Community radio and development In Afghanistan
Author: Mohammad Eshaq | Source: Mohammad Eshaq | Date: 30-05-07
Presented by: Mohammad Eshaq and published courtesy of News Blaze
Ladies and gentlemen:
I want to thank the organisers of this workshop for inviting me to speak to you about the prospects of community radio stations in and their contribution to the development in postwar Afghanistan.
Radio is the cheapest and most practical way of mass communication in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has an illiteracy rate of 70 percent (85 percent among women) and a large rural population. Very few households have access to electricity, but most Afghans have access to radio receivers. They are battery-operated and quite cheap (as low as one dollar per set). Afghan people are used to listening to radio. People listen to radio while they work on their farms or they are on the move.
The first radio station was built in Kabul some 65 years ago. Until the end of year 2001 radio broadcasting was a monopoly of the state. After the fall of the Taliban, a new media law was passed allowing the establishment of private and independent radios. Since then, scores of private and independent radio stations have been established throughout the country.
Independent Radio Stations are established with help from some foreign NGOs. They include Radio Peace in Parwan Province, Voice of Afghan Women, Radio Campus run by the faculty of journalism of Kabul University, Herat University Radio and more than 40 FM stations established by Inter News, a US-based NGO in various parts of Afghanistan.
If community radio is defined to be community-based, independent and participatory, the group of independent radios in Afghanistan is very close to this definition. The community here has more to do with geography. Most of the radio stations established by Inter News are given to communities separated by mountains and hills. There are also a few radio stations which belong to women or universities, which are based in Kabul or other major cities. The legal owners of these radio stations are their operators, who are paid by Inter News.
The idea of community ownership is not strange in Afghanistan. There are many things that do not belong either to the government or individuals. Mosques, forests, irrigation channels, local roads, cemeteries, pastures and even mines belong to the whole community. Although the law gives ownership of some of these to the government, in practice the local communities make use of them collectively. Government ownership of these things has a symbolic nature. Therefore, collective ownership of a radio station is not something new, although it might be registered in the name of an individual.
As far as the independence of these stations is concerned, they might be more independent at the start when their budget comes from an NGO. When the grace period ends and control of the radio station is handed over to the Afghan staff, maintaining the independence of the station becomes a challenge. It is possible that control of such stations will fall into the hands of local influential people in return for their economic support to the station. In a county where the rule of law is not fully established and law is not very specific about running these stations, one cannot count on the support of the government for preservation of their independence.
Powerful individuals could pose a threat to the independence of a community radio, but the threat from local government officials could be even greater. If the people are educated about the importance of community radio's independence, they might support the stations against infringements by official and non-official individuals.
Participation of the community in shaping the policies and programs of community radio is a must in order to allow them to function properly. As a result of three decades of war and fighting amongst different sections of the society, the atmosphere in the country is highly charged. There are suspicions about the intentions of those Afghans who have returned from abroad in the minds of people living in rural areas. In some cases, the problems arise from a failure in communication. Both sides might want the same thing, but they talk about it in different ways and argue among themselves. This makes it necessary to take into account the feelings of the communities while the policies are being made.
This is also true about the type of programs the station is broadcasting and the format and language used in the program. People have a reason to be suspicious because the Soviets invaded Afghanistan and called it support to the people of Afghanistan. The behaviour of foreign forces stationed in Afghanistan has not been reassuring to the people either. One way to minimize the risk to the community radio stations is to avoid sensitive political and cultural issues, and those who have radical social and political agendas should not be allowed to run the stations.
Programs broadcasted by community radio stations can vary from place to place. Community radio programs should have a local fragrance and flavour. But a lot of programs in health, education, good governance, mining, and farming can be the same for all stations. Programs should be development- oriented in the full meaning of the term. The following are some of the major topics that community radios could address in order to help development in the country:
Education - Education is the basic need of the society. Education for boys and girls should be encouraged. Since there are few capable teachers in rural areas, community radio could be used to teach people basic subjects. In an Islamic society teaching people good manners will be more effective if the teaching is based on Islamic examples.
Health - The health sector needs a lot of attention. People should be told how to protect themselves from fatal diseases. Protecting people against malaria, tuberculoses, diarrhea and other infectious diseases is very important. Warning people of waterborne diseases and showing people how to make their water safe for drinking is a great help to having a healthy community. Teaching people how to keep clean prevents the spread of diseases. Community radio should be used to inform people about upcoming children's and mass immunization programs.
Agriculture - Afghanistan's economy is based on agriculture. All community radio stations in the countryside should have meaningful agricultural programs. Three decades of war has created a lot of problems for the agriculture sector. Farmers need to know how to fight plant diseases and how to treat their animals. Since there are not enough experts to speak about these issues in rural areas, it would be a good idea to produce agricultural programs centrally and give them to community radio stations. Each station can add a local flavour to these programs. This is can be applied to educational and health programs as well.
Roads - In rural areas of Afghanistan, the lack of good roads is a major problem for economic development. People should be encouraged to help the government in building roads. In areas where farm land is limited, people are reluctant to allow a road pass through their neighbourhood. By explaining the social, health and economic benefits of roads, they could be encouraged to allow road building. In areas where new roads have been built, people should be encouraged to protect them.
Mining - Afghanistan is very rich in minerals. Some minerals are extracted by local people, but the methods they use destroy the value of their product. We have the finest emeralds in the whole world, but due to crude mining techniques a lot of emerald crystals are being destroyed. The situation is the same with ruby, lapis lazuli, aquamarine and other precious stones. Community radio stations could play a role in persuading miners to invest in better mining techniques and the government should be encouraged to be sympathetic to hard-working miners.
Governance - Good governance is a must for development. Community radio stations can educate people in the art of running the government. They can describe the rights and duties of both the government and the people. They should encourage people to take part in elections at the national and local levels. Community radio could bring down people's unrealistic expectations by explaining to them what is possible and what is not possible. Unrealistically high expectations could ferment harmful ill feelings against the government that could prove disastrous to security and stability.
Reconciliation - Community radio stations should play a role in bringing people of different sections of the society closer to each other. This is a very important service to the community and the country in a post conflict situation. No development could take place without security, and security requires reconciliation between warring groups. Revenge does not bring reconciliation.
Culture - Programs presented by community radio stations should help to preserve the cultural diversity of the country. People in Afghanistan speak many languages, and communities in different parts of the country have their own distinct cultural backgrounds. Attempts by politicians to force cultural unity across the county could harm national unity. Community radio could help in preserving local cultures. These radio stations should also fight the negative effects of foreign cultures. The negative effects have widened the gap between government and the society, and people blame the government for bringing negative things to the society. The cultural area is very sensitive in an Islamic and traditional society like Afghanistan. The on-going insurgency in some parts of the country makes this even more sensitive. Those running community radio stations should take these issues very seriously. Cultural issues have resulted in the downfall of several governments in the past, and it is a challenge for the present government, too.
I would like to end my discussion with the following statement: Community radio is an important tool for development. If run properly, it will help communities to develop faster. The international community should help establish more community radio stations in Afghanistan and should persuade the government of Afghanistan to help these radio stations without risking their independence. Technical training for the staff of these radio stations will always be needed.
Thank you for your attention!
The full presentation can be viewed on the News Blaze website.