One of the leading telecommunications companies in Sierra Leone, Africell, has joined the global celebration on the World Radio Day with the rest of the broadcasting world.
This year’s theme is ‘Evolution, Innovation & Connection’.
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of Africell, Joe Abass Bangura said shining the spotlight on the phenomenal work done through radio over the past years, Africell said communication is a priority, and the radio being a prominent means of communicating, makes it paramount in its goal of giving every Sierra Leonean access to an affordable and accessible means of communication.
Media Relations and Radio Manager of Africell, Abdul Karim Sesay said: “Today, we gather to commemorate the power and impact of radio in connecting communities, bridging cultures, and amplifying voices across the globe. As we embark on this journey of celebration, let us reflect on the profound influence of radio in shaping our world, and renew our commitment to harnessing its potential for positive change.
President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Ahmed Sahid Nasralla said: “As we join the rest of the world to commemorate World Radio Day 2024, we want to pay tribute to the impeccable history of radio and the powerful and inspiring radio voices that have blazed the trail for generations. It is exactly 100 years since radio as a rediffusion service was introduced in Sierra Leone in 1934, the first in West Africa and the third in the continent following South Africa and Kenya, respectively.
“From rediffusion service to Transmitter to the Transistor (Medium Wave- Western Area) to Shortwave (the Provinces) to FM later in the 1990s to digital in the 2000s, radio has not only continued to prove itself as very resilient and adaptable irrespective of the technology but also a vital medium for information dissemination, education, entertainment, and participatory democracy.”
Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/67/124) in 2012 as an International Day, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD).
Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse. At the global level, radio remains the most widely consumed medium. This unique ability to reach out the widest audience means radio can shape a society’s experience of diversity, stand as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented and heard. Radio stations should serve diverse communities, offering a wide variety of programs, viewpoints and content, and reflect the diversity of audiences in their organizations and operations.
Radio is a low-cost medium specifically suited to reaching remote communities and vulnerable people, offering a platform to intervene in the public debate, irrespective of people’s educational level. It also plays a crucial role in emergency communication and disaster relief.
Radio is uniquely positioned to bring communities together and foster positive dialogue for change. By listening to its audiences and responding to their needs, radio services provide the diversity of views and voices needed to address the challenges we all face.
