Burkinabe Women’s Association Launches First Radio Station in Zabré

The radio station has already been operational since March, but the official launch took place on the 20th of June in the presence of François Laureys (IICD), Odile Bonkoungou and Béatrice Damiba (representing the Ministry for the Promotion of Women), the deputy major of the city of Zabré and the president of Pag La Yiri and many members and guests of Pag La Yiri.

Already a success

In their openings words all speakers expressed the radio station already to be a success. The president of the Conseil supérieur de la Communication for example compared the start-up of the radio station ‘as a baby born with great difficulties, but already talking and walking.’ The president of Pag La Yiri, Suzanne Waré, referred to the radio as a tool that will help to develop the local community.  ‘Through this radio the people can better exchange information. That will help to stimulate development in Zabré.’ François Laureys, representing project partner IICD, claimed the radio station already to be a success as it fulfils the need for communication that has been pressing the community for a long time. ‘Radio Pag La Yiri has proven itself to be a true community radio. One sees that the radio has caught the interest of the local population from the beginning. The best proof that the radio is a success is the fact that people over here have massively tuned in on the radio.’

Difficulties to send and receive information

The launch of the radio station is part of a project supported by IICD to set up a small community radio station and install an internet connection at the offices of the Pag la Yiri women’s association in the information-deprived region Zabré in the east of Burkina Faso, close to the Ghanaian border. Most people in this area make a living as a farmer, but face great difficulties since a good transport and information infrastructure is lacking. Within an area of 130 kilometres there are no radio or television stations to be received, except for Anglophone radio stations of Ghana, which is not really helpful as many people only speak a local language such as Bissa and Mooré.  Up till now information from the head offices of Pag La Yiri in Ouagadougou was passed on by telephone or by mail. The latter was often troubled by a long and difficult journey over a pothole-ridden road. All organisations working in the region of Zabré face these difficulties.

Reduce time to receive information

Setting up a community radio station may help to overcome the lack of information and communication in Zabré, while the use of Internet and e-mail can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to send and receive information (such as the latest agricultural information or health newsletters) from its headquarters in Ouagadougou to the Zabré office. The main objective of the radio station and internet connection is to provide weekly market price information for the 20,000 farmers around Zabré. The market prices will be collected via the internet through partnerships with parties that are experienced in marketing agricultural related goods. Partners are the African Institute of Rural Bio-Economy (IABER), Afrique Verte and SONAGESS, an organisation that manages the national security stock of crops and will then be broadcasted through the Pag La Yiri radio station.

Broadcasts in local languages

Members of Pag La Yiri have been trained to use radio equipment and conduct interviews.  Broadcasts will mainly be in local languages, making it more appealing since many listeners do not speak French. The broadcasts start off by providing service announcements. These announcements mainly contain essential information. This can range from when the baker is in town to when a specific event or market will take place. Eventually Pag La Yiri can link the internet to its radio broadcasts: not only will they be able to put their own shows online, they will also be able to make deals with radio stations in Ouagadougou as well. Stations can then send some of their programmes online to Pag La Yiri which will then broadcast them for the benefit of people living in Zabré. This ensures that people living remote and rural area will also hear the broadcasts from the city.