RARE SIGNAL: Radio Candip - Bunia

RARE RECEPTION

RADIO TÉLÉ CANDIP, BUNIA

Democratic Republic of the Congo

An exciting opportunity arose this early morning when Radio Télé Candip popped up on the radio dial. Rarely heard in this part of the world, it was pleasing to catch this station, for the first time in a long time. Below are the details from my logbook, plus some background information:

5066.33   CONGO, DEM REP.  R. Télé Candip, Bunia. Finally heard a weak signal from this one on Jan 21 after monitoring the frequency closely for several months, and following an encouraging report of reception by Victor Goonetilleke a week or so earlier. First checked in around 1745 to hear French anncts and occasional African songs. Some sort of ID noted at 1801 but too weak at that moment to really decipher the details. Then into a short talk for several minutes before it went back into the music program. Although the signal was weak, it actually began to improve marginally around 1805. The remainder of the transmission consisted of African pop-styled songs and bright, bouncy announcements.  Only slight QRM from a CW beacon utility on this occasion and, luckily, atmospherics on the band were especially quiet on this early summer morning. Tried recording the signal but unfortunately the result was not very useful. 

Overseas reports indicated that the station signs off around 1900v. However, today it kept going right past this time. At 1915, a man with a deep rich voice made some anncts. Then at 1918, there was what appeared to be some type of news or commentary by a female announcer, followed by a discussion between the two announcers.  At 1932, there was a long pause - "dead air" - and I thought the station had signed off. But then at 1936, the African pop music started up again! By 1945, we were well into our summer morning (6:45am) - the signal was fading, the breakfast-time electrical noise in the neighbourhood was increasing, and QRM from an RTTY station started up, which well and truly finished off the listening session. The power is listed as 1 kW and could quite possibly be running less than that. Very rare reception for my location, particularly at this time of the year in south eastern Australia. This was a productive morning's listening!

Here is a short recorded sample, albeit not a particularly good one, of Radio Candip's signal. I wish the recording was a little better. Oh well….



There's not much written on this station, except that it began broadcasting in 1977 as the Centre for Broadcasting and Educational Activities, part of the Institute of Higher Education in Bunia. Community involvement was encouraged - "radio made by the people, rather than for the people". At the time, the station was seen as important for the town through development, social economy and educational cultures that come about by using different languages.

However, between 1999 and 2003 the country saw 50,000 people killed in wars between rival ethnic groups (especially between the Hema and Lendu peoples). Led by the war criminal Thomas Lubanga, the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) operated the station from 2003 (although perhaps some may say "seized" the station).  

Congolese children forced to fight.

Thomas Lubanga holds the dubious title of being the first person ever convicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Rebels under his command were accused of massive human rights violations, and Lubanga himself was charged with the war crime of "conscripting and enlisting children under the age of fifteen years, and using them to participate actively in hostilities" (ICC). In August 2002, and with the help of Uganda forces, the UPC took control of the town of Bunia. A short time later this included Radio Candip. In late 2003, the UPC splintered in three main factions, causing the situation in Bunia to be become even more confused.

Since 2011, however, Radio Candip has since returned to the status of an independent community radio station (contrary to current information on the station in the Danish Shortwave Club's 2013 Domestic Band Survey.) It features news, educational programs and music shows. In the past, the station has been irregular in its shortwave operations.

The Bunia township

Of course, those of us old enough will remember that this region of central Africa has been both in constant conflict and subject to frequent administration changes for many years. Indeed, the country we now know as the Democratic Republic of the Congo was formerly known as (in chronological order) Congo Free State (1877-1908), Belgian Congo (1908-1960), Republic of the Congo (1960-1971), and Zaïre (1971-1977). This nation has a population of over 75 million, along with a fascinating (and often bloody) history. Yet it is quite a fertile country with great potential. Due to its equatorial location, it receives very high precipitation, prompting huge and lush jungles.


REFERENCES:
In researching for this blog post, I came across some fascinating literature that was much too detailed to insert here, but which may be of interest to some readers wanting to gain a sense of just how important radio broadcasting is to many African communities.

1)  Charisma, Creativity, and Cosmopolitanism: A perspective on the power of the new radio broadcasting in Uganda and Rwanda by Richard Voles, University of Canterbury, published in the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 13, 2007, pp 805-824. This can be accessed online via the author's website at:

http://www.richardvokes.net/docs/JRAI_Radio_Cosmopolitanism.pdf

2)  A Passion for Radio: Radio Waves and the Community.  Chapter 4 - Lessons from a Little Known Experience: Radio Candip by Eugénie Wa. This chapter of the book discusses the early days of Radio Candip before the takeover by the UPC. It can be assessed online at:

http://comunica.org/passion/pdf/chapter4.pdf

3)  Ituri: The Pursuit of Justice by Sheila Vélez. This article focuses on more recent events in Bunia, and includes a short visit to Radio Candip and an interview with a senior member of the UPC. The article has some excellent insights into life in Bunia during the ethnic wars and how the community is coping today. Vélez is the author of the "Lubanga Chronicles" and is a freelance journalist. The article can be accessed online at:

http://www.aegistrust.org/index.php/International-Justice/ituri-the-pursuit-of-justice.html

73's and good DX

Rob Wagner VK3BVW