Namibia celebrates the power of Radio

“Radio brings people together. In an era of rapid media evolution, radio retains a special place in every community as an accessible source of vital news and information” UN Secretary General, António Guterres.

The power of radio as a medium was recognised on 13 February during the 9th edition of World Radio Day celebrations held at the College of the Arts in Katutura. Veteran broadcast journalists, media houses, commercial, public and community radio stations were present to celebrate the reach and ability of radio to help shape society. This year’s World Radio Day theme commends the ability of radio to promote diversity in all its forms, and this message was reflected during the remarks of the invited speakers at the event.

“Through the freedom it offers, radio is thus a unique means of promoting cultural diversity. This is particularly the case for indigenous peoples, for whom radio can be an accessible medium for sharing their experiences, promoting their cultures and expressing their ideas in their own languages,” said Mr. Djaffar Moussa Elkadhum, the Head of Office and the Representative of UNESCO to Namibia.  He called on the need for diversity in radio, “This diversity mush be seen in radio content, as well as among the creators of content – technicians, programmers, journalists, sound engineers, everyone has a role to play in this respect.”

World Radio calls for the need to promote a diversity of editorial content and programme types reflecting a variety of audiences, encouraging representation in the newsroom with teams comprised of diverse society groups and advocating for pluralism in radio including a mix of public, private and community broadcasters. These were also among the topics discussed during the live panel discussion, moderated by Joseph Ailonga, representing the Editors Forum of Namibia. Ethical content and communicating issues affecting children on radio were also topics included during the discussions.

Various radio stations exhibited to meet and chat with young people, community members, stakeholders and fellow media fraternity members. World Radio Day was broadcast live via the National Broadcaster. The day was held in conjunction with UNESCO, Ministry of ICT, CRAN, Namibia National Commission for UNESCO and a host of media partners and stakeholders.