CANGO supports 5 day Swaziland Community Multimedia Network Workshop

CANGO, through the OSISA Futures 2 Project is funding a five-day workshop for the Swaziland Community Multi Media Network (SCMN), which comprises of community radio volunteers. The network is present in all four regions of Eswatini and its mandate is to broadcast or disseminate information at community grassroots level. This workshop is expected to contribute to amplifying voices of communities so they can articulate issues at community level. However, it should be noted that Community Radio stations are denied broadcasting licences in Eswatini, pending the enactment of the Broadcasting Bill.

One of the focus areas of the workshop is capacitation on the utilization of digital platforms such as websites, social media and other platforms. Also, CANGO, though the ARISA Project (USAID) has supported in developing a website with webcasting capability for SCMN. Furthermore, CANGO has supported the network by procuring and handing over the necessary tools to improve reporting such as laptops voice recorders and others.

There are 17 volunteers who will be trained on ethics, how to improve writing, conducting interviews, digital radio production and more. It is anticipated that this capacity building of the volunteers will result in quality stories from community level which are in line with accepted international standards of reporting. Further, the importance of communities articulating their own stories is imperative as this results in plurality of the media space. 

A practical approach to the workshop has been adopted where volunteers put the skills they have learnt to practice. This includes fieldwork and group work. Lastly, CANGO and partners note and appreciate the dedication of the volunteers to community radio.