BISSAU-GUINEAN MEDIA ON LIFE SUPPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DAKAR 000610

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR AF/PDPA, AF/W, AF/RSA, INR/AA AND DRL/PHD
AID/W FOR AFR/WA
ACCRA ALSO FOR WARP AND IBB - LUCAS
LISBON ALSO FOR DAO
PARIS FOR POL - D'ELIA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM SCUL KDEM KPAO PU
SUBJECT: BISSAU-GUINEAN MEDIA ON LIFE SUPPORT


SUMMARY
--------------

1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Government and private media in Guinea-
Bissau barely function and rely heavily on the
international donor community to survive. Nonetheless,
editors have a solid grasp of the role of independent
media in building a pluralist democracy as well as
advancing national reconciliation and reconstruction. The
average "daily" appears weekly with a print run of 1,000
copies at a street price of about USD 1, and the estimated
monthly salary of a journalist is USD 75. Like other
sectors, the media has suffered from brain drain.
Poverty, low wages and the absence of advertising markets
make the media vulnerable to corruption and inclined to
practice self-censorship. Irregularities in the
electricity supply remain a serious impediment to
communications and production. While most elite speak
Portuguese, radio broadcasting in indigenous languages
appears to be the most effective means of communicating
with the general public. Media are overwhelmingly
concentrated in Bissau, with the notable exception of an
estimated 42 community radio stations in the country. END
SUMMARY.


2. (U) February 7-8, Information Officer and FSN
Information Specialist visited Bissau to assess the media
landscape in Guinea-Bissau.

STATE SECRETARY SAYS PRESS FREEDOM "GUARANTEED"
-------------- --

3. (SBU) An experienced journalist trained in Lisbon,
State Secretary for Social Communication Joao de Barros is
also the owner and director of the independent newspaper
Diario de Bissau. Barros claims to have been arrested and
imprisoned more than ten times during President Kumba
Yala's regime. He asserted that under President Vieira,
press freedom is "guaranteed" and that the Government does
not pressure or otherwise seek to control the media.
Barros noted that not a single journalist is in jail ("or
will be," he added).


4. (SBU) Barros believes the fundamental obstacles facing
media in Guinea-Bissau are a lack of resources and
training/education. He said there has been an "invasion"
of young journalists in Bissau who lack any relevant
training, education or experience. He lamented that this
cohort cannot fill the void left by the exodus of
experienced journalists from the country during the 1998-
99 civil war. He characterized government support for
media as "minimal" -- limited to fully subsidizing ten
print runs for three private newspapers to help them
regain their financial footing. Barros shared a hand-
drawn floor plan of a new facility to house a new School
of Journalism. A site has been identified for the school,
but no project timeline or detailed budget currently
exists. Barros said the European Union has "committed" to
providing technical equipment for the school's classrooms,
studios, and production facilities. He plans to submit a
proposal to Embassy-Dakar's Office of Defense Cooperation
to fund construction.

STATE MEDIA AS WEAK AS PRIVATE MEDIA
--------------

5. (SBU) According to General Director Lamine Djata,
Guinea-Bissau's state-run National Radio is the country's
"radio of record" and provides a credible counterweight to
private stations prone to "impartial" reporting.
Broadcasting in 13 languages, the station has found it
impossible to air all of its material within its current
18-hour daily broadcast. Djata outlined plans to expand
to a 24-hour programming schedule with a format devoted to
general news and politics, followed by the establishment
of a second frequency devoted to "youth and women's
issues," but he admitted that these plans are completely
dependent on additional funding. Technical Director
Porfirio da Costa said that while the station's staff is
paid in full and on time, the station receives no funds
for maintenance, equipment upgrades or supplies. He noted
that several of the station's computers had recently been

DAKAR 00000610 002 OF 003


disabled by a virus, and that the station cannot afford
the software necessary to fix the problem or prevent
future incidents. He also noted that he does not have a
single working vehicle for his maintenance staff to
service antennas and transmitters outside of Bissau.


6. (SBU) Established in 1989, Guinea-Bissau's state-run
National Television has ten journalists and only three
cameras. Deputy Director Luis Melo said his station airs
programs only in Portuguese and Kriolu, and while it has
offices in the provinces, they are closed due to lack of
funds. It broadcasts only sporadically and must negotiate
informal agreements to arrange for electricity at a
desired time to broadcast the news. Personnel receive
only 50 percent of their salaries, and the total staff of
100 will be trimmed to 60 by the end of the year. Melo
echoed other local sources in estimating the average
salary of a journalist in Guinea-Bissau as USD 75 per
month.

LOCAL AND FOREIGN BROADCAST MEDIA
--------------

7. (SBU) The private radio station Bombolom has a staff
of 12 journalists and covers more than 90 percent of the
country. It broadcasts in Portuguese, French, Kriolu and
Wolof. Currently broadcasting programs from BBC and
Deutsche Welle, Director Agnelo Augusto Regalla expressed
interest in pursuing an agreement with VOA. He painted a
gloomy picture of the media landscape and said that
despite relative calm in Bissau, the political situation
is a "powder keg." He did note, however, that there has
been a lessening of tensions in government-media relations
since President Vieira's October 2005 inauguration.
Regalla ascribed this to the current government's
understanding that encroachment on media freedoms could
adversely affect flows of foreign assistance. He added
that a lack of human and financial capital, combined with
meager media and advertising markets, make journalists
vulnerable to self-censorship and corruption (Regalla
complained that Pindjiguiti has been "bought off" by
Vieira).


8. (SBU) Marta Jorge, a Portuguese national and General
Director of RTP-Africa in Bissau, wryly noted that she has
had to "educate" several governments on the role of
independent media by refusing to accept strong-armed
"invitations" to cover their speeches and events. She
gave accounts of intimidation during the 2005 presidential
election season but agreed that overt pressure on media
has subsided since Vieira's inauguration. Jorge expressed
interest in receiving USG statements and materials from
Embassy-Dakar that touch on not only Guinea-Bissau but
also West Africa and the continent as a whole.


9. (SBU) Established in 1995, Pindjiguiti is a private
radio station that covers approximately 60 percent of the
country's territory. Its founder, Jose Rodrigues-Santy,
currently devotes his considerable energy to other
business pursuits and has delegated station management
responsibilities to his Belgian wife, Mariska Meert. The
Pindjiguiti Group also includes the now-defunct newspaper
Fraskera, but Meert said she plans to revive this
publication. Santy described morale in the media as low
but agreed that press freedoms are largely respected in
the current environment. He added that journalists are
keenly aware of their role in contributing to national
reconciliation and reconstruction. Santy complained that
Barros should not be able to serve as Minister of Social
Communication while maintaining a business interest in a
private newspaper. Without a trace of irony, Santy noted
that his other sources of revenue include serving as a
media consultant to Armed Forces Chief of Staff Baptista
Tagme Na Wai.

PRINT MEDIA ALSO IN DIRE STRAITS
--------------

10. (U) The print sector is also in dire straits, with
the country's 5-6 newspapers unable to print on a regular
basis due to chronic shortages of material inputs and

DAKAR 00000610 003 OF 003


electricity. The average "daily" in Guinea-Bissau is
printed once a week with a print run of 1,000 copies at a
street price of 500 CFA francs (CFAF)(USD 1). Major
newspapers include the state-run No Pintcha, which is co-
located with the country's only printing facility (also
owned by the Government) and the independent newspapers
Diario de Bissau and Gazeta de Noticias.

LOCAL MEDIA NGOS EAGER TO RAISE STANDARDS
--------------

11. (U) A new Union of Journalists was formed in May 2005
to take the place of several dormant and dysfunctional
predecessors. Most key players in the local media see the
value of a single umbrella organization to defend
journalists' interests and support their development. The
Union's President, Mamadu Cande, painted a bleak picture
of the media in Guinea-Bissau and said local media are
"starting from zero." He admitted that the Union does not
even have reliable statistics on the number and location
of journalists in the country. Cande is interested in any
available U.S.-based expertise, exchange opportunities, or
training workshops co-sponsored by Embassy-Dakar that
could serve to strengthen the Union and its members.


12. (U) The Union has a good relationship with the
leadership of the Press House, a non-governmental
organization established in 2000 to provide a venue for
meetings, training sessions and access to
computers/Internet. Led by Executive Director Domingos
Meta Camara, the Press House has a limited but significant
track record in managing grant funding from the UNDP, the
EU, and several NGOs. Camara presented a request for
grant assistance totaling USD 26,000 to secure one year's
worth of Internet access for the House's common-access
computer room, miscellaneous office equipment and
supplies, and two workshops focusing on the role of
journalists in democratization, peacebuilding and national
reconciliation.

COMMENT
--------------

13. (SBU) Due to severe economic hardships and a lack of
human capital, Bissau-Guinean media face a daunting range
of challenges. That said, local journalists are eager for
training, and editors have a solid, even sophisticated
grasp of the role of independent media in building a
pluralist democracy, facilitating national reconciliation
and advancing the country's reconstruction. While most
elite speak Portuguese (and to a lesser extent, French),
due to a dearth of televisions and widespread illiteracy,
radio broadcasting in indigenous languages (Kriolu,
Balanta, Fula and Mandinga) appears to be the most
effective means of communicating with the general public.
Embassy-Dakar's presence and resources in Guinea-Bissau
may be limited --but it is clear that in such an
environment, even modest support can have a major impact.
END COMMENT.

JACKSON