Catholic radio comes under fire

Human rights activists on Monday said the government's recent attack on Angola's private Radio Ecclesia, accusing it of practising "radio terrorism", was a setback for the fostering of democracy in the country. On Friday Minister of Social Communication Hendrick Vaal Neto accused the Catholic broadcaster of serving as a "vehicle of offences, defamation and false propaganda against Angolan individuals and institutions". Vaal Neto told state-owned Radio Nacional de Angola that Radio Ecclesia was deliberately seeking reaction from the government that could later be used as proof of the lack of freedom of the press in Angola. But Radio Ecclesia has rejected the claims, saying the minister's statements were unfounded and would only jeopardise the safety of the radio's workers. Human rights activist and local journalist Rafael Marques told IRIN that while the recently-ended civil war served as a pretext for the authorities to maintain a stranglehold on the public media, the government was now at a loss over how to control the flow of information within the country. "The radio station is regarded as the only reliable outlet for ordinary Angolans to express how they feel about the transition in the country. Although Radio Ecclesia doesn't have the necessary resources, it does have an advantage over the state-controlled media because it allows citizens to be critical of the government and its policies," Marques said. He added that while there were many Angolan political parties, they were divided and often caught up in internal quarrelling. "The media therefore constitutes the main voice of opposition and is seen as a real threat by the authorities. During every transition around the world, people will give authorities an opportunity to prove themselves, but it seems there is growing frustration among Angolans about the government's silence on the way forward following the war," Marques said. Radio Ecclesia has been in trouble with the authorities before. In July 2001 it temporarily suspended its programmes and broadcast only religious music and calls to prayer. The station indicated that this was its own choice to avoid possible closure by the authorities. The state-owned daily Jornal de Angola had accused the station of being an "instrument of subversion". A few days later it resumed its normal programmes.