In Koudougou, in the Center-West region, the waves of the community-oriented radio station Radio Palabre contribute to resolving conflicts. Like under the palaver tree in ancient times. For thirty years, broadcasts aimed at the rural world have also focused on ideas and practices that promote development.
A radio hosted by teachers, agricultural technicians, students, health professionals… A program schedule developed after listening to the needs of the communities. This is the particularity of Radio Palabre, created in March 1994 by the Benebnooma association.
“They are often civil servants, teachers, who come to talk to us about education issues. Nurses to whom we allocate sections, to talk about health. Sports, and so on. And there are also peasants. Most of the programs on the rural world, on agriculture, are hosted by farmers. explains the radio director, Simon Gansonré. He specifies that some collaborators have more than twenty years of presence on the radio.
For him, the involvement of communities in the animation and in the development of the program schedule has boosted the radio's audience rate. “We saw, from this involvement, that it even increased our audience […]. And even to develop the program schedule, we hold a meeting with all these people. This helps to strengthen the base of the radio,” supports the director.
Ordinary citizens at the microphone
It's 11 a.m., and Pierre Tiendrébéogo has just left the air. Since 10 a.m., he has been hosting a program on agroecology with guests from a local NGO. Pierre is a history-geography teacher and, since 2019, he has fully lived his passion for the microphone.
“Since childhood, I have always loved radio. I asked for an internship at the beginning. Subsequently, the director entrusted me with two shows: Current affairs palavers et Straight to the point”, he said, his face beaming with pride.
Like him, many presenters are not information and communication professionals. Mathieu Bationo, senior agricultural technician, is retired. But he puts his decades-long experience to the benefit of as many people as possible. Rocked by the radio since he was little, “Papy” lives in Tenabo, 25 kilometers from Koudougou. Still strong and full of enthusiasm, he regularly comes to the provincial capital. In particular to host a show on agriculture. “She is my second wife”, he says about the radio.
According to him, qualitative change in the rural world, plagued by several challenges, can only take place through radio waves. “The rural world learns a lot from this radio. This is what brings development. I'm talking about seeds, fertilizers, rainfall, pests that affect yield. We manage to reach as many producers as possible. In the evening after the fields, people listen to the radio a lot,” he continues, emphasizing the pleasure he takes in animating Lilé, one of the languages spoken in the locality.
While the retiree lives his passion, listeners take the opportunity to learn about the best agricultural techniques.
Public utility broadcasts
The waves of development are also waves of mediation. Indeed, the director, not without pride, recalls that Radio Palabre has “raised major questions and concerns in the region, which found solutions.” Governance problems in local authorities, but also the thorny question of deflatees [travailleurs licenciés] from the defunct Faso Fani factory. The government at the time was grappling with the ex-factory workers.
“There was an echo of the broadcast [auprès] of people who did not have all the information, all the details of the file. They really deplored the attitude of the State, of the lawyer. Politicians weighed in to provide the beginnings of a solution […]. We even made reports on the life of the deflated to say to what extent, socially, this situation is very negative for the community, even for the workers. recalls the director. He does not forget that at the beginning the affair almost created problems on the radio, which dared to make the State face its responsibilities.
Interactive shows are particularly popular with listeners. “What I like is the accessibility of radio and the plurality of broadcasts. I particularly like interactive shows,” notes Sylvestre Léandre Zoma in Ramongo. A village located less than 20 kilometers from Koudougou.
As an education actor, Gilbert Kaboré says he particularly likes shows related to education, but not only that. “Radio Palabre is truly a local radio station, which deals with real population problems such as education, health, integration, agriculture. It allows us to inform ourselves, to train ourselves to be model citizens,” rejoices the faithful listener.
The challenge of Simon Gansoré and his team: “How can we really maintain this foundation that we have at the regional level in terms of personnel, human resources and financial resources?” Passion alone is not enough. But when the director looks at the multitude of national and sub-regional distinctions plastered on the walls of his office, he knows that he always has to reinvent himself. And this to continue to be the widely distributed palaver tree which frees the peasants' words.
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