“I wanted former fighters like me to regain a sense of direction.”

During the civil war, Denis fought with one of the main rebel groups. When it ended in 2003, combatants like him were called to surrender their weapons through the national disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation, and reintegration (DDRR) program.

Denis met Talking Drums Studio while the team was conducting interviews about the process. ”I told them I wanted to work in media. However, I could not enter TDS while I was still a member of the fighting forces. Therefore, a few days later, I showed up to the studio with my demobilization card. I was done with that, and they welcomed me with open arms,” recalls Denis.

From this point on, a long collaboration began. TDS was already producing a program focused on the demobilization process called “DDRR Update”. Denis was involved into the new phase of this program. "The demobilization process was well advanced. At that time, we were already more focused on reintegration. They then renamed the show "Young Citizen" because the fighting forces were mainly young people entering a new stage of their lives,” he says.

At the studio, Denis co-produced the show with a female host. During the war, the hosts were part of two opposing fighting groups. In Young Citizen, they combined their strength and experience to inspire other young men and women who had taken part in the fight to follow a peaceful path. "War has never been the answer. I wanted former fighters like me to regain a sense of direction. I wanted to be an example; to show them that if I had gone through this transformation process, it was also possible for them to move forward. It was a driving force to help others understand the need to surrender weapons,” he explains.

Through TDS’ partner radio stations, the voices of former combatants spread across the country. Their stories of transformation became a lifeline for young former combatants. “The men and women who fought told of their lives before, and how they turned out after disarmament. It was a seed of hope for those who listened and could identify with them. More and more young people began to return to school or learn a trade. The show changed the lives of former fighters on a daily basis,” he says.

Denis' work did not stop at the radio studio. While the situation remained difficult in some parts of the country, the team was on the ground to convince the remaining combatants to join the disarmament process. Denis' veteran status helped him connect with the most reluctant fighters. "Some of the regions we went to were far from being favorable. The minds of the young people were chaotic; most were deeply traumatized. Ordinary people would not have been able to get there. However, I had been like them; I knew how to approach them, behave, and speak like them. They often still needed to understand the details of the process, to be reassured. Once they were comfortable talking to me, we could start working, and it was incredible,” he says.

Today, Denis hopes for Talking Drums Studio to keep using its expertise to address the violence that still persists. "We must join forces to continue transforming the minds and attitudes of our people [and provide] media content that goes beyond mere information”, he says.