NAME OF PROJECT: Freedom to be heard Campaign through Radio
Author: Olivia Phiri
Nationality: Zambian
Date of production: 03 February, 2006
Proposed commencement and duration: June 2006 to February 2007 (Nine months)

RATIONALE:
The people of Zambia have for a long time been subjected to having state owned media as the most reachable and wide spread media available to them. The ruling Government and Party have always looked at the media as a platform for propaganda and as a medium for selling themselves. So the culture in Zambia has been that Politics rule the day, all medias be it print whether private or state owned have been or electronic have been obliged to take the same route.

Social and civic awareness has recently been strong and people have realised they have a voice. The government has also been friendly with liberalising airwaves, so many commercial and community stations around the country have mushroomed for the past 10 years.

Unfortunately these radio stations are limited in transmission capacities and thus the state owned radio station, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation has remained the most listened to media in the country. Despite a multitude of information outlets, people who are historically marginalized and excluded remain “voiceless” and “invisible” because those who control information channels refuse to share access equitably.

Because these are state owned only government agendas are mostly broadcast, but social awareness programs are permitted at a cost of course.

Since the private broadcasters are limited in bandwidth, communities have been creating boundaries and resentment, especially people in the rural towards the urban dwellers. The rural community feels neglected in terms of social, communication, infrastructure, economic, health and educational privileges open to those in the urban areas.

Because of such situations where there is minimum or almost non existent of communication between the two types of people, social divisions develop and as it has been witnessed in some parts of Africa and the world, conflict arises, because of perceived social differences for example, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Sudan Conflict just to mention a few.

The project hopes to break down such differences by providing a medium for people especially women and children to express them selves to government leaders, community heads, civil society heads and the rest of the country what problems they are encountering.

This will be an open platform where stakeholders are brought in to react, consider and maybe provide solutions or alternatives.
The project would like to collect data from all nine provinces in the country focusing on densely populated areas, agricultural centres, previously neglected communities by the media and accessible locations.

Audio recordings may be made of people telling their story to the rest of the community and country on issues that are most relevant for development or need for urgent attention, such as HIV/AIDS, poverty, Agricultural concerns, and Human rights abuses, reproductive health and education. These are issues that are most important to the southern African region at the moment.

Immediate benefits of the project will be;
The beginning of an era of freedom of expression;
Will relive the burden on developmental agencies with knowing exactly what the grassroots really need;
The government will also be made aware where work is not being done by officials;
Will help in the governments fight against corruption;
Will provide a checks and balances for both government and Non-governmental organisations and provide information on potential developmental projects;
And generally it will help bring about national unity.
Information in society does not simply enable people to know what they should do or think. Information is power- it enables people to make sense of their lives and it enables them to shape their aspirations.

Radio has been chosen as the best media because of its cost, simplicity and accessibility. In a country like Zambia which is besieged by many problems such as disease, poverty, hunger and poverty, governance problems, radio is an indispensable tool t raise awareness of peoples rights to and to stimulate people to do something to change their living standards.
A repressed community offers opportunity for major human injustices that can be avoided with the provision of communication and freedom of expression.

If funded this project aims at ultimately enabling people to take control of their lives. In many areas of the world, people have precious little access to information outside their community that enables them to make such “sense.”
Women and children who are most affected by hunger, HIV/AIDS and lack due to lack of information, education and communication will be given an opportunity to express them selves and be able to speak about unproductive traditions still holding their development, such as mutilation and forced early marriages and abuses.

World peace is all we wish for and the millennium goals hope to reduce world poverty, bridging gap in education and improving health care. This idea can be seen as a step in achieving those goals starting with a country which is said to be poverty stricken and humped with HIV/AIDS.


IMPLEMENTATION:

Audio recordings will be made from different parts of the country using as many voices from different people mostly women and children on issues affecting them that they would want to be resolved by government and civil society in their area or for the sake of mobilising the local community to sought out their local problem.

The recordings will be compiled and edited in Lusaka and broadcast as the most striking issue arising at from the area. An influential member of society will be invited to react to the problem and suggest alternatives and solutions.

This project aims at providing an ear for every body in Zambia, regardless of social class.
The programmes will be divided according to subject and location. The programmes will run for at least six (6) months.



The project will require research assistants that will be sent to collect data from the different locations. In total 8 assistants will be hired, they would have to consist of an equal gender balance with previous research and writing experience.
The project would also have to hire the assistance of a sound engineer to oversee the sound quality of all edited materials.
There after a publication of all programmes, results and impact will be published in a conclusive report which may be used as a scale for continuing the project.

Towns in Zambia chosen per province are as follows:

Lusaka Province
Copperbelt Province
Central Province
Luapula Province
Northern Province
Southern Province
Western Province
Lusaka
Kafue
Chongwe
Kitwe
Ndola
Kabwe
Kapiri
Serenje
Mansa
Bangweulu
Luwingu
Kasama
Mazabuka
Livingstone
Mongu
Kalabo


Eastern Province
North western Province
Chipata
Petauke
Kasumbalesa
Solwezi

20 towns in total would be covered brining out the most important issue the residents point out to be most relevant to them, not according to the researchers thought or judgement unless enough justification is given to the fact.
The researcher will gather information about the general condition of the area in respect to the specific topics or issues the program is trying to aim at without clouding the resident’s ideas or voice.
The manpower needed during this research period is eight people. The group will constitute of Journalists, researchers and social activists. They will be working in groups of two per location, depending on capability to speak local language of specific area, interest, gender spread and experience.
The collection of data will be over a period of two months. Editing will be allocated a month. This will require a simple home made editing suite, using Audacity program which is an Open source program and readily available.
The whole research and production will be requiring the following equipment:

4 Audio Digital recorders
4 Digital Cameras
10 Mini discs
1 Desktop Computer
Stationery (Note books)
1 Pair Headphones
2 Flash sticks

The researchers will be given 3 days for each town. They will be given a Audio recorder, digital camera, mini disc and stationery.

They would be need for one day orientation workshop for all researchers involved. During this workshop the researchers will be taught how to handle the equipment and objective of the research and their responsibility and duty during the project.

The towns chosen have been due to economic history or capability and population density, accessibility and history of negligence in the past by media.
The researchers will use local cheapest means of transport which is very efficient.