production is comparatively inexpensive—the equipment costs a fraction the cost of equipment for video and television—and it’s possible to create conversations between people who are separated by time and distance. In the DRC and in CAR, the cultures are predominantly oral, and story telling, conversation, and music are the main genres of communication and information sharing. The radio proved itself to be a frighteningly effective tool in the genocide in Rwanda—people were convinced to kill their neighbors through constant radio messages that promoted hatred, mistrust and fear. Just think of the power radio can have when sending messages of courage, hope and integrity!

http://www.irfj.org/