Orinfor, carpe diem!

The 1989 movie, Dead Poets Society, was the very first time that I ever heard that Latin phrase, Carpe Diem, used and I must say I fell in love with it. ‘Carpe diem’ (seize the day) is a philosophy that more of us should heed as we go through this life. Carpe diem is all about taking the opportunities that life hands you and squeezing all the juice out of them, making sure that there is no regret when the opportunities that you so scorned are no longer within your grasp. I’m a media person and it won’t surprise any of the loyal readers out there that I have an opinion on the national events that affect the manner in which media is operated. On Wednesday, while closing the Rwanda Commonwealth Media Forum, the Minister of Communication, Protais Musoni, nonchalantly informed the gathered journalists and conference attendees that Cabinet has agreed to do something that I believe have the ability to change the face of journalism and the media in Rwanda forever. He told us that Orinfor (of RTV, Radio Rwanda and Imvaho Nshya fame) will cease to be a state broadcaster and become a public broadcaster instead by July. This might seem like no big deal but trust me, it is. In principle, what this means is that while there will be state support, it will no longer be editorially responsible to the state but rather to the people. Instead of the government telling Orinfor what to broadcast us, Orinfor will broadcast what we, the people, want. Therefore, the taxes that we’ve been paying to keep Orinfor running will FINALLY seem like money well spent. Instead of countless ‘ibiganiro’ that no one really cares about, Orinfor will finally have programmes that are watchable. BUT, and it is a big but, all this is in principle. What is essential is that the present management, and the entire staff of Orinfor, understands just how crucial their role in this change is. It won’t be enough to have a change in legal status if there isn’t change in the way state-sponsored radio, television and newspapers operate. If by September I’m still trying to stay awake as one lousy program follows another, I will begin a campaign to do away with public broadcasting. Public television and radio doesn’t have to be a bore, just look at the BBC. The Beeb, as it is known in the United Kingdom, gives its audience great programs; documentaries, soaps, sports, cuisine and entertainment news are all on the BBC menu. And, if you remember during the famous Iraq dossier fiasco, the BBC isn’t afraid to stick a boot up the political establishments’ rear end. That is what our public broadcaster should aspire to. The management must understand that the needs of the government of the day aren’t necessarily the needs of the people. But I will be honest with you. I think that there will need to be a major change in the mentalities of the people who’ve been working in Orinfor for all these years. I doubt that the old ‘apparatchiks’ will be able to grasp the fundamental change in state broadcasting. I suggest that an infusion of new blood in the organization, with a younger, hipper crowd is just what the doctor ordered. Every year, journalists graduate from both the national university but where do they end up: in public relations firms, NGO’s, banks and government department. What a waste. Each and every one of them is a potential Anderson Cooper or Riz Khan but because their profession is still in the Stone Age, they simply follow the big bucks into PR work. The ‘new’ Orinfor should market itself to these people. The younger generation is fast becoming the dominant viewership; it makes sense that this generation becomes the voice and face of public broadcasting. Mr. Willy Rukondo, I throw my hat in the ring. I want to be a part of this change. I beseech Orinfor not to let this great opportunity to reform go to waste. Carpe diem. sunnyntayombya@newtimes.co.rw