Burundi

Ever since its independence in 1962, Burundi has been characterized by animosity and tensions between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority. Up to 1993, the country suffered from various interethnic conflicts and mass killings in which both ethnic groups were involved as victims as well as perpetrators. The assassination of the first democratically elected president in 1993 sparked widespread chaos and violence in the country, which escalated into a civil war that would last for more than a decade.

The Arusha Peace Agreements (2000) brought an end to the violence and paved the way for a slow transition process, leading to a new constitution and new democratic elections in 2005, which were won by Pierre Nkurunziza. While the situation initially seemed to improve, civic space eventually started to shrink. The 2010 elections, again won by Nkurunziza, were highly disputed and marked the start of the country’s slide into a climate of mistrust and fear. Human rights violations increased, and civil society activists and political opposition members increasingly faced harassment and intimidation.

Unrest surged in April 2015 when Nkurunziza announced his candidacy for a controversial third presidential term, sparking widespread protests in the capital Bujumbura. After a failed military coup in May 2015, the government cracked down violently on (alleged) political opponents and protesters, as well as civil society activists and media entities. The country’s political landscape has become prone to hate speech and manipulation, and authorities continue to be accused of grave human rights violations. Despite efforts by the East African Community to host inclusive peace talks, the unrest continues up to the present day.

Apart from its main objectives (embedding knowledge on the Continuum of Violence and stimulating active bystandership among its audiences), its initial focus lay on supporting reconciliation in the country by promoting and strengthening the transitional justice process that was set in motion after the Arusha Peace Agreement. In cooperation with Burundian authorities and civil society as well as the international community, Radio La Benevolencija’s media formats sought to demonstrate appropriate and well-suited judicial system for Burundi and how to secure truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence of human rights violations and conflict.

As time went on, Benevolencija projects turned to programs that sought to establish a common understanding of Burundi’s problematic past among the population. As the country never had a truth commission, it never managed to establish a neutral, common narrative of its past and the causes of violent conflict. Instead, multiple (biased) narratives of the country’s recent history and atrocities continue to exist and polarize the population. It impedes trauma healing and inter- and intra-community reconciliation, and hence increases the chances of recurrence of violence or vengeance. Finding a way through these narratives in order to rebuild the social cohesion in the country therefore continues to be a major mission for Benevolencija.

In light of the recent deterioration of the situation in Burundi, and the surge in hate speech, manipulation and polarization of society since 2015, Benevolencija’s current focus is on monitoring and counteracting hate speech, manipulation and ethnic stereotyping in the media, and promoting inter- and intra-community dialogue through online- and offline media outlets.