FIJI: NEW MOBILE WOMEN’S COMMUNITY RADIO PROJECT

May 19, 2004 – (femLINKpacific press release) 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.”

For more information contact Sharon Bhagwan Rolls on 3316290 / 9244871