When a people lose control of their voice, they lose control of their destiny.

Opinion | The Haitian Pulse Editorial Team | December 2025

In every functioning society, power does not reside solely in government institutions, military strength, or economic capacity. True power lives in communication. It lives in who tells the story, who frames reality, and who defines truth for the population. History has shown, repeatedly and without exception, that whoever controls the narrative ultimately controls the direction of the nation.

This reality makes the recent decision by the Alliance of Sahel States to inaugurate its own television channel far more significant than it may appear at first glance. This was not merely the launch of a media outlet. It was a declaration of sovereignty, a strategic move rooted in the understanding that political independence without narrative control is incomplete and fragile.

On December 22, 2025, in Bamako, Mali, the Alliance of Sahel States officially launched its dedicated television channel in the presence of Mali’s General Assimi Goïta, Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traoré, and Niger’s General Abdourahamane Tchiani. Their joint appearance was deliberate. It signaled unity, coordination, and a shared recognition that communication is now a central pillar of state power. These leaders were not inaugurating a cultural program or an entertainment network; they were establishing an official voice capable of shaping how their people understand themselves and how the world perceives them.

The channel is intended to serve as the unified voice of a confederation that has already taken bold political and military steps by formally exiting ECOWAS and creating a joint force to combat regional insecurity. Media, until now, was the missing pillar. By moving decisively to fill that gap, the Alliance demonstrated a clear grasp of modern geopolitics: no state can claim sovereignty while allowing others to define its reality.

Media is never neutral. It never has been. Media shapes how events are understood, who is blamed or celebrated, what is considered acceptable, and what is dismissed as inevitable. In healthy societies, media functions as a mirror, reflecting reality honestly and allowing the population to debate, correct, and evolve collectively. In corrupted societies, media becomes a weapon. It distorts facts, amplifies fear, manipulates emotion, and gradually disorients the population.

The Alliance of Sahel States understands this danger. One of the central motivations behind its media initiative is the desire to counter what it describes as information warfare and distorted narratives propagated by external outlets. For years, Western media has framed the Sahel almost exclusively through lenses of instability, failure, and dependency. By creating their own channel, the Alliance eliminates intermediaries and speaks directly to its population, on its own terms, without external filtration.

Beyond countering disinformation, the channel also serves a deeper internal purpose. It promotes shared cultural and social values across Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, reinforcing a collective identity that transcends colonial borders. Media, in this sense, becomes social glue. It strengthens integration by reminding people that they are part of a shared destiny rather than isolated fragments of artificial states.

Equally important is the assertion of sovereignty. Through this channel, military operations, development projects, and internal reforms no longer require validation from foreign correspondents or international commentators. The Alliance presents its own narrative, its own priorities, and its own interpretation of progress. This is not propaganda by default. It is self-representation, something Haiti has dangerously lacked for decades.

The launch of the Daandè Liptako radio station alongside the television channel completes this communication ecosystem. Radio remains one of the most powerful tools on the African continent, particularly at the grassroots level. It is accessible, trusted, and intimate. By broadcasting in both French and local languages, the Alliance ensures that its message reaches not only elites but farmers, workers, and rural communities. This is strategic communication built with literacy and inclusion in mind.

The consequences of corrupted media, however, are devastating. When media loses its integrity, it does not simply misinform; it dismantles society from within. A corrupted media normalizes corruption instead of exposing it, amplifies division instead of promoting understanding, recycles outrage instead of encouraging solutions, and ultimately serves interests rather than people. Over time, populations lose the ability to distinguish truth from manipulation. Cynicism replaces civic engagement. Emotion replaces analysis. Chaos becomes permanent.

This is how societies collapse without a single shot being fired. A corrupted narrative does more damage than corrupt politicians ever could. Politicians can be removed. Narratives infect generations. When media teaches people to laugh at serious issues, seriousness dies. When it rewards sensationalism over substance, competence disappears. When personalities replace principles, accountability collapses. Eventually, people stop believing in anything, including themselves.

Haiti stands as a painful case study in media failure. The country’s crisis is not only political or economic; it is communicational. For years, Haiti has lacked a credible, unified platform capable of representing the voice of the majority. Instead, narratives about Haiti are shaped by foreign outlets, NGOs with their own agendas, political factions, and the chaos of unregulated social media. The result is a nation that does not control how it is perceived, either internally or internationally.

When the Haitian people speak, their voices are fragmented. When leaders claim legitimacy, there is no credible data-backed platform to confirm or challenge them. When international actors intervene, they justify their actions by pointing to disorder, a disorder that thrives precisely because structured communication is absent. A nation without narrative control is a nation without leverage.

The Sahel alliance should not be romanticized blindly, but its media strategy carries a lesson Haiti cannot ignore. These states understood that rebuilding a society while outsourcing its narrative is impossible. They moved quickly to prioritize indigenous platforms and to centralize their communication strategy across borders. Whether one agrees with every decision or not, the message is clear: media is not optional. It is foundational.

For Haiti to move forward, it must invest in credible national media platforms, responsible journalism, and data-driven public opinion tools. Communication must once again become a public service rather than a marketplace for confusion. This is why initiatives like The Haitian Pulse and the Haitian Public Opinion Hub are not luxuries. They are necessities. They represent the early stages of narrative discipline and civic maturity.

The Alliance of Sahel States has sent a clear message to the world: we will speak for ourselves. Haiti must hear that message without delay. A society that does not control its media will never control its future. A population that consumes corrupted narratives will remain fragmented, manipulable, and directionless.

Media can educate or anesthetize. It can build nations or bury them. The choice is not theoretical. It is urgent.

The Haitian Pulse maintains that Haiti’s rebirth will begin not only through politics or economics, but through communication. When Haitians reclaim their voice, structure their message, and speak with clarity, the nation will no longer be spoken for. It will be listened to. Leave your thoughts below and join the conversation. The narrative must change, and it must start with us.