Fruitful collaboration between Austrian Free Radios and Zongwe FM / Zambia

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Created: Wednesday, 15 July 2015 17:32

Parallel and linked to the exhibition "one man one note" re/calling Siachilaba in Strobl / Austria has been the project "Sichtwechsel" - Change of Perspective - as part of the Festival of the Regions in Ebensee / Upper Austria with live radio programs by radio-moderators from Salzkammergut in collaboration with their colleagues from Zongwe FM in Sinazongwe/Zambia.

Zongwe FM is a Community Radio of the Tonga people in Sinazongwe. Since the radio station was set up in 2007, there has been an ongoing collaboration with the Free Radios in Austria facilitated by AZFA and its partners Basilwizi Trust and Panos Southern Africa.

"How do we organize our life together?" This question was at the centre of the radio project "Change of Perspective". Already in the lead-up to the festival, the two editors from Zongwe FM in Sinazongwe, Patience Mabuku and Kennedy Kambole arrived in Salzkammergut. They then reported daily live from Ebensee about various arts projects participating, supported by a mobile studio on a bicycle trailer. They have been covering the happenings at the festival alongside with the reactions of the populace and their own observations.
http://www.freiesradio.at/content/radio-mwabonwa-live-aus-ebensee

The following week, Patience and Kennedy moved to Linz and to the Free Radio Upper Austria FRO studios where they joined a workshop for radio moderators. The participants of the workshop donated some 400 Euros to contribute to the efforts of Zongwe FM to meet the requirements for the radio licence. http://www.fro.at/article.php?id=9256

Earlier this week the two colleagues from Zambia finally went to the capital city Vienna to join the team of Radio Orange as the last leg of their month long internship with Independent Radios in Austria. Listen to an interview broadcast by Radio Orange in Vienna: http://cba.fro.at/292037/embed?subscribe=true

Thanks to all participants and partners involved for their efforts and contributions, TWALUMBA!
We wish Patience and Kennedy a safe journey back home and ploughing back the expertise and experiences gained.

This collaboration between Austrian and Zambian community radios is hopefully to be continued through further exchange of knowledge and capacity building in the near future.

Peter Kuthan / AZFA, July 12th 2015