What role do radio stations play within a community?

What role do radio stations play within a community?

After taking part in a training session in company management, six radio stations in the Central African Republic have chosen to create a synergistic production.

As soon as the workshop had finished, the twelve directors and chairmen of the management committees for the radio stations in Bayanga, Berberati, Bouar, Bria, Ndélé and Nola wasted no time in teaming up to create a programme that explains the role of community radio stations.
"The radio station has been provided to the community, but people don't understand the importance of its role. They were told the radio station was for the community, but not that the community then had to sustain it", explains Léa Firmine Badou, director of the Maïgaro radio station in Bouar.
"Thanks to this training session, we are going to help people understand the real role that the radio station can play for them, and how they can support it, because after all, it belongs to them!" she adds.

What could be better for conveying this message than a radio programme produced in synergy? According to Richard Goutia, technical manager for the Association of Community Radio Stations (ARC): "Radio stations talk a lot about what other local stakeholders are doing but they forget to talk about themselves and the role that they play. It's important that they remember to mention this!"
This programme was produced in Sango and will be translated into French. Copies were distributed to the six radio stations so that they can each rebroadcast it in their local areas.

After a team management session organised in Berberati last March, this workshop provided the participants with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of social mobilisation techniques and the resources required in order for the radio station to be viable and become established within the community.

This training was organised in the context of the Recovery and Stabilisation project, run by Expertise France in partnership with CFI and Avocat Sans Frontières Belgique, with funding from Békou and the European Union. The media component of the project is managed by CFI with the support of its local partner, the Association of Community Radio Stations in the Central African Republic (ARC).

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