Joachim Mbanza: he is a journalist and
editor–in-chief of Congo’s oldest newspaper, La Semaine Africaine. Until
Joachim Mbanza decided to cave-in to the pressure of the state, especially to
the head of the Congolese Police Force, General Jean Francois Ndenguet, the
biweekly that he is managing, was one of the most professional newspapers in
the country and also within the central African sub region. The professionalism
of La Semaine Africaine may not have changed according to some, but when a
media is no longer objective, can it still be referred to as professional? It is
a question that, I will like professional of the journalism profession to give
me an answer. Although Mr Mbanza is now playing the same role on the side of
General Jean Francois Ndenguet as Francois Bikindou, even though in a less
assertive role, La Semaine Africain has not yet become a second Troubadour
newspaper. And whatever his current allegiances with the regime are, Mbanza
remains one of
the most professional and brilliant journalist in Congo. To his discharge, I
won’t conclude that, he is a sellout. My conviction is that, his fear of state
repression and his desire not become a second Bruno Ossebi or Joseph Ngouala,
couple with some lining of greed, may have forced him to collaborate with the
very forces and people, who are the predators of free speech and who above all,
abhor free and independent press and thoughts.
His regular participation in the live weekly Congo
Presse Club programme, hosted by Andre Ondele on Tele Congo is pathetic. It has
dented the respect that, a majority of Congolese had for him. And this is truer
because, when taking part in Congo Press Club, he is unable to express himself
objectively on national and international issues, especially, those that
concerns Denis Sassou Nguesso. However, he is an intelligent man. For after professionally soiling himself, just
to please the regime on Tele Congo, he redeems himself by coming to take part
in a weekly programme on MNTV called Point de Presse, anchored by Emery Patrice
Orbargui. The difference between Congo Press Club, broadcast of Tele Congo with
Point de Press, broadcast on MNTV is that, the first is a not objective and it
is a mere propaganda programme, whereas the second is professionally balanced. And
this might explain the reason why; Joachim Mbanza participated every Sunday in
Point de Press. In Point de Press, he was
free to express his true professional
self. Just like Alphonse Ndongo, Joachim Mbanza has a solid mastery of the
Congolese political landscape and that may explain the reason why, he is
ambiguous. While he is accused of
collaborating with General Jean Francois Ndenguet, just like Francois Bikindou
does, which is not a lie, but he refuses. However the assumed politician and
member of the ruling party that he is closed to and that he officially operates
as communications adviser is Claude Alphonse N’silou. Perhaps he accepts to be labeled
close to N’silou than Ndenguet because the first is less radioactive than the
second.
In my opinion, Joachim Mbanza seems to operate like a
realist, who thinks that, if you can’t beat the current brutal regime of Denis
Sassou Nguesso, you must join them, even if unconvincingly. However, I am
totally against such attitudes and opinions now prevalent in the country. The
attitude of sitting on the fence is not worthy of a man of the professional calibre
of Joachim Mbanza, on whom many Congolese are counting on to provide them with objective
information. Furthermore, democracy can’t prosper in a situation where people
are not ready to sacrifice themselves for the collective good. However, collaborating
with the government as he is doing, doesn’t remove the fact that, he was
trained in one of France’s most prestigious schools of journalism, based in
Lille. And this has made him to be among the few group of Congolese journalists,
who got their training in the free world, as opposed to the majority who studied
press and propaganda in eastern Europe under communism or in the former USSR
and Cuba, hence he knows his job well. But unfortunately, as mentioned above,
he is putting his professional know how in journalism, at the service of Denis
Sassou Nguesso, who is a brutal dictator. His weak point, I think, is that, he
is not bold enough to challenge the dictatorship through his writings. But one
thing is clear; he doesn’t support Denis Sassou Nguesso or the way that he is
governing the country.
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