Joe Washington Ebina: Profile of a sincere, hardworking and patriotic man

Joe Washington Ebina: if there is one man in Congo, who represents or symbolizes hope in the future, it is Joe Washington Ebina. For Congo is a country whose youths: male and female, have been destroyed by the communist oriented government of Denis Sassou Nguesso. Those currently ruling Congo have made Congolese to believe only in money and not in hard work. Hence, it is a country of professional lairs, hypocrites and lazy people.  These set of people are not just unique to Congo. They are certainly found all over the world. However, proportionally to their population, the number or percentage seems to be higher. Anyway, it is my opinion. And interestingly, it is not a gospel truth. Congolese are all too often vulnerable to corruption, hence the high level of betrayal. It also has perhaps the laziest youths the world.  Its women and in particular, those born between the 70s and the 90s, are also perhaps the less ambitious in Africa and also the world.  The corrupt rich and powerful old men, almost all belonging to the ruling PCT party, have spoiled Congolese women. They have made them to think that, they can only cultivate and embellish their physiques and also be good in bed, as their only route to be successful in life. This part will be developed more on the chapter on Congolese culture. But Joe Washington Ebina is different.  And it is refreshing because, it is an indication that, there might be many like him, who have not shown up or made themselves known. He believes in hard work and has the selfless spirit to sacrifice for others. He is the chair of the Ebina Foundation.

He was born with a golden spoon, because, his father, Joseph is besides Pierre Otto Mbongo, the only two known self made rich men in that country. Even though from a wealthy family, he is simple and accessible.  The Ebina Foundation is one of the few real humanitarian or philanthropic oriented foundations in Congo. It is different from the thousand and one fictitious foundations, created by the children, family members and friends of President Denis Sassou Nguesso. The only aim of those fictitious foundations, are to prop up their soiled individual and collective images and also that of their father, uncle and friend, at home and abroad. Unfortunately for the friends, children and nephews of the president, who are professional copycats devoid of any inventive or creative skills, their foundations has little or no impact locally and internationally. The Ebina Foundation is real because it truly helps or comes to the aid of the needy. I have seen or been a witness of its vast operational areas. It provides clean water to Congolese who are unable to have pipe-borne water. Sometimes, the quality of water provided by the state water utility, SNDE, in some neighbourhood of the capital and Pointe Noire, are so bad or poor that, even animals can’t drink.  Paradoxically, Congo lies along one of the longest rivers in the world, the River Congo. The country is also crisscrossed by several other rivers. But there are still parts of the city of Brazzaville and elsewhere in the country that have never seen water run through their taps or faucets, for at least, three years. The Ebina foundation also comes to the aid of children and people who can’t afford healthcare.

And it also provides thousands of scholarships to children from socially disadvantaged homes. In fact, it is a foundation that is helping to close the loopholes in the failed health, social and education systems of Congo. Besides running the Ebina Foundation, Joe Washington is also an active member of the Congolese civil society organisations. The civil society sector just like many others such as politics, has also been infiltrated, drowned and destroyed by the ruling Nguesso family. As they have done in the foundation sector, the ruling Nguesso family, have also created and funded several civil society organizations, with the sole aim of consolidating power and silencing dissent. But not all foundations created by the Nguesso ruling family members and friends of the president are fake. The only exception that, I know, is that which is chaired and funded by Edgard Nguesso. And it is called Fondation Generation Avenir. But a single swallow is not an indication that springtime is around. The existence of fictitious foundations and civil society organisations and political parties has seriously dented the credibility of civil society bodies in Congo. Interestingly, the civil society organisations in which Joe Washington Ebina is a member are genuine ones. He is a leader with an extraordinary federating attraction. Even though he is a native of the north of the country, his appeal is nationwide.

Besides his voluntary work against the needy and the marginalized, he is also a real pro-democracy activist, who loves and supports freedom of speech and abhors dictatorship. In a country where there is no free speech and where personality cult has been elevated into a state religion, it is refreshing to have a young man who is ready to put his life on the line for others and also hold democratic values. It is a rare quality in a country and in a sub region, where people metaphorically speaking, want to go to heaven, but none is ready to die. As at now, Mr Ebina focuses his attention on social issues like the repairs of lifts at the Brazzaville University Teaching Hospital, CHU, which is in an appalling professional infrastructural and hygienic state. He also spends time raising funds to purchase stand by generators for the Makelekele hospital located south of Brazzaville or coming to the aide of people and children suffering from albinism and other ills. Even though he is suspected by the government of having political ambitions, he has not yet made up his mind.

However, when he will decide to get involved in politics, it would change the dynamics and it would certainly have a positive impact. His role within the minuscule Congolese civil society organisations, gives hope in a country where, civil society organisations are almost none existent. For what passes for civil society organizations are in reality working for or in support of the government. In my humble opinion, Joe Washington Ebina is a sincere, hardworking and patriotic man, who believes in Congo’s future and more, he also believes in what he is doing.  That explains why his appeal goes beyond tribal and regional lines and this partly explains the reason why, he is hated by the President of the Republic. For the President can’t stand or hates to see any Congolese who is nationally popular. The attitude of President Denis Sassou Nguesso toward popular individuals or in this case, Joe Washington Ebina, whom he has instructed General Jean Francois Ndenguet to arrest on several occasions, is similar to the biblical example of King Saul and David.  In the view of Denis Sassou Nguesso, any popular Congolese or not, is a threat to his aspired eternal rule. Joe Washington Ebina is already playing a major role in the country. Even though he is regularly harassed and arrested by the police, because his actions raise consciousness and awareness of Congolese youths, he is not discouraged or consumed by fear. He will certainly be among those who will play greater role in the transformation of Congo democratically in the future.

Congo: a Central African regional laboratory or testing ground

Therefore, Jean Dominique Okemba who doesn’t like contradictions himself and by extension free speech is not the one influencing Denis Sassou Nguesso to dislike press freedom, the president likes a press that showers praises on him and all what he does and nothing.  Denis Sassou Nguesso is a dictator, who thinks that, he was created by God to rule Congo. And as long as he is alive, he wants to be president of Congo and also have influence within the sub region and beyond. Armed with the support of Maurice Nguesso, I went ahead and established the editorial line, which was liberal and pro-democracy oriented. Personally, noted the heavy influence of Communism on Congolese and I hell bent at contributing in destroying it at my small level.  I consider Communism as a policy that was vile.  Communism in my humble opinion encourages personality cult culture, absence of a culture of merit and worst of all dictatorship. I felt it was an opportunity for me to encourage Congolese to be more liberal culturally, pro-democratic and business oriented. I also had another objective besides my inner most desire to encourage free speech and the destruction of a system, which I quickly assimilated to be diabolic.

My other objective was that, I wanted Congo to become an English-speaking country or to love Anglo-Saxon culture. For I have always thought rightly or wrongly and this perhaps, because I am from Anglophone Cameroon and an Anglophone nationalist, that, the French language for all its praises and decorum was a language of oppression and economic degradation.  The French language made most French-speaking Africans not to be independent minded and more, that language made it also easier for France to continue to dominate most or all French-speaking African countries. Hence, in my secret ambition to make or contribute to make Congo to become English-speaking or to develop  love for the English-speaking world and also look beyond France, I did all I could, to sign a partnership with the Voice of America (VOA) and started broadcasting English language programmes on MNTV/MN Radio. Besides the above, VOA programmes also came as help to our shortage of internal productions. 

Although there were some programmes in French such as Washington Forum on Television, most of the programmes from VOA that were broadcast on radio were in French hence, I didn’t care whether they were broadcast or not. However, mindful of the power of the radio because, it remained the main medium that had and still has the capacity to reach the homes of several Congolese, hence, I ordered that, the broadcast of VOA English language programmes on radio as well.  My targets were young Congolese who were born between 1990 and 1997, although these groups like those born between 1978 and 1980 downward, have only known Denis Sassou Nguesso as president, with a short but violent period of Pascal Lissouba. The first groups were more open to democratic progress and change than the second. For they were more  ready to listen or watch other radio and television stations other than Radio France International or TV5 or France 24 from France and more, they like American culture and the English language.

My other observation was that, Congo with its influence within the sub region, its rich culture and striving intellectuals who were almost all living in exile because of Denis Sassou Nguesso, was for me a central African regional laboratory or testing ground. If there was any regime change or respect of the constitution by President Denis Sassou Nguesso, it might influence what is happening in Cameroon where Paul Biya and his corrupt regime have been governing Cameroon for 33 years. It might also influence the Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Congo was everything or was the fulcrum in the pro-democratic plans that I had for a part of Africa that is a hideout of the worst dictatorships on the continent. The most difficult experience that I had in Congo were not the challenges of censorship or death threats or  best expulsion, which eventually happened on the 26^th of September 2014. The most difficult thing was to get a team to work with as earlier mentioned. This was so because, Congo as already mentioned, has a problem of acute shortage of qualified labor or manpower.

Nonetheless, I had to rely on the help of Alexandre Pierre Bougha who was the Director of Programmes. The other pair of sure hands was Sam Nick Owosso, who was the technical Director and also Alain Shungu, the news Director. Frustrated and appalled by the standard of the journalists that, I had or met at MNTV/MN Radio, I once asked Alain Shungu this question: why an experience journalist like you could employ or recruit people or journalists who could not read or write French or even the two national languages of the country, namely: Lingala and Kituba? He replied: the 10 who could read and write were the ones that I recruited or recommended that they should be recruited. The rest, he concluded: were recommendations from Maurice Nguesso or Simon Zibe, the adviser of Maurice Nguesso on matters of Communications. It was around those ten journalists who had amongst them a talented and I think a gifted journalist called Prince Bafoulou. Besides Prince Bafoulou, there were other talents such as Herve Ekirono, Serge Bakola aka le Francais, Guy Blaise de Seydoux Mamadou, Leho de Paris Bantsimba, Esther Bikoumou and Alexan Vinet Foundou, Davy Mossa and Emery Patrice Orbargui, they constituted the core of the newsroom.

It is also true that, Herve Ekirono, Guy Blaise de Seydoux , Serge Bakola aka le Francais and Stanislas Okassou, were reporters who came over from the daily Le Fanion, when it was closed. But they brought in a fresh blood with their talents into the TV and Radio. I also noticed some promising reporters and presenters such as Stella Lurnelle Mfina, Oliviane Bayanga and Olga Tchitembo. It is also true that, I made a mistake, when I was about to appoint the first news editor of MNTV/MN Radio. Instead of appointing Prince Bafoulou, I appointed a certain Yvon Armand Amoko aka le Pape. He too was talented and much more experienced than all. But Yvon Armand Amoko aka le Pape drank a lot. He was an alcoholic that I have never seen before. I don’t know whether it was because of the consequences of the civil war or whether it was his family brother that made such a brilliant journalist such as Yvon Armand Amoko aka le Pape to love the bottle, the way he did. However, I was told that, it was curse that was cast on their family.

But I don’t believe it, for I am of the opinion that, you are what you decide to be. Yvon Armand Amoko aka le Pape has visited several revival churches to help cast out the demon of alcoholism in him had failed. In the battleground that Yvon Armand Amoko aka le Pape body became, “Satan the devil”, defeated God in and out.   I think the appointment of Yvon Armand Amoko aka le Pape as the first editor-in-chief of MNTV/MN Radio was also the first fundamental strategic mistake that I did and wish I regret because I or we lost Prince Bafoulou. It is true that, Congolese or within MNCOM, there was a dearth of professionals, but Prince Bafoulou was an exception. He had his training in journalism not in Congo but in the Republic of Benin, a country well respected for its free speech and solid democratic credentials. From that mistake, I learnt five things in management: don’t rush, don’t judge on appearances, and don’t listen to what people say on others, make your own patience assessments and always work with the best. While the credit for what MNTV/MN Radio has become most often is directed to me, the one who instituted or the real architect of our success on TV and Radio was Alexandre Pierre Bougha, for he was the one who created most of the programmes on Radio and Television.

Alexandre Pierre Bougha is a very intelligent man with a strong analytical mind. And I learn at MNCOM that, to succeed, always surround yourself with the best minds. A good leader or anyone who wants to succeed must not be afraid of brilliant and intelligent people. Besides the challenges to have a team of train journalists or technicians which was solved as time went by especially with on the job trainings and my capacity to adapt and operate with empiricism. The other challenge was how to work independently without the government or the ruling family interferences. In Congo, in has to pointed out that, the ruling Nguesso family are present everywhere. It is a kind of a republican monarchy. Any person with a license to operate anything must be close to the ruling family. The first privately owned Radio and Television Station to operate in Congo is called DRTV or Dabira Radio and Television. But officially, it is called Digital Radio and Television. This TV and Radio station is owned by General Norbert DABIRA who is indicted in France for war crime.

It had to do with the role that he is alleged to have played in the 1999 Massacre of Congolese Refugees returning from the DRC. The Massacre is popularly known in French as Les Disparus du Beech. However, General Norbert DABIRA is not the only high profile Congolese general close to President Denis SASSOU NGEUSSO that has been indicted for war crime. The other notable indicted war criminal is General Jean François NDENGUET. Although General Norbert DABIRA is from the North of Congo like President Denis Sassou Nguesso and of the same tribe, President Denis Sassou Nguesso never wanted him to have or open his own Radio and Television station. That was what General DABIRA ones told me. I asked him the reason why he replied “the President and his family are accusing me that, I supported their 1997 coup d’état against the democratically elected government of President Pascal LISSOUBA very late”.

He concluded: “were it not for the intervention of Maurice Nguesso, when he still had influence on his younger brother before the arrival of Jean Dominique OKEMBA, I won’t have had the authorization to operate my Radio and Television station operational today”. I asked him again: why was President Denis Sassou Nguesso not willing, besides the fact that you failed to join them at the beginning of the 1997 uprising against president Pascal Lissouba?  He replied: “President Denis Sassou Nguesso thought that, by authorizing me to have a media or a Radio and Television station to be precise, I will get involve into politics, thus challenging his desire to remain in power for life. They are always like that in that family. They want others to work for them as slaves.  Even his uncle, who is the Minister of Justice, Aime Emmanuel YOKA, always thinks that, they are superior to other”. It has to be noted clearly that, because of the intervention of Maurice Nguesso, DRTV is alive and broadcasting today in the Republic of Congo. But the editorial line of DRTV  is not very different from the state owned broadcaster, Tele Congo.