I s s u e 3 5 -
M o n t h ,
2 0 0 2
Inauguration of
Community Radios
Community Waves – As Book
and VIdeo
PREPARING THE RECEPTION OF THE EQUIPMENT
NEW PROVINCIAL RM
DELEGATION IN
...
 Inauguration
of Community Radios
The Chimoio and Homoíne Community Radio stations will be officially
inaugurated by May 1st and May 24th this year. Several personalities
from the Mozambican government, United Nations Agencies, donors,
community representatives, volunteers, executive community radio staff
members, have been invited for both ceremonies.
The official inaugurations are the culmination of a thorough preparatory
process, started by social mobilization activities, training and
organizational activities and experimental phases of three months
programming on air. Both stations, together with Cuamba, are part of the
Wave I stations initiated by UNESCO in close collaboration with the
communities.
The Cuamba Community Radio is already on air in its experimental phase,
since the beginning of March, where the community programmers are
practicing all the theories learnt during the training activities. The
official inauguration of the Cuamba Community Radio will here take part
in the middle of the year.
Getting a community radio on air is a long process with many distinct
phases and challenges. Getting the official recognition of the community
radio association being the first step, receipt of the government
sending licence in the form of the ”Alvará” the second such experience,
hosting and celebrating the official inauguration with representative of
both the official and the civil societies of a given community is the
powerful third phase of this development and recognition. Whereas the
Governor of Manica Province officially opened the Chimoio-based Radio
Comunitária GESOM, the Prime Minister has expressed a high likelihood of
being able to officially open the Homoíne Community Radio.
While we are celebrating the official inauguration of the three pilot
Wave I stations, the five Wave II stations have just received their
official sending licences (”Alvará”) from the Mozambican authories. Wave
II is made up by the communities in Metangula (Niassa), Milange
(Quelimane), Dondo (Sofala), Bagamoio and Xinonaquila (both Maputo).
May 3 – Annual Press Freedom Day
With its core objective to remind us all that freedom of the press and
freedom of expression never can and never should be taken for granted,
the overall, global focus provided by UNESCO Paris was this year ”Media
and Terrorism”: what have recent developments meant for the general
global environment of press freedom?
In Mozambique UNESCO celebrated the press freedom day through the
hosting of a number of different events in coordination with MISA, with
the national union of journalists and with independent media
professionals and media houses. Debates on the national public radio
with parlamentarians and journalists, debates in the culture houses in
three provincial capitals and the launch of a UNESCO video production on
the creation of community radio stations by communities themselves, were
among the points on the agenda of that day.
Community
Waves – As Book and VIdeo
All evidence shows that community ownership, community control and
diverse community involvement in programming is among the most determing
factors for the sustainability of a community radio station.
UNESCO in Mozambique has therefore designed a development strategy with
its partners including long community mobilisation and capacitation
processes prior to bringing the radios on air.
This mobilisation and organisation process, including the important way
of addressing pertinent community issues on the radio is reflected in a
book and a video production produced by UNESCO Mozambique called
”Community Waves”. Whereas the book has been ready for a while, the
video was finalised during the first days of May and officially launched
on the Press Freedon Day.
The book is available in English and Portuguese, and the video in
English, Portuguese, Emacua and Xitshua.
Preparing
The Reception Of The Equipment At Wave II Stations
A team from Globecom, the South African company providing equipment to
all Community Radio stations initiated with our support, is in its final
phase of fixing the basis for the the antenna mast in all the Wave II
Community Radios.
The work has been completed in Dondo, Milange and Metangula, and the
team is now on its way to Maputo, to work with Bagamoio and Rádio
Escuta-de Xinonanquila in Boane.
The installation of the radio equipment is being initiated when the
technicians of the stations go to Cape Town for training in use and
preventive maintenance of their future equipment.
New
Provincial RM Delegation in Gaza
The national public broadcaster, Radio Mozambique, is these days
finalising the establishment of its 9th provincial delegation in the
southern province of Gaza. With the conclusion of this work, all
provinces outside of the capital Maputo has national delegations,
broadcasting a full day of provincially geared programmes in local
languages and Portuguese.
The am transmitter, other equipment needs, and physical intrastructure
for that provincial public radio station was funded through a component
of phase I of the Media Development Project of the size of USD 700,000.
In its phase II the Media Project will support Radio Mozambique in its
efforts to strengthen the management capacity of the provincial
delegations. Since 1998 these have been in a decentralisation process,
meaning that increased responsibility and decision making space is
granted at the provincial levels.
Media
Development Project
c/o UNESCO, P.O.Box 1397 Maputo, Mozambique
Tel. +
258.1. 498752/ 490840 Fax +258.1.498717
E-mail: unesco@mediamoz.com
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