Radio Silence
A look at efforts to increase access to media in the developing world
Radio connecting a troubled land to an historic night
Deep in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
intense fighting between rebels and government soldiers have
displaced hundreds of thousands of people. But that crisis, and a
near complete total lack of infrastructure that would make it easy
for one to be cut off from the outside world, did not stop some in
the heart of the fighting to stop and share their thoughts on an
Obama victory in the U.S.
Nor did the fighting and instability prevent them from remaining connected to the election outcome. Here again we see the power of portable radios in a region lacking electricity and the means to regularly purchase newspapers. But the portable radio persists, and thanks to that the rangers from Virunga National Park stayed on top of U.S. election results despite having recently fled their posts in the park in light of fierce clashes between rebels and the government.
Their thoughts are here.
A sample:
Eddy: “ This means a huge change for us throughout the world. Especially in people’s hearts and minds. At the moment everyone is celebrating on all continents. And for the Americans it is a big step in their democracy. It shows that their democracy works. For Congo I am not sure what difference this new President will make on a practical level but in people’s minds there will be a change.”
It speaks to the emotions Obama has fostered that in a region, the DRC, where it would perhaps be most understandable for hope to have vanished people are instead optimistic that change is coming.
I mentioned these park rangers in a post last week about the Congo, where they at great risk protect the world's largest population of mountain gorillas. The site I linked to is running a fundraising campaign to support the rangers and the approx. 1,000 people who have fled to their camp in Goma for safety.
Nor did the fighting and instability prevent them from remaining connected to the election outcome. Here again we see the power of portable radios in a region lacking electricity and the means to regularly purchase newspapers. But the portable radio persists, and thanks to that the rangers from Virunga National Park stayed on top of U.S. election results despite having recently fled their posts in the park in light of fierce clashes between rebels and the government.
Their thoughts are here.
A sample:
Eddy: “ This means a huge change for us throughout the world. Especially in people’s hearts and minds. At the moment everyone is celebrating on all continents. And for the Americans it is a big step in their democracy. It shows that their democracy works. For Congo I am not sure what difference this new President will make on a practical level but in people’s minds there will be a change.”
It speaks to the emotions Obama has fostered that in a region, the DRC, where it would perhaps be most understandable for hope to have vanished people are instead optimistic that change is coming.
I mentioned these park rangers in a post last week about the Congo, where they at great risk protect the world's largest population of mountain gorillas. The site I linked to is running a fundraising campaign to support the rangers and the approx. 1,000 people who have fled to their camp in Goma for safety.
About
A former reporter/mentor at the Daily Monitor newspaper in Uganda, Christopher gained an on-the-ground look at the role the media plays in development efforts. Previously, Christopher wrote for the New York Times. He now covers Canada for the UK's Financial Times. Views stated here are his own.
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