Radios Bring Civic Education to Southern Sudan

A group of women are sitting and talking under the shade of some large mango trees in Juba, South Sudan-a common sight. But today, instead of talking about the weather and how to afford school materials for their children, the conversation is taking a different tack.

One woman asks about the best way to put a stop to corruption in local government. Another says she wishes their discussion could be heard by all government officials.

Welcome to the first meeting of the Women Group Cultivators radio listening group. The Women Group Cultivators consists of 55 female farmers in the Juba area who have come together to grow peanuts and vegetables. They then sell in bulk, using collective bargaining for better profits.

Ten of the group members have formed this radio listening group with the support of Catholic Relief Services. The group received a small hand-cranked radio. After turning the crank for about a minute, they gather around the radio to listen to the half-hour "Let's Talk" radio show broadcast by the National Democratic Institute.

Sparking Conversation

Each week, "Let's Talk"—which is aired in English and Arabic on a variety of stations—highlights a topic of interest for people living in southern Sudan. The show starts with a drama that weaves the selected topic into the lives of characters in a fictional southern Sudanese town. An education segment follows that describes the topic in a straightforward manner. The show then ends with a discussion featuring interviews with public figures or prominent citizens.

This week's topic is anticorruption, and it sparks an animated half-hour of discussion by the group after the show ends.

"It's very important to meet together, because if you don't understand a point, your neighbor can explain it, you can discuss further and you can come to the right understanding," explains group member Mary Yangi.

"Women have been neglected," adds another group member, Kolorinda Lipu. "We want to know our rights and responsibilities in the government and in our homes. We're eager to hear news and information."

Promoting Peace and Good Governance

This is the exact aim of the "Let's Talk" radio project. The NDI-sponsored initiative has distributed 266,000 hand-cranked, solar-paneled radios across southern Sudan's 10 states, with Catholic Relief Services distributing 79,000 of these in four of the states.

"In a vast country where over 80 percent of the population lives in extremely remote areas and most are illiterate, radios are an ideal medium for giving people access to information they otherwise wouldn't have," explains Bob Schuknecht, governance program manager for CRS in southern Sudan. "It's really important for people to come together to discuss and understand what's happening in Sudan. By forming listening groups, people also learn the value of hearing and respecting different points of view without conflict."

Listening group members take turns discussing their reaction to the issues raised by the "Let's Talk" civic education radio show. Photo by Debbie DeVoe/CRS

Getting the radios into residents' hands wasn't easy because of the project's extensive scope, insecurity resulting from clashes between ethnic groups and transportation challenges arising from the region's poor roads, which become impassable during the rainy season. But CRS succeeded, working with local officials, church leaders and traditional authorities to identify the best people to serve as radio caretakers—with the goal of 50 percent being women. The recipients reflect all segments of the population, including youth, returnees, teachers, community leaders and demobilized soldiers.

Airing Different Points of View

CRS is now working with communities to form listening groups with trained facilitators to encourage open discussion about current affairs. Such civic education is critical to the success of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended the decades-long war between northern and southern Sudan.

By better understanding civic issues, residents can make informed decisions about complicated issues, including the upcoming elections next year and a vote on self-determination for South Sudan in 2011. Debate and discussion can also help communities peacefully resolve local issues, such as cattle raiding or interethnic conflicts.

"I'm happy with this discussion, because some of the members brought up issues that others didn't know of," says Helen Kaku under the mango trees in Juba.

"The government is for all Sudanese, not just certain people or a specific tribe," adds Carmella Foni, one of the group's two facilitators. "I wish our discussion here could be heard by all government officials so they can know of our suffering and come up with solutions."

With continued conversation, the hope is they will.

Debbie DeVoe is CRS' regional information officer based in Nairobi, Kenya. She recently met with a newly formed radio listening group in Juba, South Sudan.

Source: http://www.crs.org/sudan/lets-talk-radio/