41865 Capacity Development briefs S h a r i n g k n o w l e d g e a n d l e S S o n S l e a r n e d The FM RevoluTion in nigeR: Radio's iMpacT on capaciTy developMenT By luc peter, stephanie Barbey, and ajay Tejasvi In Niger, where only a fifth of the population is literate and poverty is rife, radio has taken on an extraordinarily important role in the lives of its citizens. Radio programs are not only the means through which people entertain themselves and get the daily news, they are also playing a proxy role for the health clinics, schools, social support networks, and continuing education needed for economic progress. Women debate their role in society; citizens call in to complain about poor local services; radio report- ers, microphones in hand, chase down politicians and demand answers on the air. Although Niger has a long way to go in creating a viable and free media market, radio has nevertheless flourished in a remark- able way in this landlocked francophone country of 13 million and given people a taste of democracy. Providing the citizens of Niger with perspectives from around the world, radio is a major instrument in the process of capacity development in the country. Exploring life's bigger lessons to its smaller ones, the governance, marital and social councils, health and radio is always on in Niger, constantly educating, enter- beauty tips, cooking recipes, public awareness cam- taining, and helping people keep a check on power. In paigns, music and entertainment--are now available a nation with more than 80 percent illiteracy, the radio to ordinary people through radio. has become the main means of communication. Simple yet reliable, radios are everywhere: in homes, on streets Because of low literacy and personal incomes, radio and in the bush. Today, through the radio waves, the has become an important instrument of capacity devel- citizens of Niger are seizing the microphone and tast- opment in Niger. Radio stations broadcast programs ing democracy. In Niger, they call it "Révolution FM," on preventive health and current affairs and with les- because radio is contributing to the strengthening of sons for school children and advice for farmers; as a the young democracy and increasing public awareness result, most people who had no prior access to any about the Niger's economic and social progress. such information are now able to make more informed decisions. Farmers from the Sahel region and those going beyond Barriers without any access to primary health care have ben- efited from these programs. La Voix du Sahel provides The radio revolution in Niger is usually said to have news and other programs in French and several local begun in 1990 with the advent of democracy. Since languages. Radio also brings news from as far as the then, many private radio stations have sprung up to United States, France, and Hong Kong. As a result of defy the previous monopoly of the state media. This all the new information available to them, people have more diverse and competitive radio market has already left its mark, turning radio into the main channel through which a range of forces in society can address This brief is primarily based on the 2007 documen- citizens and citizens can confer with each other, as tary film "Magic Radio" by Luc Peter and Stephanie well as helping the people of Niger to understand the Barbey, produced by Intermezzo Films (inter- concepts of free thinking and democracy. It has also mezzo@freesurf.ch). The direct quotes and inter- views cited in this brief come from the film. It was brought ideas and news from the rest of the world to written by Ajay Tejasvi at the World Bank Institute. Niger's doorstep. A multitude of topics--politics and october 2007 NUMber 24 wb capdev24 10-24-07.indd 1 10/25/07 1:43:45 PM "Respect your neighbor and treat him as you would Box 1: Messages in Music: Niger's hip-hop treat yourself. That's the most important thing in life. The radio educates me. It puts things in my "I have to go, despite the peace, head that I could never have imagined." Despite the hospitality. --A listener in Niger I have to go. Too tough being young here To live, deadly burden, started demanding more action and responsiveness Doubts in our heads. Sad to know tomorrow will be worse. from the government and public agencies. Tough not knowing how to end it. I have to go Free speech in the Balance To Paris or Uncle Sam Aware of all the dangers Technology has played a role in this Révolution FM, I know that over there . . . leading to a reduction in setup and broadcast costs. I have to go to new horizons An operational radio station can be set up with a bud- So that one day when I return get of around $15,000 and can service a radius of 50 My words will make sense . . . miles. This is a fivefold reduction in expenses com- --Zara Moussa (ZM), Niger's hip-hop sensation. pared with the 1980s. A low-level transmitter of sev- eral watts, capable of reaching a village, can now be set up for less than $800.1 Lower transmission costs and a greater range of broadcasts, combined with the proposed last year replacing prison sentences with low cost of FM transistor radios (around $5 each), fines, but the 1999 press law remains unchanged. have brought the radio within the reach of the poor. The media in Niger, as in many other African coun- Despite all this progress, free speech remains frag- tries, is also struggling to create a viable market in ile in Niger. The government recently declared a state which news and information flow freely and vari- of emergency in the north and has restricted journal- ous types of media contribute to the national debate. ists' broadcasts on and photography of the rebellion. The media face a variety of obstacles, including poor The government closed a private newspaper, Air Info management, lack of independent funding resources, in the northeast, imposed a three-month ban on a undeveloped advertising markets, and other political radio talk show on Radio France International (RFI), and economic pressures. It is unclear just how many and brought corruption charges against journalists radio stations are operating at any one time in the who alleged corruption in the government's manage- country, although international organizations active in ment of a donor-funded public education initiative.2 the sector put the number at more than 100. Such actions are a step back in a fledgling democ- racy. Niger's President Mamadou Tandja promised listening and learning during his 2004 campaign to abolish prison penalties for press-related offenses. A government commission In Niger, both state-owned and private radio stations have contributed to Révolution FM. One of the strengths of private and community radio is that it covers news and discussion that might be censored or avoided on Table 1: Niger at a Glance Life expectancy at birth 44.6 years "For a country like Niger, radio is truly magical. A Adult literacy rate (ages 15 and older) 28.7% newspaper is no good to people who are illiterate. Combined gross enrollment in primary, 21% But if you report the news in his own language, secondary, and tertiary education the same way he talks, then he understands. He keeps it in his head; you make him aware of Total population 13.4 million things. He understands more because it is closer to GDP per capita $779 him than a newspaper. It is a great tool for educat- Public health expenditure per capita $30 ing the masses." (purchasing power parity) --A listener on government-owned La Voix du Public education expenditure (percent of GDP) 3.3% Sahel (Voice of Sahel) Main telephone lines (per 1,000) 2 Cellular subscribers (per 1,000) 11 1See Sposato and Smith (2005). Source: UNDP (2006). 2See entry for Niger in WAN (2007), p. 315. october 2007 NUMber 24 wb capdev24 10-24-07.indd 2 10/25/07 1:43:46 PM In the Neighborhood: Voice and Accountability (2006) Mali Benin Niger Burkina Faso Nigeria Togo Chad 0 25 50 75 100 Country's Percentile Rank (0­100) Source: Kaufmann, Kraay, and Mastruzzi (2007). Note: The governance indicators presented here aggregate the views on the quality of governance provided by a large number of enterprise, citizen, and expert survey respondents in industrial and developing countries. These data are gathered from a number of survey institutes, think tanks, and nongovernmental and international organizations. The aggregate indicators do not reflect the official views of the World Bank, its Executive Directors, or the countries they represent. Countries' relative positions on these indicators are subject to indicated mar- gins of error that should be taken into consideration when making comparisons across countries and with time. state-owned radio: a meeting of the opposition, politi- cal debates, and social issues otherwise not covered by Box 2: Excerpt from a Special Radio Show on the national media. Local stations also tackle issues of Radio Anfani for Children importance to local communities that are ignored in the national media. Today's Niger has 21 living languages; host: "how many days does a year have?" local radio stations move back and forth among the Child 1: "365 days" many local languages that are typically spoken. host: "excellent! now who can give me a good life lesson? Youth see radio as a means of speaking out for Child 2: "Cleanliness . . . I must wash myself with social change. Zara Moussa or ZM, Niger's hip-hop soap and water to be clean." sensation, addresses social evils in her music. She campaigns for women's rights and works to bring hope to women who have always been marginalized in less than 3 percent of its gross domestic product on Niger's society. She inspires young people to shed old health care.3 It is in this context that Niger's radio mindsets and embrace new ideas for development. Her helps build public health capacity and gives people a music also speaks about the problems and confusion chance for a better life. More people now get health tips facing youth in Niger today. from the radio than through any other medium. Every week in Niger, women radio hosts talk about the problems facing women and inspire common folk "The way to health is open. The way to medicine to participate in reforming their society. Be it child is open: the important way. Dear listeners to Voice of Sahel, Hello! We're going to talk about a disease marriage or dowry harassment, a new cake recipe or that is caught from water. It concerns ponds and beauty tips, women are rising to the challenge and stagnant water. This disease is not contracted by redrawing the lines of engagement. drinking the water, but by bathing in it or wash- ing clothes in it. This is when the parasites enter In a country that ranks at the bottom of the human the body through the pores of the skin on the feet. This disease has been known about for a very long development index,4 radio is also playing a role in pri- time. It is called bilharzia." mary education and is being used to transmit school --Health worker Damoure Zika on lessons. The United States Agency for International La Voix du Sahel Development (USAID) recently concluded that radio has a greater impact on learning than textbooks or teacher education in developing countries.5 Radio Anfani hosts Damoure Zika's informative show has been on the air since 1958, making people aware of hygiene and 3 health. As the show's anchor, Zika notes that in the See UNDP (2006). 4 early years of independence from France, there weren't The rating for Niger is 0.311, placing it in last place of 177 countries. See UNDP (2006). many doctors or nurses, nor were there any free health 5 See USAID: Afghanistan, 2004, available at centers. So every Friday, people would listen to the http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/countries/ radio to learn about diseases. Even today, Niger spends afghanistan/education.html (last visited October 16, 2007). wb capdev24 10-24-07.indd 3 10/25/07 1:43:46 PM government attention to the needs of the education "I'd say that you need the radio here. If you want system. daily news or you want entertainment, it's always radio. Radio is a part of everyone's day-to-day Radio's broad appeal comes from its inherent sim- lives. There's always a radio around: in bags, in bed, in the living room. Everyone has one. In the plicity. Radio programs help show that people face streets, among friends, there's always a radio." similar problems around the world. In Niger, people --Elderly man in Niamey, Niger's capital city look up to other developing countries, such as India and South Africa, and seek to emulate some of their successes on their path to progress. With a rich history children from local communities every Wednesday on in education, health, and development, radio is thus a special educational program. More than 40 children best suited to reaching millions of people in develop- crowd into the small studio and clamor to answer ques- ing nations. Development practitioners would do well tions posed by the host. This show has proved very to take advantage of this medium to create programs popular with both kids and adults, underscoring the that will keep listeners tuned in and to take proactive need for more educational programming. steps to improve their condition. The authors would like to thank Craig Hammer of conclusion WBI's Voice and Accountability Program for his con- As seen in the examples above, radio has made tributions to this brief. tremendous contributions in terms of civic engage- ment and encouragement of fair, effective, transparent References governance; improvement of mutual understanding within and among communities; peer-to-peer learning Kaufmann, D., A. Kraay, and M. Mastruzzi. 2007. within the developing world; and education of people Governance Matters VI: Governance Indicators for of all ages in Niger. 1996­2006. Policy Research Working Paper No. 4280. World Bank, Washington, D.C. Radio encourages continuous information Sposato, Stephen and William. A. Smith. 2005. Radio: exchange that helps reduce social risks and helps A Post Nine-Eleven Strategy for Reaching the people keep a check on power. Politicians tend to World's Poor. Lanham, Md.: University Press of favor informed voters and well-covered issues.6 This America. is certainly the case in Niger, where most people use Stromberg, David. 2002. "Distributing News and the radio as a tool to monitor the political situation Political Influence," The Right to Tell: The Role of and make decisions largely depending on what they Mass Media in Economic Development. World Bank hear on the air waves. For instance, radio helped Institute, World Bank, Washington D.C. galvanize the student population in Niamey to speak UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). out against corruption in the education sector. When 2006. Human Development Report 2006: Beyond radio stations publicized the report of the anticor- Scarcity: Power, Poverty, and the Global Water ruption committee, which exposed malpractice in the Crisis. New York, NY. education sector, the youth in Niamey demonstrated WAN (World Association of Newspapers). 2007. World for more transparency and better attention to stu- Press Trends 2007. Paris, France. dent needs. Activists say such action not only led to the release of 29 student activists, but to higher 6 See Stromberg (2002). about World Bank institute (WBi): Unleashing the Power of Knowledge to Enable a World Free of Poverty The World Bank Institute (WBI) helps countries share and apply global and local knowledge to meet development chal- lenges. WBI's capacity development programs are designed to build skills among groups of individuals involved in per- forming tasks, and also to strengthen the organizations in which they work, and the sociopolitical environment in which they operate. WBi contact: Mark Nelson; program manager, Capacity Development Resource Center Tel: 202-458-8041, e-mail: mnelson1@worldbank.org Ajay Tejasvi; program coordinator, Capacity Development Resource Center Tel: 202-458-4064, e-mail: anarasimhan@worldbank.org Visit our website for more information and download the electronic copies of all Capacity Development Briefs at http:// www.worldbank.org/capacity october 2007 NUMber 24 wb capdev24 10-24-07.indd 4 10/25/07 1:43:46 PM