27 February 2009
Liberian Community Radio Reaches Out to Politically Isolated
Stations will try to use truth and reconciliation report to promote peace
Washington — After more than a decade of civil conflict, most Liberians welcome the peace that has prevailed since 2003, but are still coping with bitter memories of atrocities and tragedies because many civilians fell victim to the fighting between government and rebel forces. Now, as a truth and reconciliation commission is forcing the country to face its recent past, Liberia’s emerging community radio stations are trying to use the airwaves to target previously isolated citizens and promote a lasting peace.
Liberian journalists are reaching out to their local communities with radio programming on how citizens can settle their grievances against each other and the government through a variety of means, ranging from the courts to traditional African mediation and conflict resolution practices. They also are providing a forum for live talk and call-in shows.
“The whole idea of using community radio to empower people is relatively new in Liberia,” William Burke of the Mano River Media Forum, a nonprofit organization that promotes professional journalism techniques in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, told America.gov. But community radio stations, he said, “are helping to give the voiceless a voice.”
Burke is a U.S.-based Liberian journalist who has previously worked at CNN.
Community radio stations target specific areas and offer unique programming for residents. Because of their local nature, they can create special programs and highlight information that might not otherwise be heard on more nationally based radio stations. However, compared to their commercial competitors, they often are limited by a lack of financial resources.
Burke said community radio is helping many in Liberia who have previously suffered from political isolation.
“What community radio is doing is helping to erase that line of demarcation between those people who could be governed but in the past had no access to information, and those who are governing or … those who are influencing politics,” he said.
Providing the isolated with programming tailored specifically for them will “further enhance democracy and help bring about reconciliation in society,” Burke said.
The stations are trying to increase the number of call-in shows to encourage more participation. The shows are gaining in popularity despite the fact that many listeners, especially in the rural areas, remain shy about calling in.
“They understand the program … but they don’t feel comfortable enough in terms of having a good command of the English language to participate in this kind of programming,” he said.
Nevertheless, radio in Liberia today “has become more interactive,” and most managers and producers are actively seeking funding and training for their staffs so that can continue.
FINAL REPORT PRESENTS OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
The 2003 peace agreement that ended the civil war also established the truth and reconciliation commission, and Liberians have been encouraged to report human rights abuses and atrocities they had suffered or witnessed. The commission estimates that during the 14 years of war, up to 300,000 Liberians were killed, hundreds of thousands of women were raped and many Liberians fled to neighboring countries out of fear of both sides that were fighting in the conflict. Other atrocities, including torture, amputation, arson, women forced into marriage and children forced to be soldiers, have been documented by the commission.
The commission’s final report is expected in June, and Burke said Liberia’s community radio stations must now rise to the challenge of reporting the findings. There is a fear that many of the recommendations will “just stay on the shelf and collect dust.”
The community radio stations instead hope to “use the report as the foundation to begin the process of reconciliation, and help the people to understand the report,” he said, but they are also seeking financial support so that their own journalists can receive training to help them understand the commission process and its recommendations so they more effectively pass that information along to their audiences.
The Mano River Media Forum is one of many community-based efforts around the world promoting peaceful interaction and offering alternatives to violence.
