News Briefs on Implementation ActivitiesInnovating Village Radio Techology for the Promotion of Democratic Valus and Practices
“Adversity is the mother of invention”, it is often said. True to fact, some radio stations located in remote rural communities of the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon, and partners in the implementation of the UNDEF-funded project, “Developing Democratic Culture in Rural Communities Using Radio in Cameroon”, are showing extra-ordinary ingenuity in their efforts to overcome technical limitations in the production and broadcast of programs which entail listeners phoning in to participate.
This demonstration of capacity to innovate under difficult situations, was verified last September 2014, when Djibrilla Kongbi from Change Communications was on the field for routine monitoring of project implementation activities, and discovered how some of the stations were grappling with technical limitations. It was, and is, interesting how it all began for some village radio technicians to become so ingenious and dexterous in their efforts.
Last year in the months of June and July 2013, Change Communications carried out a milestone activity of the project which consisted of training 200 rural radio broadcasters, (231 trained in the end) on how to produce democracy-promoting programs, (interactive and discussion programs). But, one of the major challenges ahead was that, a few of the 70 radio stations involved in the project had limitations at the level of studio equipment to receive live calls from listeners and automatically exchange with them. This pushed some technicians into thinking and action.
Nformi Bouba, technician, explains that, “When our station manager returned from training, he called us together and told us that, it was very necessary for us to start programs that would enable listeners to call and take part. We had to something. That’s why I reflected and did what you are seeing now”.
Photo: Change Communications, Sept. 2014 Nformi Bouba, the village radio technician at work in Sky FM Radio, Ndu, Cameroon
Bouba explains that, in the past, broadcast from their radio, was limited to reading announcements and local news because of technical limitations. Guests were brought live into the studio to talk on health, agriculture and community development issues. Such programs were virtually studio monologues on “do this, don’t do that, it means this, it means that, it doesn’t mean this, it doesn’t mean that, etc etc. The listeners could not ask questions. It was not possible. It was sometime boring”.
And out of sheer ingenuity, it is possible now. The village radio technician went in for some scrap materials – (cables and appliances seen on photo above), and refitted them up into a fairly operational technical facility with the help of his lap top. The table and chair on which he sits and all else in his small “technical room” is hand-made from local material. And now the situation has changed. “I am really happy because, our radio is now lively. During our interactive programs, I receive calls from listeners saying all sorts of things. Sometimes some are even angry you know. Some get really hard on these local big men, (local government officials). It’s all exciting you know. Yes, I’m happy”.
In another station, the mobile phone is used in a rather new way by the journalist in the studio to make the production and broadcast of interactive programs possible.
After the training, Sky FM Radio introduced interactive programs on the menu. To overcome a technical limitation, the technician simply designed an adapted hand-made microphone stand.
Photo: Change Communications, (Sept. 2014)
Kwah Emmanuel Bobga of Sky FM Radio Station anchoring an interactive program using simple adopted studio technics and technology
The locally-made mike stands of wood are positioned in such a way as to enable the journalist to receive calls from listeners by mobile phone and re-inject the voice of the caller on air through the mike, (see photo above). This method is widely used by our partner radio stations. But, Kwah Emmanuel complains that, “It is quite expensive you know. You need lots of air time credit to run the program for one hour. But then, it has changed our station quite much. People call”.
However, he is hopeful: “We are thinking of going in for some kind of arrangement with some interested mobile phone service company to bring down the cost for us”. Adopting studio technology in village radios in Cameroon to produce democracy-promoting programs is quite an unexpected positive result of the project on using radio to develop a democratic culture in rural communities.
However, some of our partner radio stations have well-equipped and functional studios.
Photo: Change communications, Sept. 2014
Modern studio of CBC Radio station
(Photo: CC Sept. 2014)
Radio technician in action in a fairly “normal studio” during an interactive program
(Photo: CC Sept. 2014)
Djibrilla of CC, (first from left), discussing with a radio technician and journalist during the monitoring field visit