Burundi journalists form group to push press freedom



BUJUMBURA // Evrard Niyomwungere is normally laid-back Burundian journalist. That is until his freedom of expression is threatened. This week, as the 25-year-old cameraman and photojournalist was documenting Burundi's first presidential election since the end of the country's civil war, an election worker accused him of filing a report that contained false information.

The report said election workers were signing off on vote count lists and leaving the final total blank, to be filled in later by nefarious individuals looking to inflate the vote count. The police were called in and a melee ensued. The officers tried to confiscate Niyomwungere's tape and threatened to haul his colleague off to jail. Journalists and police officers were shouting at each other. Niyomwungere was nose to nose with the head officer, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

Finally, cooler heads prevailed and the journalists agreed to say their report was based on rumours and unverified sources. Police harassment is just one of the many challenges journalists face in this tiny central African country. Niyomwungere has joined a newly formed group of like-minded Burundian visual journalists who have been documenting the country's recent history. Piga Picha, or "take a picture" in Swahili, as the group is known, is pushing the limits of Burundi's free press.

The group, which includes five Burundian photographers and videographers, is the brainchild of Martina Bacigalupo, an Italian photographer who has spent three years in Burundi and has taught workshops to local photojournalists. "There is no culture of a good quality image here," she said. "I wanted to pass on a culture of the image and create a group so that we could learn in the field." Piga Picha, which has some support from the French Embassy and is looking for more donors, began documenting the country's local elections in May. Right away they ran into some of the other challenges that journalists here face: violent reprisals, death threats and censorship.

While covering an opposition rally, Niyomwungere and his colleagues were surrounded by an angry mob that ripped at his clothes and grabbed at his camera. The mob threatened to pummel the journalists with rocks. "Someone had a stone close to my face," he said. "I felt like I was in front of a lion who wanted to eat me." The end products of the group's work are provocative audio slideshows that air each night on Renaissance Television, a local independent station. The black and white slideshows, which include coverage of protests and grenade attacks, have been mostly well received and are a welcome alternative to local media coverage of official talking heads. The National Communications Council, however, has called their work "suspicious" and "scary."

"The reaction has been very positive," said Teddy Mazina, a Piga Picha photographer. "This is activism." But activism in a country like Burundi without a vibrant free press can often be dangerous. Burundi ranks 103 out of 175 countries on the press freedom index from Reporters Without Borders, a media watchdog. "Several incidents directly affecting Burundian journalists and media have been reported in the past few weeks," the Paris-based group said recently. "These abuses are particularly serious in a country that was still enjoying a degree of calm a few months ago."

Another issue Piga Picha has had to deal with is self-censorship. The head of Renaissance Television, Innocent Muhozi, has been known to push the boundaries, but has recently faced death threats from political parties. When Piga Picha was putting together a recent slideshow, the group decided to cut a video clip of a protest where police started firing into a crowd. Muhozi was out of the country when the slideshow was being produced, and the group did not want to cause problems for the station owner while he was away.

"If he was in the country, he probably would have been OK with the footage," Bacigalupa said. "But since he wasn't here, we decided to leave it out." Another important mandate for Piga Picha is to create a lasting bank of images from the country's historic moments - a sort of Burundian press photo agency. During the country's civil war from 1993 until the final rebel group was disarmed last year, few photographers - Burundian or international - covered the conflict and there are few images to tell the story.

"Today you can tell people what happened, but nobody has a single picture of the killings," said Emmanuel Heri, a Piga Picha videographer. "It is important to say things about this country that you can't normally say." mbrown@thenational.ae

CREW
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From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

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SPECS

Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
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Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
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The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali

Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000

Engine 6.2L V8

Transmission Eight-speed automatic

Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm

Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm

Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:

Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE

Game is on BeIN Sports

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Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

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THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
FIXTURES

UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
 

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

RESULTS

6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
Winner: Miller’s House, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).

7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Kanood, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.

7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gervais, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Important Mission, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.

9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

if you go

The flights 

Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning. 

The trains

Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.

The hotels

Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.

Three ways to boost your credit score

Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:

1. Make sure you make your payments on time;

2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;

3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.

BOSH!'s pantry essentials

Nutritional yeast

This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.

Seeds

"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."

Umami flavours

"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".

Onions and garlic

"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."

Your grain of choice

Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."

Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale

Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni

Director: Amith Krishnan

Rating: 3.5/5

Pakistan World Cup squad

Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain      

Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5