Radio Sawa makes its mark on Mauritania
Just three weeks following the launch of Radio Sawa in Mauritania the localized stream is proving to be a big hit in the North African country. Listeners are tuning in and participating on Radio Sawa’s on-air programs. The network was launched on June 25, 2014, in Nouakchott where performers came to sing Radio Sawa’s praises.
Radio Sawa’s Poetry Jam and Sawa Chat encourages listeners to share their opinions, through the Mauritanian-specific programs. Sawa Chat poses a question to listeners and asks them to give their thoughts. One such Sawa Chat question asked “What is the real meaning of democracy?” One listener said it means that “you can share your opinions.” Another stated, “Democracy is giving the right to each individual despite their race, religion…to express themselves and vote for the ones that they want.”
Other Sawa Chat questions asked, “Are you free to express yourself?,” “What do you think of Twitter?,” and “How do you feel about the changes brought about from the Arab Spring?”.
Poetry Jam allows listeners to share their inmost feelings through poetry that is aired on Radio Sawa’s Mauritanian stream. Recent poems have been about travel, communicating with one another and love.
In addition to Mauritania, Radio Sawa broadcasts on FM in Morocco, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, U.A.E., Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, Libya and Djibouti. Radio Sawa broadcasts on medium wave to Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria. The radio networks can be heard on www.RadioSawa.com. MBN is financed through a grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent federal agency funded by the U.S. Congress. The BBG oversees MBN and acts as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the broadcasters.