Community radio in Bangladesh provide a platform for minorities

As part of The Collaboration Lab – a small grants project to foster alliances between Bangladeshi media outlets and civil society organisations (CSOs) – Free Press Unlimited and ARTICLE 19 have partnered with a local alliance focused on promoting press freedom and media development to strengthen community radios. The members of this alliance – SoMaSHTe, Radio Mahananda, Radio Nalta and Radio Pallikontho – are working to make sure the voices and concerns of the plainland ethnic minorities (specifically in northern Bangladesh) are heard. These plainland minorities are subject to various types of violence because of their indigenous identity.

There is a great need for inclusive and accountable community radio programming to address critical issues of plainland minorities such as land rights and environmental challenges. To achieve this, part of the project’s approach was to empower ethnic youth to take leadership roles, making sure that it was a collaborative effort. Other points of focus were expanding the broadcast reach of community radios, increasing newsroom awareness of ethnic issues, and advocating for the government recognition of unacknowledged ethnic groups. 
 

Radio Pallikontho

We spoke with Mehedi Hasan who is Senior Station Manager of Radio Pallikontho, a community radio station in Moulvibazar District in Bangladesh and one of three radio station partners. The radio station is run by a team of 13 people, and then there are about 10 volunteers. 

Every morning Radio Pallikontho broadcasts programmes to their local community about issues that are relevant to them, providing them with a platform to voice their concerns. Radio Pallikontho also plays a mediator role between authorities and citizens, connecting them to work towards solutions for problems the community faces.
 

Input from listeners

When asked about the way they work, Hasan shares: “Our programmes are made by the input from our listeners. We talk to them and ask them: what problems do you face in your specific area? We then bundle and prioritise these problems and create our broadcast around them. Issues that come up are mostly around agriculture, health care, a gap in education for marginalised people, and a lack of information. Our area is also very vulnerable to natural disasters like floodings, this is also a great concern of our listeners.”
 

These issues are then covered in Radio Pallikontho’s broadcasts. The issue is explained, with input from experts with specific expertise. Hasan: “We for example have a health expert, agriculture expert and an education expert. They give their input on the matter. Then we get in touch with a representative of the local government. There is room for the listeners to ask questions to them, and then we work towards a solution.” 
 

Collaboration with ethnic youth

45 youth representatives from ethnic minority groups from Chapai Nawabganj, Moulvibazar and Satkhira participated in the production of broadcasts, fostering collaboration and creating a bridge between the communities and the radio crews. “We also provided training for both the radio crew and the youths, focusing on enhancing skills in communication, radio production, and community mobilisation, empowering participants to amplify their communities' voices and foster engagement,” explains Hasan. 

The collaboration was so successful that the youths will continue volunteering in radio productions after the official programme is closed.
 

Community radio makes a difference

The impact of these broadcasts can be life-changing for the local community. As an example Hasan shares: “A member of our team went on a field visit to the indigenous Dalit community. There, the community raised the issue of a lack of access to safe drinking water. This issue was part of one of our programmes, where a government official was present. Later, this government official went to visit the community to see whether it was possible to dig a well.”

Other broadcasts made by the other two participating radio stations, Radio Mahananda and Radio Nalta, also made a direct impact. In Delbari, Chapain Nawabganj, the local administration has initiated the process of allocating land for a crematorium for the Santal community after this concern was raised during a broadcast. In Shyamnagar, Satkhira, local officials have pledged to establish a youth club to preserve the Munda community's language and culture, with a site already allocated. In Muktartek, Moulvibazar a broadcast highlighted the lack of a nearby school for Khasi children, after which the District Education Officer raised this issue in a district coordination meeting. The District Commissioner then ordered immediate action to establish a community school in the area. 

These outcomes reflect the positive impact of these radio programmes, with trained youths advocating for their communities and local authorities responding proactively.
 

Hopes for the future

Hasan hopes that what has been established through this collaborative programme, will last in the future, as it will benefit the minorities and the communities as a whole. 

“Local media is very effective in giving marginalised people a platform where they can voice their problems and be heard. Sometimes all that is needed to solve an issue is to make a connection between the community and a government representative. We are in the position to make that connection and provide that platform, plus we can hold the local government accountable since they are on record making a statement. The work we did with Free Press Unlimited, ARTICLE19, SoMaSHTe and the ethnic youth helps us to keep playing this role for the community and safeguard it for the long term.”

This project was funded by the European Union.