Leonard Mulamba is editor-in-chief at Radio Okapi, which was named IPI’s 2010 Free Media Pioneer.  Mr. Mulamba has worked at Radio Okapi since it was established on 25 February 2002 and has held several positions at the station since then, including Editorial Secretary and Deputy Chief Editor. Mr. Mulamba has been editor-in-chief since January 2008.

IPI: How long have you worked with Radio Okapi, and how long have you been editor-in-chief?

Mulamba: I have worked for Radio Okapi since it was established on 25 February, 2002. I started as the Editorial Secretary. Then in 2004 I became deputy chief editor, in which capacity I participated in the 2005 IPI Congress in Nairobi, Kenya. Finally, on 1 January 2008 I became editor-in-chief.

IPI: What do you see as the role or roles of Radio Okapi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)?

Mulamba: Radio Okapi has several important roles in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The foremost role is to inform, educate and entertain the Congolese people in all fields: political, social, economic, cultural, sports …

To give you an exact idea of the work we do, you should know that the DRC has a population of more than 60 million inhabitants. This population is scattered over an area of nearly 2.4 million km² – almost the size of the whole of Western Europe. Radio Okapi is the only radio station to cover almost all of this vast country. With eight provincial studios, dozens of FM transmitters, but also shortwave, a broadcast-satellite DSTV on channel 167, as well as a webcast (www.radiookapi.net) and dozens of community radio stations which relay its signal, Radio Okapi is present 24 hours a day for the Congolese.

Also, by using interactive programs Radio Okapi reaches out to the Congolese who, thanks to the recent and significant penetration of mobile phones in the country, can say what they think freely about their society and those who lead them. This is an important contribution to democratic society that is taking place in DRC.

IPI: What impact would you like Radio Okapi to have on the media in the DRC?

Mulamba: The impact of Radio Okapi on Congolese media is already very significant. For example, the presence of two sides of a story or the balanced use of information are increasing in the audiovisual media in the DRC. This was not the case before. Also, because of the enormous operating difficulties of the Congolese Press Agency, Radio Okapi plays a kind of agency role for the media.

IPI: Since it’s founding, Radio Okapi has tragically lost two of its reporters, who were killed as a result of their work. Have their deaths changed the way you work at Okapi?

Mulamba: It is true that Maheshe and Didace Namujimbo, two journalists from our editorial office in the city of Bukavu, were murdered on 13 June 2007 and 21 November 2008 by armed men. That has not changed the way we work. We continue to disseminate our information with complete independence and objectivity, even if we know that freedom of expression carries ongoing risks.

IPI: How many journalists and technicians does Radio Okapi employ? In how many towns are there Okapi reporters?

Mulamba: Radio Okapi has more than 140 journalists, with around 80 at our Kinshasa bureau and 60 in different cities and localities within the DRC. Radio Okapi works with forty technicians, twenty drivers and some administration. In all, more than 200 people operate this vast network which stretches over 2,000 km from the east to the west and from the north to the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

IPI: How is news reporting as a whole in the DRC?

Mulamba: To gather information throughout the DRC, Radio Okapi reporters travel to almost every corner where events occur. The information of local interest is published by the local branch, from our provincial studios, while news of national interest is sent via Internet FTP or by telephone to the editor to make the central national circulation. The news and other programs deal with the daily experiences of people. And most importantly, Radio Okapi broadcasts news not only French, the language of the DRC, but also in the four national languages: Lingala, Kikongo, Tshiluba and Swahili. Thus, even the uneducated people in different language areas also have access to information.

Radio Okapi was named IPI “Free Media Pioneer” for 2010. The award will be presented to Mr. Mulamba and his colleagues Amadou Ba (MONUSCO) and Nicolas Boissez (Fondation Hirondelle) during the Opening Ceremony of the IPI World Congress in Vienna, Austria, which will be held from 11-14 September 2010.