Internet Radio for people of Afghanistan
Ivo Skoric
ivo at reporters.net
Thu Nov 29 20:47:02 CET 2001
Internet and Radio
for the people of
Aghanistan.
a communication initiative
We all know that Internet is an essential tool for communication
by literate people, including Afghans around the world, NGO's,
Aid-workers, human rights activists, grass roots community
developers and (media) activists.
We also know that many people in Afghanistan are uprooted and
dependent on aid for their survival and for rehabilitation of their
environment, but don't have access to internet and are nowadays
in their majority illiterate.
Therefore a combination of internet facilities and independant
community radio run and owned by Afghans seems to be the
adequate option to provide the necessary communication to
enable Afghans to fully participate in the process of rehabilitation
and reconstruction of their lives and region.
What we are interested in is a communication platform that is
independent from political factions and is at the service of Afghan
Civil Society, including its supporters.
The media situation at this moment is as fluid as the policitical
situation. The Northern Alliance forces took over Radio Sharia'a
and still control Radio Aghanistan. Commando Solo is still airing
from his airplanes. The BBC and Voice of America are doing
their job. Especially the BBC Pashto and Dari programs are
considered a reliable source of information by many.
However, these media are not sufficient, to serve as a
communicator for the civil society and the people in general, who
have a whole range of needs: ranging from logistics to education
and independent expression.
The internet could, in combination with radio (and other traditional
media), be of vital importance to connect people around the globe
on various issues. Ranging from logistical communication to
community cybercenters and exchange of private messages,
educational material, agricultural information, weather and traffic,
etc.
Concretely the line of development which we envision might
include:
- internet access
- community service centers
- message board
- editorial
- open publishing
independant radio:
- both short wave and local community radio
- using recorders and internet to collect contributions and feed
back
- cultural expression
- education
- health
- agriculture
- human rights
- community building
- news
- music and amusement
etc.
Finally, creating a platform for communication for families
in the country and in diaspora, a medium for open debate among
civil society and
discussion on the future of Afhanistan would enable people on the
ground to create
constructive alternatives for traditional ways of solving problems.
a prototype in The Netherlands
We are now in the Netherlands in the process of building an
internet radio station servicing the communication needs and
desires of Afghani's wherever they are. The editors are all
Afghans who live and work in the Netherlands and share an urge
to do something for their country and people.
It is a web site, a web based platform for producing radio, both on
demand and as a live stream.
This could be relayed on various ether frequencies around the
globe (short wave, community radio, "official" radio).
It can be received on a computer with sound card and internet
access.
In Herat the first internet is open again, it seems. Hopefully Kabul
will follow soon.
The working title of this radiostation on internet is Radio Reed
Flute. It is a
musical instrument, a brilliant poem by Molana Djalal eddine
Roemi written in the 13th centry and it is a song that was played
every morning on the radio in
Aghanistan. It's a song known to every Afghan, because that's
what you woke up with or played as a sheppard.
Radio Reed Flute is to be an environment for people to meet
eachother, to reach out and to relieve the Afghanis and all those
that share a compassion for their plight.
Radio Reed Flute is a multi layered media project that bundles all
forms of open source, free distribution and open publishing tools
and tactics available on the internet.
partners:
Qader Shafiq q.shafiq at planet.nl, writer and community worker in
Nijmegen
Jo van der Spek jo at xs4all.nl, radio journalist and tactical media
consultant in Amsterdam
Chris Swart gris at saloon.dhs.org, programmer and tools
developer in Budapest and Amsterdam
Zubair Faisal Abbasi, journalist and development consultant in
Islamabad
Rameen Moshref, academic and community worker in New York
Amsterdam november 2001
More information about the Syndicate
mailing list