Developing Democratic Culture in Rural Communities Using Radio inCameroon (2013-2015)

Objective: To transform community radio broadcasting into an effective instrument for the popularization of democratic values and practices in rural Cameroon.

Partner: United Nations Democracy Fund, (UNDEF)

Work realized: 

• Trained 231 community radio journalists from 70 stations were on the production of democracy-promoting programs.
• Trained 70 station managers on programs and programming policy.
• Created 10 democracy debate clubs in 10 secondary schools.
• Formed National Association of Democracy-promoting Journalists.
• Produced a radio play - The Candidate - which highlights culture-based constraints to women's participation in politics in contemporary Cameroon.
• The Candidate broadcast on 70 stations.
• Published Guide on Design and Management of Community Radio Programmes and Programming Policy.
• Published Students Guide on How to Conduct a Debate.
• Published Handbook on Promoting Democracy Using Radio published in English and French languages.

Impact spotlight

Political ambitions of women fired

The Candidate, a radio play that highlights the temerity of a young woman who on graduation from university confronts hostile traditional culture leaders determined to check her out of politics because she is a woman, and young. She breaks the resistance and shoots her way to the position of mayor in her constituency by winning hotly-contested municipal elections. It was broadcast on 70 radio stations weeks before the 2014 local council and parliamentary elections in Cameroon. The message in the story fired the political ambitions of women in several localities across the country:

In Batouri, East Region:

• Over 100 women staged a march to the local community radio station during campaigns in support of the relevance of the message of the play

In Abong Mbang, East Region:

• For the first time in the elections history of Cameroon, a woman of the Pygmy indigenous community, Mrs. Aye Mondo Helen, who emboldened by the message of the play decided to run for the position of mayor of her constituency in Abong Mbang. She was beaten at the polls but won the seat of councilor the first-ever in Cameroon for a woman of the marginalized Pygmy community.

In Mokolo, Far North Region:

• Galvanized the message of the play, women in Mokolo, a town in Far North Cameroon, fielded a female candidate for the position of Mayor of their town. The outgoing mayor (a man) panicked and called for dialogue and negotiation. In the end, they strike a compromise, and a woman became deputy mayor of Mokolo, the first time ever in that part of Cameroon