Alternative perspectives
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Habari RDC has become a respected source of reliable and balanced information and a forum for non-polarising discussions. It has established itself as DRC’s only national blogging movement, succeeding in bringing together young people from different backgrounds.
Free and responsible discussion
Young people in DRC are constantly confronted with ethnic and social prejudices and stereotyping. Launched in June 2016, Habari has developed a strong presence offering alternative perspectives to its young audience. Through articles, videos, infographics and photographs produced by over 100 bloggers and change-makers from across the country, Habari encourages free and responsible discussions by its online community on the country’s various political and social issues.
Extending influence offline
It’s rare in DRC for young people to be able to voice their concerns and needs directly to those responsible for the policies that affect their lives. So Habari is scaling up its impact by connecting its online audience with formal and informal decisionmakers in a series of face-to-face discussions called Faces aux Jeune.
The reach of these offline events is amplified by online activities, generating interets by inviting Habari visitors to send in their questions and comments for the invited community leaders and political representatives. Each Face event has its own hashtag and live tweeting means people across the country van participate in the discussion.
Café Blog
Habari also regularly reaches out to the country’s young bloggers with a monthly ‘Cafe Blog’. These workshops bring a diverse range of bloggers together to talk about issues relevant to their work such as social media strategies and security. The Cafes are a chance for peer-to-peer learning as the participants share their successes – and their failures.
Award winners
In 2018, Habari RDC won the Index on Censorship’s 2018 Freedom of Expression Award for Digital Activism ‘for innovative uses of technology to circumvent censorship and enable free and independent exchange of information ’. The project also won the Francophone Award for Innovation in Media, with DRC’s Information minister Lambert Mende personally congratulating the young Habari team.