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Dadis Camara shooting, Nigerian dance, Turkey, Thierry Henry, the Knox trial

by Tony Cross

Article published on the 2009-12-18 Latest update 2009-12-18 15:07 TU

The Guinean leader's would-be assassin gave RFI a scoop this week, Turkey's party ban is criticised, Thierry Henry's football tactics still attract comment, RFI's decision to end some language broadcasts excites criticism, while a broadcast on Nigerian culture was well received. And opinions differ on how angry Americans are over the Amanda Knox trial.

RFI’s exclusive interview with the man who shot Guinea’s military leader Moussa Dadis Camara has attracted attention from news organisations around the world. It also inspired a caustic comment from Philip Adanu in Nigeria.

“The military junta in guinea are having a taste of their own medicine,” he writes. “They have betrayed the people they have supposedly hijacked power to serve.now they are in turn betraying themselves. nobody should sympathise with them.they are paying for their sins.”

Turkey’s ban on the pro-Kurd DTP party prompted stormy protests and a response from Selma Cemile in Istanbul.

“First thing for the democracy starts to respect to elected people and political parties,” she remarks.

In the satisfied customers department, a Crossroads broadcast on Nigeria’s Abara Dance Troupe’s visit to Paris won praise from Nigerian Angelina Johnson.

“This is one of the most vivid descriptions of the high culture of the Bonny people of Nigeria's Niger Delta, coming from a reporter that would appear not to be an African. Congratulations!!’ she writes.

But Ioanna Pankova, writing on Facebook, is not happy with RFI’s decision to stop broadcasts in Bulgaria.

“The Bulgarian public has been deprived of a radio station with a different point of view and media pluralism has been seriously harmed,” she declares.

Givanni Lombardo, an Italian RFI fan who set up the rfienaction website when management declared a plan to cut jobs this year, was dismayed by the end of broadcasts in several languages (see last week's News about RFI). He gave his site a black background for two days to protest at the move.

Two debates rage on from previous feedback columns.

Canadian Jay Blond thinks that Ireland's football supporters should stop complaining about Thierry Henry’s handball.

“If you do not want to see a referee deciding something opposite to your vision of supporter-spectator, do not watch any sport, because it is all about interpretation of the rules in a fraction of seconds...congratulations to those who volunteer to be referees!!!,” he says.

And the Amanda Knox trial in Italy continues to arouse controversy.

Dr Frankie in the US believes she is “AN INNOCENT GIRL BEING TRAMPLED ON BY SICK SICK PEOPLE...” and adds “AND THE WORST PART IS OUR GOVERNMENT HASNT DONE ANYTHING”.

She also suggests that Knox should have received the Nobel Peace Prize.

But another American, signing as the Green Giant, does not agree.

“Let's be clear. The American people are not some sleeping giant,” he writes. “The Knox trail is hardly on anyones radar. If she did the crime most of us in the US think she deserves the time. Justice for all means something to most of us and like all contries we have our fair share of narrow thinking morons who have only one light and it is extreme.”

News about RFI:

RFI is now available by telephone in France. Just dial 3233 and then 734 to hear our programmes.

Eric Mamruth of RFI's sports service in French won the Micro d'Or (Golden mike) prize for best French-language sports report for a broadcast on French tennis stars Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon.

RFI's French sports service has won the prize three times in the last four years.

A private radio station took over RFI Bulgaria on 3 December. RFI will give up Radio Europa Lisboa in Portugal and Beta RFI in Serbia at the beginning of next year.

Listen to our end-of-year features over the next two weeks on RFI. They include a look at preparations for the World Cup, report of typhoon damage in Taiwan and housing in Lagos.

The next feedback article will be on 1 January.

Most viewed on RFI this week:

• Camara betrayed me, says Diakité;
• Twenty-two candidates for Lanka President;
• Another Air France A380 glitch;
• Training for Afghanistan in the Horn of Africa;
• Junta accuses France of aiding assassination plot.

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