UNESCO Donates New Mobile Broadcast Unit to Timbuktu’s Radio Stations
10-11-2004 (Paris)
When the locust plague first hit Timbuktu in Mali, the town’s four radio stations immediately used the suitcase radio donated by UNESCO in 2001 to mobilise townspeople and villagers against the desert insects that destroyed a significant percentage of Mali’s crops in 2004.
The mobile unit certainly helped to reach and involve communities in the vital struggle against the swarms. But its 30 Watt transmitter only covered a 15 kilometre radius. Realising the importance of these broadcasts, UNESCO quickly arranged for a new, 100 watt unit to replace the old one, more than trebling the broadcast radius.
“This has had a huge impact, as now we can cover the whole area. It has been crucial to broadcast information about traditional methods of fighting the locusts which had been forgotten because there had been no locust plagues in so long. Thanks to the new suitcase radio we are able to reach everybody,” explained M. Kader Ascofaré, director of Radio Bouctou.
Currently, there are fewer locust swarms, but a new wave is expected and being prepared for. In its first test broadcast, the new unit was used to broadcast information about how to detect and eliminate locust larvae and warnings about the dangers of re-using empty pesticide drums. The new unit reached up to 60 kilometres south of Timbuktu and over 40 kilometres in other directions.
In the first broadcast with the new unit, the town’s four radio stations all linked up to the suitcase unit’s frquency and presenters from the four stations took part in the live programme. They are now planning a day of special joint broadcasts from the suitcase to support an annual vaccination campaign.
The radio presenters also use the local telecentre to obtain further information from the internet. The first suitcase radio was originally donated by UNESCO under its Community Multimedia Centre programme, to help radio stations make optimal use of telecentre resources.
Now that Timbuktu’s radio stations have the new 100 watt mobile unit, they have decided to return the old unit to UNESCO to renovate, so that another community in Mali may also be able to benefit from this resource. The suitcase radio is made by the Canadian company Wantok Entreprises and is designed to be extremely simple to use and to withstand harsh conditions such as those of the Sahara desert.
Ends
The suitcase radio, a complete broadcast station in a single case and complete with a high gain antenna, is a product of Wantok Enterprises in Canada. The unit is fully portable but can also be used as a permanent FM community radio station. Because of its low-cost, easy-to-use advantage,suitcase radio has been piloted in several CMCs including in Mali, Mozambique, Uganda, Niger, Burkina Faso and Tanzania. The suitcase radio comes in 30 watt and 100 watt versions.
“This has had a huge impact, as now we can cover the whole area. It has been crucial to broadcast information about traditional methods of fighting the locusts which had been forgotten because there had been no locust plagues in so long. Thanks to the new suitcase radio we are able to reach everybody,” explained M. Kader Ascofaré, director of Radio Bouctou.
Currently, there are fewer locust swarms, but a new wave is expected and being prepared for. In its first test broadcast, the new unit was used to broadcast information about how to detect and eliminate locust larvae and warnings about the dangers of re-using empty pesticide drums. The new unit reached up to 60 kilometres south of Timbuktu and over 40 kilometres in other directions.
In the first broadcast with the new unit, the town’s four radio stations all linked up to the suitcase unit’s frquency and presenters from the four stations took part in the live programme. They are now planning a day of special joint broadcasts from the suitcase to support an annual vaccination campaign.
The radio presenters also use the local telecentre to obtain further information from the internet. The first suitcase radio was originally donated by UNESCO under its Community Multimedia Centre programme, to help radio stations make optimal use of telecentre resources.
Now that Timbuktu’s radio stations have the new 100 watt mobile unit, they have decided to return the old unit to UNESCO to renovate, so that another community in Mali may also be able to benefit from this resource. The suitcase radio is made by the Canadian company Wantok Entreprises and is designed to be extremely simple to use and to withstand harsh conditions such as those of the Sahara desert.
Ends
The suitcase radio, a complete broadcast station in a single case and complete with a high gain antenna, is a product of Wantok Enterprises in Canada. The unit is fully portable but can also be used as a permanent FM community radio station. Because of its low-cost, easy-to-use advantage,suitcase radio has been piloted in several CMCs including in Mali, Mozambique, Uganda, Niger, Burkina Faso and Tanzania. The suitcase radio comes in 30 watt and 100 watt versions.
Related themes/countries
· News Archives - 2004
· Mali: News Archive 2004
Share this story:
Contact information
- UNESCO
Source