The "Journalism and citizenship" project initiated by Belekan Community Radio finds its justification in the desire to contribute to the process of post-conflict management. The project will address the issues of citizenship and human rights through the use of ICT resources. Young people will be its main beneficiaries.
Countries: Mali
In 2012, Mali experienced severe political and security upheavals which plunged the country into a crisis with economic and political repercussions. Following the political changes that occurred in 1991, considerable progress was made in the area of freedom of expression, so much so that Malian experience was praised by numerous observers. The principles of freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press are established in the Constitution of 25 February 1992. As the media played a major role in the advent of democracy, a genuine culture of press freedom has emerged in...
Avec la crise actuelle que traverse le Mali, plusieurs journalistes ont déjà été victimes de coups et blessures, très souvent par manque de professionnalisme dans les écrits et autres publications. Les causes endogènes se situent surtout au niveau du manque de formation de beaucoup de journalistes maliens et son corollaire d’ignorance des règles fondamentales de la profession d’une part, et la pauvreté accouplée d’une corruption facile des promoteurs, d’autre part. L’absence ou l’insuffisance de formation des journalistes de la presse privée écrite et audiovisuelle, est réelle. Cela s’...
The Republic of Mali boasts a legal framework which, since 1991, has fostered the emergence of a vibrant and diversified media sector. The country counts 300 hundred radio stations—associative, community and commercial—, 19 of which broadcast out of the Kayes region alone. The population of Mali is mainly rural: more than 85% of the country's inhabitants live in rural areas. The high illiteracy rate accounts for the fact that radio is still the most effective means of disseminating information, raising awareness and educating the general public.
The project's immediate...
The Malian media sector has undergone significant liberalization and development following the advent of democracy in 1991, with the country boasting some 241 private radio stations in 2010, according to a survey conducted by the media union, URTEL. However in spite of this apparently vibrant media environment, radio coverage is unevenly distributed across the country, with some communities continuing to be deprived of their right to access media and information sources. One such example is the rural commune of Sirakoro, which currently has no local radio, and only sporadic reception of...
With the advent of the 3rd Republic, the National Assembly of Mali can now be considered as the nation's barometer of democracy, on account of the debates conducted within that forum. However, where institutional activities are concerned, and parliamentary affairs in particular, Malian citizens on the whole are under-informed, and express little interest in the acts adopted by their parliamentary representatives. Popular indifference in this respect could constitute a factor of under-development, and a potential source of social crisis. Participation figures suggest a crisis both in terms...
In 2000, in its effort to keep up with innovations in radio broadcasting, Channel 2 implemented a computer-assisted production and broadcasting system (and was one of the first stations in the country to do so). However, most of the work produced by the station still involves the use of audio cassettes. For conservation reasons, the use of this medium is a source of increasing concern. Seizing the opportunity which arose with the publication of the ORTM web site, Channel 2 had the radio ported online by the company hosting the ORTM site. With its new, worldwide audience, particularly among...
Since 1991, as part of an initiative to give a voice to the voiceless , Mali has been pursuing a policy aimed at privately owned community radios. This has given rise to a profusion of stations which, although initially disorganized, have progressively come together within a unifying entity known as the Union des Radiodiffusions et Télévisions libres du Mali (URTEL, Malian Union of Free Radio and Television Broadcasters). The URTEL network today counts more than 180 stations dispersed throughout the country. Its main objectives are to coordinate the different community radios; help ensure...
Since the Beijing World Conference on Women (1995), a number of women's rights groups and associations have emerged in Mali. These organisations have been actively involved in various initiatives aimed at improving the status of women in the country. Thus, as a result of the impact of awareness campaigns conducted by Radio Bèlèkan, the last communal elections, held in May, 2004, saw an increase in the number of women sitting on Communal Councils within the Cercle de Kati. Despite its moderate significance, this breakthrough conveys a clear message of hope since these newly elected...
The press in Mali faces the problem of the small size of the reading public, particularly in the school system. In response to this difficulty, AJEM has drawn up a cooperative project involving the training of teachers, schoolchildren and journalists in newspaper design, assembly and content. The IT and printing equipment requested by AJEM under this project will bolster its efforts to improve the quality and quantity of its output. It is in this context that AJEM has drawn up the project, Media and Citizenship, which combines a series of training components, designed for journalists,...