Talking Drum Studio

Radio presenter in Nimba Sanquelleh

SFCG’s Talking Drum Studio (TDS), a multi-media project with studios in Monrovia and up country in the town of Gbarnga, has built a national audience with its nine regular weekly programmes that address governance, reconciliation, and conflict issues.  A recent listener survey found that 83% of respondents with broadcast coverage had listened to TDS programmes.  In addition to building a strong reputation with listeners, TDS has also developed good relationships with decision-makers and civil society representatives, who make regular contributions to the programmes. 

Established in 1997 as SFCG –TDS’s overall goal had been transformed from reducing immediate political and ethnic violence to promoting long-term peace and stability by stressing four core themes: accountability; youth and engagement; leadership; identity; and ethnicity. TDS uses radio as a means for promoting dialogue among polarised groups and reducing ethnic and political tension among such groups by stressing themes of non-violent conflict resolution, democratisation and reconciliation. SFCG produced radio programming reaches the widest range of listeners through culturally appropriate languages and formats. In focus group discussions, SFCG programs have received feedback indicating the positive changes they have had on their audiences, including:

Today is Not Tomorrow SFCG’s radio soap opera drama and most popular program in Liberia: In focus groups both men and women agreed that the issues discussed on the program are extraordinarily relevant to their lives.   Because of this, the respondents say that they learn how to deal with daily problems in a better way.  For instance, most listeners relay that they now understand the dynamics of corruption more clearly and are better able to address it in their communities.  One man even shared that when he was elected chairman of the community, he chose not to engage in corrupt activities largely because of what he learned from the drama. 

One Step Beyond (OSB) a talkshow program designed to engage with politicians and policy makers about decision-making processes in the country:  The program was shown to increased awareness about politics and an increased knowledge about how to engage with community issues.  Listeners commented that the program helps them feel more connected to central government, as the show highlights the government’s activities and uncovers its hidden secrets. 

TDS Up Country, SFCG’s magazine program focused on the rural areas of Liberia: Listeners to TDS Up Country were interested in how people were coping with daily challenges, various agricultural techniques, education in the interior, women’s activism in rural areas, the role of the government upcountry, and health/hygiene in the interior.  Listeners also claimed that listening to this program has greatly increased their knowledge about other areas upcountry.  This response was even given by those living upcountry, as they were interested in hearing about other areas outside their own community. According to some respondents, this information has even convinced some people to return to their homelands or to invest in farming in the interior.

Taylor Trial is a program that follows the Charles Taylor trial in the Hague.  Despite the multitude of other places to get information, a respondents claimed that TT is the easiest and the best place to find out about the trial.  According to them, TT goes into more depth about the trial and provides more perspectives on the events

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