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Suva, Fiji Islands
19 May 2004
Four year after the May 2000 coup, femLINKpacific (Media Initiatives for
Women) a women’s community media based NGO in Suva is preparing for the
inaugural broadcast of its new mobile women’s community radio project,
femTALK 89.2FM which will be staged on Sunday May 23, 2004 live from the St
Joseph’s Secondary School Hall in Suva:
“Using a 100 watt transmitter and a mobile radio-in-a-suitcase, this first
broadcast will be not only a time for us to test the equipment, but also
the first time that our student broadcast team, fifth formers of St Joseph’s
Secondary School, will go to air. The team of young women broadcasters
together with very able and energised technical production assistants have
been working together since mid March to prepare for the broadcast. Our
young women launched the project on May 5th at the Asia Pacific Conference
for the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations, and this weekend, we
are on air!” said femLINKpacific Coordinator / Producer-Director, Sharon
Bhagwan Rolls.
The broadcast, this Sunday, will also be an opportunity to commemorate the
International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament which falls on May 24th.
This is especially significant for femTALK 89.2FM because it is a radio
project that has come about to support and provide airtime for women and
peace initiatives:
“The changes in the radio format especially due to the commercialisation of
our radio airwaves, has resulted in a loss of space for women who wish to
raise their issues, in their own way, in their local communities. The mobile
radio project hopes to steadily address these gaps in information to and
from women in rural communities, especially to strengthen women’s
participation in decision making, and the overall peace process for Fiji.”
Programme highlights this Sunday include a series of “women on radio”
segments and the following segments:
1030 Interfaith "Peace Vigil"
1145 Meet the women of the Fiji Disabled People’s
Association
12 to 1pm Women and Peace, a live panel discussion
1 to 2pm Youth and Peace, a live panel discussion
2pm Broadcast of the femTALK radio demo produced at the
September 2003 workshop "Women and Poverty" - thinking globally and acting
locally
3pm Open Forum with Chantelle Khan and the Social
Empowerment Education Programme of ECREA including sharing of "Visions of
Peace"
And of future broadcasts ?
“This is the beginning and we are very grateful to the support from UNESCO
and AUSAid who have enabled us to import the equipment and also stage the
first broadcast. Now we need to plan future broadcasts, in partnership with
existing NGOs and women’s groups, especially those looking to enhance peace
efforts and bridge the gap in relation to access to communication and
information.”
Ends/ for more information contact Sharon Bhagwan Rolls on 3316290 / 9244871
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