Sierra Leone radio programmes available on the web
Search for Common Ground (SFCG) has just made available three of its widely popular radio programs via the World Wide Web. Search for Common Ground-Sierra Leone’s Talking Drum Studio programs Atunda Ayenda, Common Ground News Feature, and Paliment Bol At can now be heard in Krio at www.talkingdrumstudio.org . The new site was created in an effort to reach the Sierra Leonean Diaspora and others with an interest in Sierra Leone.
PRESS RELEASE December 1st, 2004
New Website Launch
www.talkingdrumstudio.org
Listeners worldwide can now tune in to popular radio programs
produced and broadcast in Sierra Leone!
Search for Common Ground (SFCG) has just made available three of its widely popular radio programs via the World Wide Web. Search for Common Ground-Sierra Leone’s Talking Drum Studio programs Atunda Ayenda, Common Ground News Feature, and Paliment Bol At can now be heard in Krio at www.talkingdrumstudio.org . The new site was created in an effort to reach the Sierra Leonean Diaspora and others with an interest in Sierra Leone.
SFCG uses media as a tool for peace building and for promoting common ground approaches to contentious issues. In Sierra Leone, SFCG established Talking Drum Studio in 2000 to stimulate national dialogue around critical issues. SFCG produces its radio programs using multi-ethnic teams of journalists and producers. The programs are then aired on various government, private, and community radio stations throughout Sierra Leone.
A description of the three programs follows:
SFCG-Sierra Leone launched Atunda Ayenda (which means “Lost and Found”) in 2001. The radio soap opera has become the country’s most popular radio program. With over 700 episodes produced, you can follow the characters as episodes deal with issues of corruption, decentralization, the security situation, youth, HIV/AIDS, and other relevant issues of national importance. In Sierra Leone Atunda Ayenda is aired Monday-Friday for 15 minutes each day, with a 30-minute review program on Saturdays.
Common Ground News Feature presents conflict issues from around the country and creates a public forum where those issues are discussed, to assist in the peace building, reconciliation, and reconstruction processes. SFCG-Sierra Leone staff conduct interviews on key issues getting opinions from individuals and groups, and provide balanced information on the topics. The show airs throughout Sierra Leone twice weekly on 18 radio stations.
The Independent Radio Network--a coalition of 10 radio stations--produces Paliment Bol At, a program that aims to improve government-civil society relations and increase government accountability. The program features dialogue between government officials and their communities, and informs citizens of their roles and responsibilities. Paliment Bol At focuses on issues of corruption to hold members of Parliament, and other elected officials, accountable to the public. Paliment Bol At is particularly important in an emerging democracy such as Sierra Leone.
Search for Common Ground is an international non-governmental organization that works to transform the way the world deals with conflict: away from adversarial approaches, toward cooperative solutions. With programs in or with Angola, Belgium, Burundi, DR Congo, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Liberia, Macedonia, Middle East, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States, its range of methods for peacebuilding includes community organizing, mediation/facilitation training, radio/TV programming, journalism, sports, drama, and music.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Susan Koscis, Communications Director
Search for Common Ground
[email protected]
Telephone: (202) 777-2215