Aceh Youth Radio Peacebuilding

Youth in a radio production training session

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) in August 2005 provided an historic opportunity to put an end to over three decades of conflict in the province.  In 2005, the disarmament of GAM and demobilization of the Indonesian army was a success, and a high degree of goodwill remains between parties. Challenges remain, including regaining the people’s trust and dealing with disappointment related to governance over the years. For the Acehnese to achieve a sustainable and peaceful future, the challenges of the tsunami and the MoU must be translated into a process of wide-reaching, inclusive and broadly supported societal change.

Acehnese youth are a key sector of Acehnese society that must be involved in the peace building and social reconstruction process. There is widespread recognition that ignoring the needs of youth is a contributing factor to their participation in violence, undermining the chances of reaching sustainable peace. The media – and radio in particular – are an accessible tool to facilitate meaningful participation by Aceh’s youth in the peacebuilding and social reconstruction process. 

Aceh Youth Radio Program for Peacebuilding seeks to facilitate the participation of Acehnese youth in the process of reintegration and peace building. The radio shows consists of a 30-minute pre-produced program, whose content is designed, recorded and edited by youth reporters from across the province. The show, Guendeurang Damee ("The Drums of Peace") is being broadcast on 12 commercial radio stations and more than 15 community radio stations in Aceh.

Each pre-produced segment is followed by another 30 minute interactive talkback segment. By promoting a new public forum for the discussion of issues of importance to Acehnese youth, the project provides youth from throughout the province a means to identify, analyze, and communicate their needs in a constructive and solutions-oriented way. The program also provides valuable insight for peacebuilding decision makers on the attitudes and behaviors of Acehnese youth. 

The reporters and producers of Guendeurang Damee

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