Oneworld Radio South Asia launched
As a platform for audio content exchange South Asia, Radio South Asia will enable organisations and individuals to download and broadcast audio programmes in South Asian languages to the communities they serve.
http://radio.oneworld.net/southasia), a pioneering effort that uses the Internet to promote information-exchange between communities.
Radio South Asia was launched on January 16, 2004, by Prof Bruce Alberts, President of the US National Academy of Sciences, and Dr Basheerhamad Shadrach, Director of OneWorld South Asia, at Embalam village in Pondicherry.
As a platform for audio content exchange in the South Asian region, Radio South Asia will enable hundreds of organisations and individuals to download and broadcast audio programmes in South Asian languages to the communities they serve.
By establishing linkages with mainstream broadcasting stations, such as All India Radio, FM and community radio, OneWorld South Asia will provide opportunities for NGOs to broadcast their audio programmes to a wider community across the region.
The pilot edition of Radio South Asia features audio programmes in Tamil produced locally. The aim is to develop the pilot project into a South Asia edition of OneWorld Radio, which will service local broadcasters by offering them a wealth of audio in local languages that they can take on for re-broadcast.
In this way, OneWorld Radio South Asia will be part of a network of different languages, topical and regional editions of OneWorld Radio.
How does OneWorld Radio work?
All members of OneWorld Radio -- radio stations, non-governmental organisations and individuals -- can upload their programmes to the audio database and can download programmes produced by other members for re-broadcast.
Anybody can search the OneWorld Radio member database for organisations and individuals by language, topic or region they work in.
Where will it be located?
The pilot edition of OneWorld Radio South Asia and further developments of the local edition will be undertaken by the OneWorld South Asia office in New Delhi.
The M S Swaminathan Research Foundation is the main coordinator for providing Tamil audio content on the site. It plans to set up an audio studio in its project village for the local people to produce audio programmes in their local languages.
Why is it being launched in India?
"Radio South Asia is also a platform for the voiceless," says Basheerhamad Shadrach, director of OneWorld South Asia. "Linking up with the Open Knowledge Network (www.openknowledge.net) programme, Radio South Asia will encourage poor communities in the region to communicate their problems, grievances, concerns and suggestions to their authorities. Thus, Radio South Asia is facility for people`s organisations for amplifying people`s voices using people`s media."
"Development of an edition in South Asia a very exciting undertaking as we aim to support local communities and their right to have a voice on the Internet and to exchange and gain knowledge and information using their own language", says Jackie Davies, Radio Manager of OneWorld. "We are hoping that this pilot project will initiate a vibrant network of radio stations, non-governmental organisations and producers in South Asia who will gather online to exchange their programmes but also ideas and experiences."
What does it mean for the common man?
By downloading and rebroadcasting audio programmes and other information from
OneWorld Radio South Asia, local radio stations can distribute information on issues that are important for local communities, such as health, education or agriculture, in their local language. In this way, information is distributed to local communities in a low-cost and accessible way.
At the same time, local communities can produce their own programmes in community centres and put them on OneWorld Radio South Asia to make them available for other members to download and re-broadcast.
How will it sustain itself?
This pilot project is a voluntary undertaking of OneWorld Radio and OneWorld South Asia. The possibilities of further funding for development of the full South Asia edition of OneWorld Radio are being explored.
About OneWorld South Asia
OneWorld South Asia (http://southasia.oneworld.net) brings together a network of people and groups working for human rights and sustainable development from across the region. Its activities focus on Development Communication, ICT Research and Advocacy and Capacity -Building.
About OneWorld Radio
OneWorld Radio, (http://radio.oneworld.net) offers services and networking for over 1,000 broadcasters and civil society organisations that use radio for human rights and sustainable development. This portal aims to be a tool for broadcasters - a place on the internet where they can find radio programmes for exchange, information from the sector of radio for development and where they can network with each other by searching the OneWorld Radio directory of members.
About M S Swaminathan Research Foundation
MSSRF (www.mssrf.org) runs the Information Village Research Project in Tamil Nadu, which is aimed at testing if ICTs can help alleviate poverty and be used to empower the rural poor.
For further information, please contact:
BASHEERHAMAD SHADRACH
Director, OneWorld South Asia
Tel: 26612008-10, 26532430, 26537635
Mobile: 9811237477
e-mail: basheerhamad.shadrach@oneworld.net