Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye holds a public broadcast at least once a year. During this conference, he normally receives questions and grievances from journalists and residents. This year, he proposed that the conference be organized differently : either residents or journalists will be able to intervene and give answers or propose solutions in a country that is experiencing a generalized crisis, the fuel crisis that has lasted almost four years, being the most devastating. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Media managers or editors-in-chief were informed of the new format of this broadcast on Friday, December 20, during a preparatory meeting that took place in the premises of the Maison de la Presse in the commercial city of Bujumbura. A representative of the presidential section in charge of communication and media and the president of the Association of Burundi Broadcasters (ABR) were present at this meeting.

« The president wants the show to take this form. He wants it to have another format and have another dynamism, » informed those concerned, the representative of the Head of State. A promotional spot for the show that calls on the Burundian population, journalists and leaders of civil society groups to « participate and give their contributions », is played on various radio stations. It was also shared in WhatsApp groups of colleagues.

The show will take place on the grounds of a secondary school under the Catholic convention in the Nyakabiga neighborhood, in the urban district of Mukaza in the center of Bujumbura. It will start at 9 a.m. and last three hours. Participants are requested to arrive there before 8 a.m.

Two lines have been made available to all those who wish to ask questions or give contributions and answers remotely. And calls will be free for customers of ONATEL, the bankrupt National Telecommunications Office.

Reactions

Some observers speak of a « diversion » in a country experiencing a generalized crisis.

« The country has no foreign currency, poverty has reached its peak, Burundi is ranked the poorest and hungriest country in the world, reports from human rights organizations and the UN show that the human rights situation continues to deteriorate, the country sends soldiers to Congo to die in a war that does not concern Burundi and hate speech is growing stronger and stronger, investors have deserted the country following poor governance… the list of serious issues that require the lucidity and seriousness of the head of state is very long, » says a Burundian journalist.

« How can we expect a decent show in such a situation and hope for results in three hours? It’s making fun of people, » he adds.

For another official of a state media outlet who spoke on condition of anonymity, the president « denigrates everyone. »

« I think that President Évariste wants to denigrate everyone, starting with journalists. How can we call journalists in such an event and ask them to moderate. In any case, it shows that we have no value in his eyes, » he laments.

For other colleagues, this conference is neither less nor more a « cacophony. »

« It’s a way to avoid serious questions. I was surprised to learn, for example, that there will be no place reserved for journalists and that instead the entire public will sit and take their places as they please, » laments an editor-in-chief of a private media outlet who participated in the meeting on December 20.

As for a colleague who works for an international media outlet, « it’s a waste of time for the least busy president in the world. » She jokes that « it’s normal in a country where several independent media outlets have been destroyed and closed and where the few that try to work freely are muzzled. »

Even if the media do not occupy a prominent place in this public broadcast, they were called upon to send at least one representative to another meeting that took place on Thursday at the Maison de la Presse.

During this public broadcast, there will be a team from the presidency that will be responsible for collecting residents’ complaints in private to entrust them to President Ndayishimiye later for probable solutions. Public conferences organized by President Neva often turn into « courts of premature decisions ».