91�鶹������Ʒ����

Speakers at the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional webinar to mark World Radio Day held on 12 February 2021 said radio saves lives if properly utilised. The webinar which attracted about 100 delegates, mainly media stakeholders, highlighted the important role radio plays during disasters and pandemics such as COVID-19.

In her keynote address, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mustvangwa said in disaster situations, radio plays a “pivotal disaster management public service especially in broadcasting alerts, warnings and advisories”. 

She said radio can also play a helpful role in supplying the needed information to decision makers as well as supplying information and directions to the affected public.

The Minister thanked the media for “rising up to the challenge” of providing critical information about COVID-19 thereby saving many lives in the process.

Minister Mutsvangwa said radio remains the most dynamic, engaging and important medium of communication. 

Addressing delegates, UNESCO Regional Director for Southern Africa, Prof. Hubert Gijzen acknowledged radio’s role in promoting “peaceful and democratic dialogue for unifying people in addressing public emergencies and their aftermath”. 

He said UNESCO will continue to support community radios to address poverty and social exclusion at the local level and to empower hard to reach rural citizens, young people and women. 

UNESCO Regional Director for Eastern Africa, Ms. Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta urged governments in Africa to support media development, radio in particular, instead of waiting for donor support. She said considering that the important role played by radio is never in dispute, governments should deliberately support radio stations.

The regional webinar also witnessed the launch of the  Felicien Ncheye African Community Media Sustainability Award. The award is in honour of Felicien Ncheye, one of the pioneers of community radios in Tanzania. He served for a long time as the Manager of Sengerema Multipurpose Community Telecentre, one of the first two community radios in Tanzania and contributed to the development of many community radios in Eastern Africa. The award is set to inspire and encourage community media to strive towards all forms of sustainability (social, financial, institutional and technological) and will be presented annually during World Radio Day Celebrations to a community radio in Eastern and Southern Africa that will be striving towards holistic sustainability.

Delegates explored challenges and opportunities for radio during the COVID-19 pandemic. They highlighted the importance of community radios in raising grassroots issues and addressing local development. 

This year marked the 10th anniversary of World Radio Day celebrations and more than 110 years of evolution, connection and innovation of radio. The 2021 global celebrations were held under the theme: “New World, New Radio”, which spoke to the resilience of radio and drew attention to its unique value as a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and as a favourable platform for democratic discourse.