Two years after Bangladesh adopts a new Community Radio Policy, the community media landscape is changing.

After radio broadcasters from Asia and the Pacific gathered in Bangalore, India, to participate in the 2nd conference of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) Asia-Pacific chapter, one of the region’s most important breakthroughs for community broadcasting in South Asia took place in Bangladesh. The government awarded licences to twelve organisations to establish community radios.

One of the areas to benefit from the licensing is the region of Rajshahi where the Centre For Communication and Development (CCD) has been working. A long time partner of WACC, CCD has recently received support to implement a pilot radio project designed specifically for indigenous people of Bangladesh.

‘Raising Indigenous Voices Through Radio’ (RAINVO – www.radioinvo.com) is the first online radio by and for indigenous people in Bangladesh. Thanks the support from WACC CCD was able to provide radio and journalism training for 37 indigenous women and men from different indigenous communities, and to provide them with journalism as well as production skills. This, according to participants in the project, is the only way in which indigenous voices will be heard and taken into account in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s indigenous populations are the most marginalised social sector and living well below the poverty line, are to be found primarily in the Chittagong Hills and the regions of Mymensingh, Sylhet and Rajshani, where the WACC supported project took place. The majority live in rural settings and speak one of the four major vernacular languages though Bangla is the official language of the country.

CCD Director G.M Mourtuza stated that ‘Without WACC’s support we would not be able to manage UNESCO’s commitment to continuing the project activities’, referring the fact that UNESCO agreed to provide follow-up to the project in which trainees will work with the online radio as journalists, producers, presenters and sound editors.

All those involved in the community radio movement in Bangladesh have strong hopes that the new radio stations will not only give rural and marginalised communities access to information that have direct impact on their lives but also will allow them to take active part in their country development efforts and democratic processes.

For further information contact: Cette adresse email est protégée contre les robots des spammeurs, vous devez activer Javascript pour la voir. or visit RAINVO.

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