Radio Congo

  • Radio Congo
Genre : Social
Type : Documentary
Original title :
Principal country concerned : Column : Cinema/tv
Year of production : 2018
Format : Mid-length
Running time : 52 (in minutes)

Radio Congo, a documentary film about a community radio station in the heart of a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At a time when the country is suffering from political and military unrest, Radio Nsemo keeps its inhabitants informed on a daily basis as fuel becomes too scarce to power its generator...


RADIO CONGO TEASER VA from Philippe AYME on Vimeo.



Radio is indeed the only truly transversal medium, reaching all geographical areas and all strata of a society. Community radio informs, entertains and promotes local communication and exchanges with the outside world. These radios play a decisive role, they fulfil a real public service mission, and constitute a real vector of democracy and social link.

In Idiofa, a village located in the province of Bandundu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Radio Nsemo plays this role by informing its inhabitants of what is happening here and elsewhere. Like many bush radio stations, it is powered by a generator.

With the conflict in North Kivu and the soaring price of oil, the price of fuel is constantly rising. As a result, the radio station's managers are forced to reduce the generator's operating time. As a result, the duration of the broadcasts decreases with each passing month.

Unfortunately, armed groups have been known to hijack this instrument of democracy for warlike purposes. Radio des Mille Collines in neighbouring Rwanda or local radio stations pirated by rebels in North Kivu are sad examples.


A few years ago, a pilot experiment was conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A radio station managed to operate with palm oil directly harvested around the village where the station is located. The inhabitants take it in turns to provide the palm oil needed to run the engine. Since its installation, the radio has been working well and can broadcast for ten hours a day, compared to only two when the station was powered by fuel oil.

This experiment will soon be repeated in Idiofa. This village is located in an area that is not very accessible, but where palm trees grow in profusion and provide a generous supply of oil. Traditionally grown and used for food, the palm oil needed to run the engine will be supplied by the inhabitants.
The engine to be installed is one of the very first versions of the engine invented by Rudolph Diesel, precisely 100 years ago. At that time, the inventor's aim was to democratise access to energy by means of an engine that could consume vegetable oils. But at the dawn of the First World War, his invention was very quickly recuperated and diverted against his will to military and then industrial purposes. 100 years later, Diesel's dream will finally come true in the African bush through a local radio station. The vibrant echo that resonates between these two stories, between these two fragile tools of democratization, is one of the driving forces behind my production.

Following the airwaves of this radio, the film will slip into the intimacy of the inhabitants and bear witness to the possibilities and contradictions offered by this community tool put at the service of democracy.

Partners

  • Arterial network
  • Media, Sports and Entertainment Group (MSE)
  • Gens de la Caraïbe
  • Groupe 30 Afrique
  • Alliance Française VANUATU
  • PACIFIC ARTS ALLIANCE
  • FURTHER ARTS
  • Zimbabwe : Culture Fund Of Zimbabwe Trust
  • RDC : Groupe TACCEMS
  • Rwanda : Positive Production
  • Togo : Kadam Kadam
  • Niger : ONG Culture Art Humanité
  • Collectif 2004 Images
  • Africultures Burkina-Faso
  • Bénincultures / Editions Plurielles
  • Africiné
  • Afrilivres

With the support of