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>MEDIA: The Voice of Kanak Independence in New Caledonia
>
>   By Kalinga Seneviratne
>
>NOUMEA, New Caledonia, Apr 1 (IPS) - Ten years since it first
>began broadcasting, Radio Djiido, the Voice of Kanak
>Independence, has seen more than its share of problems - lack of
>funding, jammed signals and Molotov cocktails aimed at driving it off
>the air.
>
>   Today, Radio Djiido - a station run by the indigenous Kanak
>people of this South Pacific territory - remains the voice of
>the  Kanak struggle for independence against the French.
>
>   On a regular day the radio, the highest-rating station here
>apart from the French government-run RFO, broadcasts news and
>commentary that it hopes will educate the Kanak people in the
>run-up to a vote on self-determination in 1998. The station also
>promotes Kanak music, including a new form of contemporary music
>called ''Kaneka'' which was born out of the independence struggle
>and was popularised by Radio Djiido itself.
>
>   ''When we started, the military tried to jam the signal. When
>we presented news, there was no radio,'' said Nicole Waia,
>manager of Radio Djiido said in an interview with IPS. Although
>its mission is to be the Kanaky people's voice, the station
>broadcasts news and commentary in French.
>
>        This use of the colonial language to further an indigenous
>cause might appear odd, but the reason is purely pragmatic -
>there are 32 different Kanak languages.
>
>   Waia said: ''I come from Mare (Loyalty Island). I can talk to
>my people, but other Kanak people can't understand me then. So
>we  can't present our programmes in Kanak languages, it's too
>difficult. It's a good strategy too, as other people can
>understand what I say.''
>
>   Since colonisation in 1853, the French have used the media in
>New Caledonia to drum up support for colonial rule. The media
>has  been tightly controlled by the French, with French media
>tycoon  Robert Hersant owning various publications and a radio
>station.
>
>   Radio Djiido's creation in 1985 was the first attempt by the
>indigenous Kanak people to challenge French colonial propaganda, as
>they had no media voice of their own for a long time. Its early
>broadcasts were transmitted within the boundaries of Noumea by
>unskilled voluntary staff, driven by little else but political
>commitment to the independence cause.
>
>   The French expected Radio Djiido to have a short life span,
>especially since it during its first year it was targetted by
>right-wing groups opposed to independence. Even the French
>military joined in the campaign to end Radio Djiido's
>broadcasts.
>
>   At one point, critics used bomb attacks and Molotov cocktails
>to try to silence the radio.
>
>   Today Radio Djiido has not only survived for over a decade,
>but broadcasts nationally and has two small sister stations in
>Lifou in the Loyalty Islands and Hienghene in the Northern
>Province.
>
>   Since the signing of the 1988 Matignon Accord between the pro-
>independence Front de Liberation National Kanak Socialiste
>(FLNKS) and the pro-French right-wing party, Rassemblement pour
>Caledonie dans le Republique (RPCR), Radio Djiido became part of the
>cultural arm of the Kanak independence struggle known as ''Editions
>Populaires''.
>
>   ''After the signing of the Matignon Accord, it is now better
>for us. We can now broadcast all over the country,'' said Waia.
>
>   Radio Djiido gets funding from the local governments of the
>Northern Province and Loyalty Island, which are FLNKS
>controlled.
>It was also assisted by the Australian union movement's foreign
>aid agency, or Australian People for Health, Education and
>Development Abroad. The RPCR has its own daily newspaper 'Les
>Nouvelles Hebdo' and a private radio station called  'Radio
>Rhythme Blue'.
>
>   Radio Djiido's plan since the Matignon Accord is to make
>economic development and education more equitable, preparing the
>Kanak people for a national vote for self-determination in 1998. That
>vote is a key part of the Matignon agreement.
>
>  ''This is why it was important to have our own radio, to
>educate our people, and others too, on the political, economic
>and social reality'' Waia added. But the divisions among the
>Kanak community ahead of the 1998 vote is also affecting Radio
>Djiido's economic future.
>
>   Recently, FLNKS changed its strategy from a purely political
>campaign to win a vote on independence next year, to an economic
>struggle to first gain control of New Caledonia's nickel and tourism
>resources.
>
>   In the wake of this change, FLNKS's attempts to work out a
>compromise with RPCR on the independence vote has split the
>Kanak  community. Many Radio Djiido listeners want their leaders to
>explain to them the FLNKS' change in strategy for independence.
>
>   But Waia says the leadership has been reluctant to use the
>radio to do so, and is pressuring the station to tone down its
>criticism of some FLNKS policies.
>
>   ''Sometimes we have a lot of problems with FLNKS leaders,
>because Radio Djiido is a community radio station and we have to
>respect the people'' said Waia. ''When I don't agree with what they
>decide now, I have to tell them 'listen I don't agree, you have to
>explain to the people'. It's not my role, it's your role because you
>are a political leader''.
>
>   This is why Waia wants Radio Djiido to be financially
>independent, though the station gets annual subsidies from the
>two FLNKS-controlled provincial administrations. The station is
>now aiming for a bigger slice of advertising revenue - not easy
>for a community-based news-oriented station.
>
>   ''The grants from the provinces are not enough for all of us
>here'' says Waia. ''Our salaries are not high and have remained
>the same since we started. But it is not a problem for us
>because  it's our choice to come here and work for our people''.
>
>   Located in a small house in a southern Noumea suburb, the
>station has basic but modern studio and editing facilities and a
>small transmitter powerful enough to cover most of the country. There
>are no satellite feeds or other expensive communication technology.
>Its permanent staff of six are all Kanaky people.
>
>   Waia believes radio can play a very important role in the
>political process towards independence - if the FLNKS leaders
>know how to use it.
>
>   ''The problem in this country is that the Kanak leaders don't
>know how to use the media'' argues Waia. ''If they have
>confidence in the staff who works in the newsroom, I think the
>message they want to give could be understood by the militants
>and a lot of people''. (END/IPS/KS/JS/97)
>
>
>****************************************************************
>      [c] 1996, Inter Press Service Third World News Agency
>                                (IPS) All rights reserved
>
>May not be reproduced, reprinted or posted to any system or
>service outside of the MISANET without permission from IPS or
>MISA. For MISA information, send a message to
>dlush@ingrid.misa.org.na and for information about IPS, send a
>message to Lynette Muringi-Matimba at ipshre@harare.iafrica.com
>*****************************************************************
>

___________________________________________________
Bruce Girard             Agencia Informativa Pulsar
Email: bgirard@pulsar.org.ec
http://www.web.net/amarc/pulsar.html
Fono/Fax: +593-2-501-180
Fax en Montreal, Canada: +1-514-221-2009
Casilla 17-08-8489, Quito, Ecuador