Mass media in the Republic of the Congo are severely restricted by many factors, including widespread illiteracy and economic underdevelopment.
The Congolese depend primarily on radio for information. [1] This is mainly due to high illiteracy rates. Access to other forms of media outside the capital is poor. Even Pointe-Noire, the second largest city and the country's economic capital, does not have its own local newspaper. Internet access is very limited, and most citizens have no access to computers in any case. [2]
The public radio and television broadcaster in the Republic of the Congo is Radiodiffusion Television Congolaise. Private radio and television stations are allowed. The country has one press agency, Agence Congolaise d'Information, which is a public agency.
Freedom of speech is severely curtailed in the Republic of the Congo. During 2009 national elections, a number of reporters from major international press organizations, including France 24, BBC and Radio France International, were harassed, physically attacked by police and soldiers, and had equipment seized. [3]
There are a handful of print and online newspapers in the Republic of the Congo. All newspapers are based in Brazzaville, and publish in French:
In addition to Congolese radio stations, stations from nearby Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, can be received in the Brazzaville. Rebroadcasts of the BBC World Service, Radio France Internationale, and the Voice of America are available. [7]
Fixed line telephone infrastructure in the Republic of the Congo is very limited; fewer than 1 in 100 citizens have a fixed telephone line. Mobile phone communication has grown rapidly, and by 2011 more than 50 in 100 citizens had a mobile phone. 245,000 citizens are estimated to be Internet users, out of a total population of more than 3,800,000. [8]
Telecommunications in the Republic of the Congo include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.
"La Congolaise" is the national anthem of the Republic of the Congo. It was adopted upon independence from France in 1959, replaced in 1969 by "Les Trois Glorieuses", but reinstated in 1991. The lyrics were written by Jacques Tondra and Georges Kibanghi, and the music was composed by Jean Royer and Joseph Spadilière.
The Republic of the Congo is an African nation with close musical ties to its neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Democratic Republic of the Congo's homegrown pop music, soukous, is popular across the border, and musicians from both countries have fluidly travelled throughout the region playing similarly styled music, including Nino Malapet and Jean Serge Essous. Brazzaville had a major music scene until unrest in the late 1990s, and produced popular bands like Bantous de la Capitale that played an integral role in the development of soukous and other styles of Congolese popular music. The Hip-Hop group "Bisso na Bisso" also hails from Congo-Brazzaville.
Mambou Aimée Gnali is a Congolese former politician. In 1963 she became one of the first group of women elected to the National Assembly. She subsequently served as Minister of Culture and the Arts from January 1999 to August 2002.
The mass media in Mali includes print, radio, television, and the Internet.
François Ibovi is a Congolese politician who held a succession of key posts in the government of Congo-Brazzaville beginning in 1997. Closely associated with President Denis Sassou Nguesso, he was Minister of Communication from 1997 to 2002, Minister of Territorial Administration from 2002 to 2007, First Vice-President of the National Assembly from 2007 to 2012, and Minister of Health from 2012 to 2016.
Jean-Claude Gakosso is a Congolese politician who has served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2015. Previously he was Minister of Culture and the Arts from 2002 to 2015.
Alain Moka is a Congolese politician. He was Minister of Health and Population in the government of Congo-Brazzaville from 2002 to 2005 and has been a Deputy in the National Assembly since 2005.
Jean-Michel Bokamba-Yangouma was a Congolese politician. He was a prominent political figure from the 1970s to the 1990s, heading the Congolese Trade Union Confederation. He was the President of the General Movement for the Construction of Congo, a political party.
Pascal Tsaty Mabiala is a Congolese politician who has been the Secretary-General of the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (UPADS) since 2006, as well as President of the UPADS Parliamentary Group since 2007. He stood as the UPADS candidate in the 2016 presidential election.
Mass media in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are both nationally and internationally state owned and operated.
Lamyr Nguélé is a Congolese politician. He served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister-Delegate in charge of Land Reform from 2002 to 2005 and then as Minister of Land Reform from 2005 to 2009. Subsequently he was a Deputy in the National Assembly from 2009 to 2012. He has been President of the National Commission for the Fight Against Corruption since 2013.
Sylvestre Ossiala is a Congolese politician. A specialist in the oil industry, he was a Deputy in the National Assembly of Congo-Brazzaville from 2002 to 2017. He was also the Second Vice-President of the National Assembly from 2012 to 2017.
Jean-Didace Médard Moussodia is a Congolese politician who has served as a Deputy in the National Assembly of Congo-Brazzaville since 2002.
Jean-Claude Ibovi is a Congolese politician who has served as a Deputy in the National Assembly of Congo-Brazzaville since 2007. He is President of the Movement for Democracy and Progress (MDP), a small pro-government party.
Michel Bidimbou Pouela is a Congolese politician who has served as a Deputy in the National Assembly of Congo-Brazzaville since 2007.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.
The following is a list of mayors of the city of Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. The Republic of the Congo became independent of French colonial rule in 1960.
La Semaine Africaine is a French-language weekly newspaper published in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, and serving Central Africa. La Semaine is owned by the Roman Catholic Episcopal Conference of the Congo, but maintains editorial independence. Founded in 1952 as La Semaine de l'AEF, it received its present title in 1960, when the Republic of the Congo gained independence from France. Between 1963 and 1990, it was the only media outlet in the Republic of the Congo not controlled by the state. In 1970, its circulation was greater than 10,000. Contributing writers have included Sylvain Bemba, Emmanuel Damongo-Dadet, and Jean Clotaire Hymboud.
Annotated directory
