GITEGA November 29th (ABP) – The Vice-President of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Prosper Bazombanza, has asked journalists to work professionally in order to serve Burundians with information that helps them build well-being. He delivered that recommendation in his speech at the official launch of the activities of the Estates General of Communication and the Media, on Thursday, November 24, 2022, in the premises of the Jean Paul II Major Seminary of Gitega, in the commune and province of Gitega hosting the political capital of the country (center of the country).
“Professionalism, we must insist on it, because with the advent of the internet, we have gone from “mass media to the mass of the media”, he explained. To support his point, he relied on the events that occurred in the media sector between 2011 and 2022. He indicated that radio and television stations were born one after the other, with diverse editorial lines and very limited material, financial and human resources.
Mr. Bazombanza deplored that those media have drawn staff from unemployed young people, without experience, which has opened the profession to amateurism and thus deeply hinders professionalism, he added. He appealed to the technical and financial partners of the media to continue to support them in order to catalyze their emergence for the general interest of the country.
Despite those weaknesses in the media mentioned above, the Vice-President of the Republic praised the bravery of many journalists who provide useful information to the public. He did not forget to deliver his positive assessment of the Burundian government to the media during major events in the very recent history of Burundi. He cited, among other things, the 2018 constitutional referendum, the 2020 electoral process and the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. To the participants in the said Estates General, he asked to adopt strategies aimed at the country’s commitment to development. Previously, other speakers had delivered communications. They would cite among others the Minister of Communication, Information Technologies and Media, Mrs. Léocadie Ndacayisaba, to deliver the scope of its meetings. It is an opportunity to do introspection, to meet the challenges and to lay milestones to improve the media sector, she said before thanking the government for recognizing the role of the media in the development of the country.
As for the ambassador delegate of the European Union, he reiterated the will of this international organization to be at the side of the media. The communications were given by the chairperson of the national communication council (CNC) and the representative of UNICEF in Burundi, on behalf of the UN organizations.
Placed under the slogan “Never without the Media”, those states general which will last two days are made up of themes related to political communication and the reduction of the digital divide. The ceremonies saw the participation of personalities from state institutions, civil society organizations, technical and financial partners of Burundi, media officials and journalists.