Day 2: 16 Days of Community Radio

IWDA partner in Fiji fem’LINKPACIFIC has an innovative take on the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. Through their women’s community radio network in Fiji, fem’LINKPACIFIC hosts the 16 Days of Community Radio to coincide with the 16 Days of Activism.

This year, their annual campaign will have an expanded reach. A recent grant from AusAID has provided additional suitcase radio kits and transmitter equipment that will allow women in two rural centres – Nausori and Labasa – to participate actively in the 16 Days of Community Radio.

Executive Director of fem’LINKPACIFIC Sharon Bhagwan Rolls recently visited the IWDA office and provided some background information about the 16 Days of Community Radio (you can skip to a transcript of Sharon’s video or the Fiji TV transcript below the videos):

Fiji TV recently featured a news story about fem’LINKPACIFIC’s expansion:

Follow fem’LINKPACIFIC on Facebook and Sharon Bhagwan Rolls on Twitter for more information about the 16 Days of Community Radio.

Sharon Bhagwan Rolls video transcript

Sharon Bhagwan Rolls: This year for fem’LINKPACIFIC’s 16 Days Campaign we’re really excited because we’re not just doing 16 Days of Community Radio with one community radio kit, but we’re launching our women’s community radio network with Fem Talk 89.2FM dedicating more than 200 hours of airtime broadcasting with three community radio kits and Generation Next in three towns for the 16 Days Campaign.

So the 16 Days of Community Radio Campaign for fem’LINKPACIFIC means one, that women will be connected through the community radio programs talking about issues. Generation Next have been busy now for several months producing a whole series of programs about the main theme but also as young women addressing violence against women from their perspective. It’s also an opportunity to do some mixing with media, so while we have community radio as our main platform and we’re taking the issues into the public airwaves, the public spaces, so it’s our contribution to demystifying the issue.

We’re also going to be taking content and putting them out as podcasts on our website and providing regular updates on our Facebook page as well. So I think that whole interaction, the whole use of not just one media form but showing the different types of media and thereby also making the media accountable, that media content should also be about peace building, it’s about, really a message this year that resonates through the work we’re doing using US Security Council Resolution 1325 and it’s what women are talking about, peace for the home to peace for the world.

Peace for the home for many of the women in our rural network, in our regional network is very much linked to human security so as we talk about their human security, their human rights, and their rights and capacities to be able to define the kind of development which brings about sustainable peace and I think that’s really important as well.

So the 16 Days of Community Radio Campaign will be about three community radio stations switching on from 10am to 3pm, it will be about rural women coming in for those 16 days into a space where they get to talk about their issues, they get to listen to other stories from women’s programs from our five rural centres and what’s really important with the expansion of our community radio network on Fiji’s second main island is that it’s also in a very important space because of the partnership with the Anglican church and it’s really also showing the church as faith leadership, the leaders of our church starting to take a stand and to say “we’re supporting women, we’re continuing to provide the space where women can come and have the kind of conversations they want during a very important campaign and to be able to be heard, to be listened to by the policy makers, by the government officials.”

Fiji TV video transcript

Newsreader: It’s an initiative aiming to bring women together celebrating their similarities and differences through radio broadcast. fem’LINKPACIFIC Suitcase Radio 89.2FM has now expanded to the northern division. As Myron Williams explains, it’s a simple and innovative approach to highlight issues affecting our rural women.

Myron Williams (reporter): It’s a unique approach those in the mainstream media can no doubt learn from. This past weekend fem’LINK’s Generation Next Suitcase Radio Project was launched in the north and for the first time it offers women in rural areas here a medium to express themselves.

Interviewee 1: This means an enabling environment for women where women are able to access communication at any time and at any level, where women feel free to come around and share their opinions and participate in decision making.

Myron Williams: This community radio outreach has been a success amongst women especially from the rural population and the poor who have a chance to communicate openly on issues directly affecting them.

Interviewee 1: Community radio is very important in communicating and bridging the gap between community and policy makers women participating and policy makers at all levels because it is a comfort zone for all level of community.

Myron Williams: fem’LINK showed us exactly how they go about collecting stories from our rural women folk.

Sereana Qoli (Generation Next-Labasa): From your story that I’ve been hearing did you have breakfast this morning?

Interviewee 2: Not yet.

Sereana Qoli: So from how long have you been harvesting here?

Interviewee 2: From 8 o’clock till this time.

Sereana Qoli: So you still haven’t had your breakfast yet.

Interviewee 2: Yes.

Sereana Qoli: So after this what are you going to do?

Interviewee 2: After this I have to go and wash clothes, I have to have a breakfast first before I go to wash clothes.

Myron Williams: As Labasa prepares to host 16 Days of Community Radio campaign scheduled from November the 25th this is expected to coincide with the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.

Interviewee 1: Generation Next project is a very positive forward looking project. It is where we involve young women, young women leaders who are leaders of today and tomorrow who come and participate and utilise their skills and learn more.

Myron Williams: The project was made possible with generous funding from AusAID. Myron Williams, Fiji 1 News.

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The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991. For each of the 16 Days from 25 November to 10 December 2011, the IWDA website will be featuring a different piece to highlight the work of our partners and explore ways that IWDA supporters can take part in the effort to end gender-based violence.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 26th, 2011 under 16_Days, Fiji, Front page.