A HISTORY
OF RBO's PROGRAMMING
 RBO produced in October
& November 1996 a series of 8 x 15-minute
episodes titled "MAKING IT WORK" about
use of appropriate technology, on ZBC (Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation) Radio 4, which was also
aired in different language versions in Botswana,
Kenya and Ethiopia. Episodes in this series were
used as a method of informing policy-makers by
identifying and assessing the demand for
sustainable technical solutions in various
sectors of the developing economies in East and
Southern Africa. The programs were produced in
RBO's studios in English, Shona and Kiswahili and
were designed to sensitize the rural and urban
poor to the existence, availability and
applicability of appropriate technologies. The
series also constructed a forum for the
cross-fertilisation of ideas from around the
region through an introduction in each episode of
a technology and its usage in individual
countries of the region. (Due to the great
success of programming re-broadcast is
anticipated - in additional language versions -
in Zambia, Tanzania and Uganda.)
Click
here for audio samples.
The weekly series "Izwi Romurimi /
Ilizwi Lomlimi" (Farmer's Voice) of the
Zimbabwe Farmers Union, on ZBC Radio 2, with an
interactive component, was produced by RBO for 15
months in 1996 and 1997 in Shona and Ndebele.
There was an interactive component in this
program which allowed administrators to be in
close contact with the grassroots who make up
their constituencies. The format of the series
had the objective of disseminating information to
about 170,000 small-scale farmers in a fast and
cost-effective way. Click
here for audio samples.
Another 24-episode series about
community-based management of natural resources
called "Kuchengetedza Zviwanikwa"
(Living Ideas) has just been aired on ZBC Radio
2, with overvoiced versions in other African
languages simultaneously on air in Botswana,
Zambia and Namibia. This series had the objective
of passing on knowledge to the grassroots about
community-based natural resources management by
illustrating various community initiatives and
their benefits. Rural communities from a variety
of countries in the Southern African region were
provided with a chance to exchange ideas and
experiences so that they could learn from each
other. The radio series covered issues like
traditional knowledge and practice, issues of
legislation, capacity building, and community
participation.
Click here to access
this special RBO project.
Based on regular feeds to public
German radio stations since 1993 (overvoiced
German versions of programmes by story tellers of
RBO's African network) RBO produced, partly
together with its German sister society
"Radio Brücke Übersee e.V." and with
its partner in Ecuador "Centro de Educacion
Popular / CEDEP", in 1995/96 & 97 three
audio cassettes (each 5,000 copies) for
distribution to adult education institutions in
Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
In 1994 RBO produced for half a year a
daily 30-minute audio magazine, "VOICES OF
AFRICA" with 4 mini-features each by African
authors, as feeds through the "Public Radio
Satellite System" of the U.S.A. Issues
ranged from authentic cultural expressions to
social and political developments.
 |
|
Three
of these mini-features won RBO the
"1994 Global Award for Media
Excellence" during the UN-World
Population Conference in Cairo for
"Best Radio Program in fostering
support to solve the world population
crisis through a demonstrated commitment
to share ideas, knowledge, and experience
towards the ultimate objective to reduce
excessive population growth and creating
a better life for all the world's
people." |
 |
|
RBO
was the clearing house for radio
programming for and from communities in
different corners of the world with
regard to the UN-declared "Year of
the Oceans 1998". Click here for
audio samples. |
RBO produced in 1998,
on behalf of "Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer
Technische Zusammenarbeit" & "Carl
Duisberg Gesellschaft", an audio feature for
distribution to participants of the
"International Workshop on Financing Schemes
for Decentralised Solar Energy Systems II"
from 20th to 23rd October 1998 in Harare /
Zimbabwe. The audio-feature contains 5 modules,
each up to 6 minutes long, presenting:
RBO has dubbed
the program on analogue cassettes for
distribution to all workshop-participants who
will make an effort to have the program aired on
a national radio station of their country,
whereby such stations can either use the
30-minute program in its entirety or select
modules for a serial of programs. The cassettes
will also be used for other promotional purposes
by the recipients.
Also in 1998, RBO has
been tasked to produce from within the
SADC-region several audio-features for broadcast
in Austria which coincided with an EC-SADC
conference hosted by Austria as the holder of the
EU-presidency in 1998.
RBO SPECIAL PROJECT AUSTRIA & SADC
RBO's "Special Project Austria &
SADC" was researched in Mozambique,
Tanzania, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Five 30up to -minute audio features contained
each five topical modules, describing amongst
others one Austrian assisted development project
in each country. The five audio features were on
air on ORF1 from October to December 1998.
English (in German) versions of all modules can
be viewed as a multi-media project on RBO's
website. Click here for a sample
|
