At World Radio Day Celebration
PHOTO: One of the Award winners receiving her award from Internews Chief of Party, Lien Bach
By George Stewart
A colourful World Radio Day celebration in Liberia ended Tuesday, February 14 in the Northern Liberian City of Ganta, Nimba County, with 5 rural journalists walking away with the first-time ALICOR’s honor, Journalism Excellence Awards.
With funding from Internews/USAID Liberia Media Project, the Association of Liberia Community Radio (ALICOR) gave out awards in health, environmental, gender, agriculture, and human rights reporting. ALICOR’s awards committee reported 14 entries out of which 5 community radio journalists qualified.
Another award winner
The winner of the Health Reporting Award, Henry Gboluma of Voice of Gbarpolu, filed a report that concentrated on the lack of access to health facilities in a hard-to-reach area in Kungba District and the challenges faced by residents in seeking healthcare in neighboring Sierra Leone. The Awards Committee rated Henry’s report as “well researched, reflecting diverse sources that increased good journalistic value.
Bong County walked away with three (3) of the 5 awards. Broadcaster Nukanah Kollie of Super Bongese won the gender reporting award for a story focused on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence involving a male child in Gbarnga, according to the committee. The committee’s opined that Nukanah’s story was “well researched and covered the justice system, health, stigma, safe home, advocacy, and efforts from the government to fight SGBV.
Radio Gbarnga also received the Human Rights Reporting Award owned by its staff, Joseph Titus Yekeryan who reported on the Kpolo kpala massacre and reflected the people’s call for a war crimes court.
For agriculture reporting, Reporter Enouch Dormue of Super Bongese in Bong County won with a report from Kpaai district youth association agriculture site in Bong County.
The lone female awardee comes from western Liberia’s Grand Cape Mount County. As a journalist, a civil society actor, and a state radio correspondent, Ms. Jenneh Kemokai of Radio Cape Mount won the environmental reporting award. She is one of the few female radio managers in Liberia.
World Radio Day parade in Ganta
The committee stated that Jenneh’s entry unearthed chemical pollution and its implication on the people of Jenkador Town, Gola Konneh, and 12 other affected communities in Garwula and Tawor Districts, Grand Cape Mount County.
This year’s World Radio Day in Liberia was characterized by activities geared to improving vibrancy and sustainability of the community radio sector that makes up nearly 40% of the Liberian media community. The program featured speeches from the relevant government agencies including the Ministry of Information, the Liberia Telecommunication Commission, the Senate Broadcast Committee, and the Law Reform Commission.
International Partners including the United States Embassy, the Swedish Embassy, the ECOWAS Envoy to Liberia, Internews among others graced the celebration.
In anticipation to submit an act on community radio law, ALICOR and partners initiated a validation exercise on the specifics of the draft community radio law. It is expected for a national stakeholder validation efforts to subsequently take effect in Monrovia.