In a ZiFM News broadcast of May 20 and The chronicle of 17 May Media, Information and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary George Charamba was quoted saying “The ministry’s position on the licensing of community radios is that the community should reconstitute itself in a way which recognises the chiefs, village heads, women groups, the youth, farmers and church leaders. In that way we are issuing a license to the community.”
This is disturbing because many people have contributed to the debate and practical definition of community radio in Zimbabwe – including people from different community radio stations and from community groups that have initiated such stations. Without their contribution, this article would have little to summarise today.
The word "community" is derived from the Latin communitas (from Latin communis, things held in common), a broad term for fellowship or organised society. One broad definition which incorporates all the different forms of community is “a group or network of persons who are connected (objectively) to each other by relatively durable social relations that extend beyond immediate genealogical ties, and who mutually define that relationship (subjectively) as important to their social identity and social practice."
Common interest
While we traditionally think of a community as the people in a given geographical location, the word can really refer to any group sharing something in common. This may refer to smaller geographic areas — a neighbourhood, a housing project or development, a rural area — or to a number of other possible communities within a larger, geographically-defined community.
This means that a community is not just a group of people bounded by geographical links, such as a village, settlement or district, but also means those brought together by common interest/s like religion, politics, sports, lifestyle, culture, profession etc.
A community radio is therefore a radio service to geographic communities and or communities of interest. It is a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting.
Community Radio serves a specific community; it can be a geographical community, or a community of interest. Or, as in the case of Miners Voice Radio, in Bolivia, it could be a mixture of both.
In Zimbabwe a geographical community would include any of our cities, or towns, or districts, or growth centres. You could even have a Community Radio station for one particular suburb, as in Radio Alex in Alexandria township, Johannesburg.
Women’s group
A community of interest could include a particular minority language group, or women’s groups, or farmers as in Radio Nkayi, or youth as in Y-StarFM Bulawayo, or a church group as in Radio Chiedza Harare. Another example comes from Johannesburg, where the students at Witwatersrand University run their own station from two small rooms on the campus, targeted at their fellow students around the campus.
In Zimbabwe, one could even imagine that cross-border traders, street vendors, or minibus drivers might have their own special areas of interest to air.
Someone might ask, why community radios? Community radio represents the democratisation of communications. The relevance of community radio to Zimbabwe lies in its strength to use local language in broadcasting.
The language issue will be addressed with the introduction of community stations, given the large numbers of different local languages in Zimbabwe. It is not just a question of whether people can hear broadcasts but rather whether they can understand the broadcasts. It addresses human rights issues through the right to information and communication.
Information culture
The majority of the people in people in Zimbabwe have been starved of information. In these days of the information society, community radio can offer some form of media education, creating an information culture. It enhances emancipation and self-worth. Community radio can serve as a platform for debate, exchange of ideas and reactions to plans and projects. It can accommodate people's ideas and satisfy their spiritual and psychological wellbeing much better than any other form of broadcasting.
In many parts of the world, community radio acts as a vehicle for the community and voluntary sector, civil society, agencies, NGOs and citizens to work in partnership to further community development aims, in addition to broadcasting.
The concept of community radios has already been warmly welcomed by many traditional leaders. Chiefs in Binga and Tsholotsho are on record advocating for community radios saying, they can be useful in making announcements about topics like stray wild animals, dip tank days and other important community events. Do not be left behind, community radios can do wonders for your community – demand your radio station now.
Our next article will unpack who owns community radios and how they broadcast. – Mambipiri is ZACRAS Chairperson. He can be contacted on 0772 717 994 or gmambipiri@gmail.com
Post published in: News