[cr-india] NEWS: Community radio fuels solutions (East Africa)

[Frederick Noronha (FN)]

COMMUNITY RADIO FUELS SOLUTIONS

By Stephen Mbogo  (Radio World International, April 2004)

NAIROBI, Kenya: The not-for-profit sector in Africa is striving to extend
radio to disadvantaged rural communities across the continent.

The efforts are part of a new empowerment strategy aimed at helping
communities seek local solutions to their problems.

Africa is presently witnessing exponential growth in radio communications,
with state broadcast monopolies across the continent making way for a more
liberalized radio environment.

Driven by nongovernmental organizations focussed on development activities,
rural communities are establishing their own radio stations, with an average
broadcast reach of 50 kilometres radius.

"It is all about community empowerment with a social agenda," said Grace
Githaiga of EcoNews Africa, a Kenya-based development-information group
coordinating the establishment of community radio stations across East
Africa.

INFORMATION GAP

Because of broadcasting regulations in many African nations, community radio
has not developed as quickly as technology would allow.

In most instances, there is a distinct information gap in the rural corners
of some African countries due to a lack of service by national broadcasters
that, in some cases, have weak or nonexistent signal coverage.

To bridge this gap, EcoNews Africa is coordinating three FM community
stations as part of its Community Network for Eastern and Southern Africa
(COMNESA) project.

In Kenya, the group is in the final stages of setting up a radio station as
part of the Mang'elete Community Media Programme, which will serve a rural
community, a semi-arid area part of Easter Provinces, trying to adapt to new
farming techniques.

In Uganda, Kagadi Kibaale Community Radio has been on air since 2000,
serving the agricultural community of Kagadi. In Tanzania, Olkonerei FM has
been on air since 2002, serving pastoral Maasai communities.

The programs aired by the stations cover more than just farming, regularly
touching on issues like HIV/AIDS, gender equality and community health.

According to Githaiga, the stations usually broadcast in local languages to
ensure a wider understanding of the issues being addressed.

Broadcast content is usually sourced from within the local communities,
although the station also download specific content from the Internet and
then translate it into local languages.

EcoNews Africa has started collaborating with Radio France Internationale,
OneWorld Radio and InterWorld Radio (IWR) in an agreement that makes it
possible for community radios to use very small aperture terminal (VSAT)
satellite links to access ready-to-broadcast information.

VSAT also gives community stations the opportunity to integrate their
operations with the Internet, something that is presently lacking but is
taking shape fast.

IWR, part of the Panos Institute, is a free-source of daily news bulletins
and broadcast-quality features for radio stations and online listeners.

The IWR network commissions local journalists worldwide to file reports on
issues like economics, human rights, environment, international trade,
science and technology. Its programs can be listened to online or downloaded
from the IWR Web site in RealAudio or MP3 format.

Another source of content for community radios in Africa is WorldSpace,
which has been using a dedicated satellite to transmit content across Africa
since 1999.

MAJOR CONSTRAINTS

WorldSpace provides content through "Africa Learning Channel" and "Canal
Educatif Francophone", both of which are accessible through the WorldSpace
AfriStar satellite. However, reception requires a costly custom-build
receiver.

Expanding the reach of radio is not the only goal of these media projects,
however. They are also looking to bring Internet connectivity to rural areas
as a way of reinforcing and supporting the development activities of the
community radio stations.

According to Githaiga, community radio stations currently use high frequency
(HF) radios to transmit e-mails, but such setups cannot be used to access
the Internet.

"The interface between community radios and the Internet must be there if
the aims of the radios are to be achieved," Githaiga said.

Experts believe this integration is important because, while radio delivers
information to many listeners, the broader Internet enables a community to
send back information, as well as to ask questions, to request and seek
information, and to communicate with specialists.

Integrating Internet connectivity with radio broadcasts extends the reach
and delivery of information to the broader community, multiplying the impact
and effectiveness of program content and services.

Lack of adequate electricity within the rural areas remains one of the major
constraints.

Presently, most radio stations use generators to power their stations.

"As a result of high fuel costs, the radios are unfortunately forced to
limit their broadcast times to a maximum of five hours per day," Githaiga
said.

ENABLING ENVIRONMENT

Another challenge is the relationship between the broadcasters and the
government.

Githaiga said most governments in the region do not understand the
importance of community radio in empowering rural communities.

"There is lots of suspicion from the government," said Githaiga. "They
wonder why a community should have its own station broadcasting in a local
language; they that it is for incitement."

Getting a license to broadcast has not been easy and is very expensive.
Annual fees for frequencies range from US$4000 to US$5000.

But, said Githaiga, community radio is growing quickly in East Africa
despite these challenges. 

She predicted that, in five years, there will be tremendous growth in the
community radio sector if the environment for such stations is nurtured.
ENDS


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