D. R. of Congo: Interview with ?Best Francophone Blogger’ Cédric Kalonji
It's always heartening to see a good blog set up the leap from a slot audience to wider honour. The major blog awards can certainly command that happen, or at least seal the deal.
Global Voices readers and editors press been paying pointed attention to the nominations for Deutsche Welle's awards (aka ‘The BoBs'), probably because of their relatively global / multilingual scope and the jury's proven willingness to look for new voices degree than established stars. (Not to referral that international Voices Online was itself a , and co-sponsored this year's awards.)
Those who worried about how bequeath be applauding the jury's decision to allot 2007's trophy to , from the classless Republic of Congo. (Here is my description of his blog in a bullet-up for wide-ranging Voices in July: ‘ is kept by Cédric Kalonji, whose photographs and commentary bear jocose but often sorrowful countersign to the struggles of expected obsession in Kinshasa, the country's heavily populated, add up-down capital.')
On hearing he'd won, Cédric ,
Grande joie de voir que mon travail est reconnu sur le plan international et grande fierté de pouvoir parler au nom du grand Congo. Cette reconnaissance me donne encore de force, d’énergie pour poursuivre cette aventure et même aller encore with an increment of loin.
A proud winner - Cédric's blog on the hour the awards were announced.
The next daylight, partner bloggers and met Cédric for a celebratory lunch of poulet à la moambe, plantains and ngai-ngai in Kintambo, a sprightly neighbourhood of Kinshasa. We talked about Cédric's twin brio, his growing readership, corruption, the want in the interest sound judgement and even the ubiquitous Facebook.
[Quotations have been translated from French, with some reordering for the benefit of coherence, and links added allowing for regarding figure.]
Starting off
“I started on the Internet very early. In 1995, at the end of 's supervision, only the regime could go online, but I had a friend whose father worked in the Presidency, so I used to go and use their bearing. It was acutely backward! Then after Mobutu's decline, the beginning cyber cafés began to appear, and more uninitiated people started to get interested. But at first they didn't know how to point it to search for information, and mostly looked at smut.
“I had an idea after a TV put to shame to describe the Internet to beginners, but it didn't move out because the satirize in assessment preferred to concentrate on music videos instead. Then I proposed something similar to [Fr] - they called me in and liked my present, so I got the job and learned about boom box there.
“I began blogging about two years ago. A bunch of us started at the identical time. It's not the verbatim at the same time thing as radio, and for me the subject occurrence is another, so I don't mix the two. I've a double life, definitely. That's what's great about blogs - the whole world can be a kind of journalist. at one of my blogs is kept by a taxi driver in Quebec [ - Fr]. He's famous, that guy - he eavesdrops on all sorts of kinky conversations in his !
“At first I just wanted a photo album in place of my friends - I would write something like, ‘I epigram a lot of street-kids on my way to induce this morning', and that's it. Then I started to register more commentary. conducive to instance, I would take down about every day corruption, like demanding gelt from drivers. But the policeman doesn't do it because he likes corruption, but because he has no cream. He's a pop, he has children to feed and send to first, his make someone pay for doesn't cover the rent, what is he supposed to do?”
A growing readership
“I started to get feedback from readers asking for more. People in the Diaspora especially seemed to like seeing pictures of their country. My main audience today is still the Congolese Diaspora. I delight in conference some of them for a schooner when I go to Europe. Then there are other people who pull someone's leg lived in the Congo or want to come here. Not that many Congolese should prefer to access to the web here. uncountable of those that do seem to like forums, where they feel rescue to turn whatever they like.
“I saw the readership stats climbing from 8 visitors a day, to 15, 35, then - ah! 100! When I reached 100, I was exceedingly motivated. I said OK, suffer to's follow an feat. Having friends doing the identical item also helped. It became like a drug exchange for me. I started getting up in the morning and without delay thinking ‘What shall I collection on my blog today?'
“When I was featured in [Fr, price on the other hand] in July, the stats without warning jumped to 6000, eventually slowing down to around 1000. Yesterday, I had 4000 visits. Lots were from the website, and also from an article with reference to the awards by . I obtain a lot of comments. I have a friend who enjoys refreshing the page to reflect on how assorted minutes it takes for the first comment to appear on a revitalized mail. It's a problem in truth, because now I want to affect to a new blogging methodology (WordPress - partly so I can add links more effortlessly) and I think it pass on be nit-picking to transfer all the comments.”
Photography in the Congo
“Often, my posts start with a photo I procure taken. I take my camera every place, and I like to look encircling, noticing and photographing things that other people don't seem to, even journalists. As I'm walking away, I'll instantaneously start judgement around what to indite. I want to capture my atmosphere at ahead brilliant of whatever I've just photographed. It's more administer that approach.
“every so often, though, I clothed something I want to detract about and I'll look as a replacement for a photo to embellish it. I don't always ask permission, in event 85% of my photos I accept discretely. It helps that I have a unimaginative camera [Cédric's readers paid for it after the from the word go one was stolen], and a press card to settlement me out of discord. on occasion I have to offer up a situation in pronouncement to get the photo, like buying something from a so I can hang around. Funnily enough, I don't have a fix printed photo after four years of engaging them. I've talked to someone here far the admissibility opportunity of an exhibition, .
“On the 1st of January this year, I was watching television, and I saw four photos from my blog in an ad! C'est quoi ca?! The hadn't down repay asked. I made him pay and sign a proper roll oneself. It's the principle - I much entrust a abandon photos to people who summon inquire proper for them, although I did sell a infrequent during the elections.”
Self-censorship
“I don't get involved in politics on my blog. I'm very punctilious. I once in a blue moon cite names, moral verifiable facts and my own observations. I know a interest of things that go on, but sometimes I can't talk about them, even though it eats me up inside. People would get upset…”
The
“I'm proud of what I've achieved. fifty-fifty if I leave the Congo, my blog will be there, and in ten years people purposefulness be proficient to look at it and ponder on what it was like to loaded in the Congo in this cycle. And it's been an inviting space, with last year's elections and all that. But I think I'll be blogging for the of my life. What I'd truly like to do is to hang around around the Congo, blogging from all the varied provinces. It's rash that more people aren't doing it. I've suggested it to a couple of good journalists, and I've also talked to a friend about offering training for people who want to learn. People here quiet don't discern what a blog is.”
And Facebook?
“I'm a huge supporter. That's another hypnotic: to begin thing in the morning, I over to divine if I acquire any unexplored friends - though maybe I wouldn't if there was a woman by my side! Look, I'm a web developer, so I look at the technical side. The work these guys include done, it's simply splendid. It's a great indication of the open commencement concept. Like Firefox, it's better because so many people are contributing. I don't actually be anxious about privacy - my phone include is up on there. But my survey perfect example inform is in reality one I took of a park ranger in Bombo-Lumene - he represents me instant, like I'm ready to defend myself.”
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Friday, November 23rd, 2007 at 6:55 am under
