Alexis Sinduhije

Alexis Sinduhije (born 5 May 1967) is a Burundian journalist. He founded the Radio Publique Africaine (RPA) as a means of bringing about peace between his fellow Tutsi and the Hutu in his often war-torn country. He thought of the idea while working at the state radio station and its stated purpose is "to humanize relations between the ethnic groups."[1] Start-up funds for the radio project were awarded by the Ford Foundation, with a special interest in fostering communication between Burundians inside the country and those in refugee camps in Tanzania.

The station was banned for 3 days by the government in 2003 due to its airing of an interview with a rebel spokesman. A candidate for his country's 2010 presidential elections, Time magazine considered Sinduhije as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008.[1]

On November 11, Sinduhije was arrested and jailed on a charge of "insulting the president", Pierre Nkurunziza.[2] He was released on 11.03.09 as he was found innocent.

Award

References

  1. ^ a b Time.com: The 2008 TIME 100 Accessed May 6, 2008
  2. ^ Burundi opposition leader jailed, BBC News, November 11, 2008