Published on
Page last updated on
Did you know that the bagpipes are used in traditional Jordanian music?
Delegates were greeted by musicians at the entrance to the Belle Vue hotel where the AMARC 9 conference is being held. Today is the official opening ceremony of the conference which was preceded by 2 days of regional meetings and a day set aside for the women’s international network. It is heartening to see that AMARC dedicated a day to “mainstreaming” the women’s programme within the conference. What is difficult are the parallel sessions which means often workshops are poorly attended as they clash with opening sessions, other workshops and side events.
In a panel discussion on Media, Freedom and social justice: Telling our Stories, a delegate from the Democratic Republic of Congo from Radio Rivea, spoke of how community radio stations in DRC give space to both women and men. In DRC where people have lived in a war situation for 5 years, are now in the process of rebuilding. The war saw 3 million dead. The war has made it very difficult for community radios to exist. The government makes it even harder. They demand US$5000 to register to operate as broadcasters. The law does not recognise community radio which provides enormous service to the population. With the political transition people were hoping to enjoy more rights but it is not easy and they have realized that they need to continue to be revolutionaries and to resist state interventions in community radio.
Zane Ibrahim of Bush Radio, Cape Town, South Africa spoke of how his aim was to ensure that parents having to stay at home to look after children could participate in community radio. So Bush Radio opened up a creche. The parents could participate in the radio station knowing that their children were safe and nearby. Bush Radio is 90% community and 10% radio. Community radio is about great radio and giving people an opportunity to talk in their own voice and in their own language. Zane presented a short recorded message from Desmond Tutu in support of community radio and of Bush Radio, the mother of community radio in Africa.
