Kigali is of late experiencing a rise in the number of magazines on the streets, something that has not been so pronounced in the past.

But whether they are worth a penny given the risks taken by the investors in such a business is a question to reckon with.

This increase, according to Emmanuel Kaliisa, a magazine publisher for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry among other organisations, is because of the flexibility involved in publishing magazines.

Other factors that have led to the increase in the number of magazines include; the increased literacy level which is a result of the government’s commitment to ensuring education for all.

The government’s commitment to a free press has also partly contributed to the mushrooming of magazine publications.

In the past the commitment of the past governments prior to 1994, is said to have been geared towards creating and sustaining a press that served the interests of the regime.

It was because of such factors that the press played a negative role in the 1994 Genocide. A case in point is the defunct Kangura magazine that was used to propagate hatred in the Rwandan society.

The new magazines

There are several new magazines in Kigali that include; Index, The eye, Igitego and Intwari among others. There are also regional magazines like The Independent and Discover Uganda, both published in Uganda but also sold in Rwanda.

Most of the new magazines in Rwanda are free but financially supported through advertisements from corporate institutions. Readership for magazines is composed of members of the corporate world.

These according to Shem Katende of Igitego Magazine, implies that the readers are mostly interested in business related topics.

One of the magazines, Index, a publication that focuses on information and communication technology (ICT) developments in the country, was launched in October 2007 by a group of young people with a passion for media business entrepreneurship; the magazine has had some impact on the face of the media in Kigali city and other parts of the country.

"We are having difficulty attracting advertisers who do not rate magazines very highly,” said Issa Kainamura, founder of Index.

He says that today the biggest percentage of magazines produced in Kigali is facilitated by government parastatals that market specific products.

He explains that though there are many new publications, the scope for magazines is limited due to lack of funds and more so readers are not able to purchase magazines regularly.

Availability

Current magazines are found on newspaper stands and in bookstores. Back issue services for previously published magazines are also available for a selected few.

Most magazines are published using a web offset process machine which is the reason why a number of them are printed outside the country.

A number of organizations publish magazines for government and private sector organizations. Categories of these include consumer magazines and business magazines.

In Rwanda it is apparent that most of the available magazines are oriented towards business related publishing. They are only limited in circulation which can be attributed to the high cost of publishing and lack of printing facilities according to Kainamura.

He however hastens to add that the span of magazines around the city as compared to newspapers is an advantage. Magazines remain on market for many days after their initial publication which is not the case with newspapers.

Kalisa says that there is a tendency for people to withhold information thus limiting the availability of news. This, he adds, is not a big problem for people publishing magazines as compared to newspaper publishing.

Information for magazines is readily available according to Kaliisa because most of them are not specifically targeting news publishing. A number of them publish information which is availed by government bodies and corporate institutions that are interested in putting across specific information.

Publishing a magazine

A young and up coming media entrepreneur who preferred to remain anonymous told The Sunday Times that in order to start a publication like a magazine, one has to look at a number of factors that include, primarily the area of distribution and the target audience.

Like Kalisa, he contends that sometimes people prefer magazines because they have a longer shelf span compared to newspapers.

However, he adds that to cover a wide area in terms of distribution, one has to run a newspaper and not a magazine. This is because journals are limited to the corporate world.

By implication many people have no interest in economics and so will not be interested in buying a magazine like The Economist. A number of magazine on stands are also published on the internet.

However, there are not many internet-based magazines in Rwanda. As internet awareness and usage increases, there is likely to be an upsurge in the number of internet magazines in Rwanda.

Recently Rwanda has become a leader in Information and Communications Technology on the African continent which may increase the publication of internet-based magazines.

Katende says that most of the mushrooming magazines in Kigali do not give readers and advertisers value for money. He says that most of these will not survive for long in the business because of market factors.

Katende adds that there is still low level of distribution which is caused by the low levels of readership. He believes that with time the public will continue to get interested in reading printed material as literacy levels continue to rise.

Like most developing countries literacy levels are still low in Rwanda, though deliberate efforts have been undertaken to improve the situation.

In the framework of Education for all goals (2000-2015), the government hopes to achieve 80% literacy levels by the year 2010. This will also help in the readership and marketability of magazines in the country.

Katende also believes that there is a free environment in as far as the press is concerned. This he says has even created a situation whereby some people can start magazines before registering.

Ends