THE CONTEXT OF YOUR INITIATIVE

Radio Palabre is an associative community radio station that was set up by the Benebnooma association on 26 March 1994. It responds to a need for an effective means of communicating the group’s activities in the fields of information, education and raising awareness to its current as well as prospective new members.
Radio Palabre fosters dialogue between all development stakeholders and beneficiaries and acts as a crossroads for ideas and the sharing of experiences, hence its slogan “The big broadcasting Palaver Tree – your local radio”
Acting in line with regulations governing audiovisual media in Burkina Faso, Radio Palabre is an associative digital audio broadcasting station.
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Radio Palabre is a community radio and thus plays a specific role in animating the lives of the people of the region and educating them through a range of diverse activities. These activities are organised under a programme schedule and range from education to behavioural change communication, covering general reporting as well as reporting of specific events along the way.

This community radio’s motto is to inform and train people. It operates in the style of an anthill – no task is too great to achieve for its listeners.
Specific objectives
 Producing and broadcasting programmes to inform, educate and raise awareness amongst the general public, particularly rural communities.
 Serve as a communication tool to promote development, and as a local radio, to focus on being participative.
 Have an impact on the local environment by giving a voice to all levels and groups in society.

THE ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT AS PART OF YOUR INITIATIVE

Radio Palabre is a reference for community radio in Burkina Faso: the station is open to all communities expressing themselves in diverse ways. Located in sector ten of the Koudougou commune, the main town in the mid-west region of Burkina Faso, Radio Palabre serves as a crossroads of ideas and experience sharing, giving rise to its slogan “The big broadcasting Palaver Tree – your local radio”. Radio Palabre broadcasts to a 60-80km radius, from 5.30 a.m. to 11 p.m every day. 27% of its programmes are in French, 42% in Mossi, 3% Nuni, 5% Lélé and 23% Fula.
As part of efforts to boost community development, Radio Palabre has assumed a duty to offer something to all its listeners. The programme framework testifies to this desire to serve public interest, and Radio Palabre’s programmes thus cover all the basic aspects of life in modern society.
Health, agriculture, education, environment, culture and local news all have a place in the radio’s schedule.
 Produce topical shows linked to different areas of life – health, agriculture, education, environment, culture, etc.
 Inform people by transmitting local, national and international news
 Produce shows to raise awareness on the ground (amongst the general public)
 Provide media coverage of various activities and protests in the region
 Design and produce mini-programmes and messages for appeals and awareness raising
 Organise (interactive) public forums on local development in practice
 Re-broadcast shows on events and protests
A rich programme of radio shows
This wealth translates into a schedule that includes most of the basic elements of modern society:

• 12 topical shows
• 7 cultural shows
• 7 shows about religion
• 4 critical and direct discussion shows
• 4 dedicated shows
• 1 percussion and dance show

WHO IS INVOLVED FROM OUR GROUP?

A team of 11 permanent members of staff and 10 external collaborators run the radio on a daily basis. There are two presenters, four journalists, four technicians and one secretary.

The radio has some 40 listening clubs throughout the mid-west region. They provide a means of relaying information and obtaining feedback about its information and awareness-raising activities.

WHICH PARTNERS ARE YOU WORKING WITH ON THIS INITIATIVE?

The Benebnooma Association is Radio Palabre’s main partner: it helps it to implement its development policies. Radio Palabre also has traditional partners, including local collectives, public bodies, NGOs, associations, women’s groups and development services. These partners provide it with expert advice on implementing its projects and getting people involved in running its activities.


 The Ministry of Communication
 The Superior Council of Communication
 Burkina Faso’s decentralised ministries and services
 Radio Clapas
 The Laafi Bala Association (France)
 Farm Radio International
 The National Union of the Free Audiovisual Press in Burkina (UNALFA)
 The
 Union Nationale de la Presse Audiovisuelle Libre du Burkina (UNALFA)
 The French Cooperation (Projet CFI/FASOMEDIAS)
 Development Media International (DMI)
 The NGO Laboratoire-Citoyenneté (the citizenship laboratory)

FUTURE PROSPECTS

These awards praise the value of the radio and show its clear ambition to position itself shoulder to shoulder with the population in favour of inclusive and effective development.

Its constant pursuit of innovation has led those who run it to implement a ‘radio meeting’, which explains the institution’s vision over the course of the year, and to design the ‘kids’ channel’, an episode that enables young people to learn about community communication.

 Increase production and the number of field visits
 Breathe fresh impetus into the partnership with technical and financial partners, and boost twinning
 Implement community listener groups in about 20 villages
 Build capacity amongst its staff through training and internships
 Grow audiences in the mid-west region

SHARE YOUR PROGRESS AND THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THIS INITIATIVE

Radio Palabre is a community pioneer in Burkina Faso. The huge effort it makes as well as its sense of professionalism have been rewarded with the recognition of public and private institutions as well as the entire country:

• Recognition as a driver of development, awarded by the Koudougou town hall in both 2004 and 2007
• The national committee against the FGM/Unicef (2006)
• Knight of the order of merit in 2004
• Trophy of the golden circle awarded by the ministry of health in 2001
• 1st price of the Bamako festival of open airwaves in 1997
• Number one radio listened to in the mid-west (radio survey carried out by the superior council of communication and the national institute of statistics and demographics in 2013

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD ANY INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR INITIATIVE?

WHAT ARE YOUR PROSPECTS?