Knowlege is power

BBC World Service Trust (WST) works with a wide range of partners in Sierra Leone. As part of the Communicating Justice initiative, it has been training and supporting journalists to cover the court proceedings of Charles Taylor's trial from The Hague.

Earlier this year, its Freetown-based office was officially opened by the UK's High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Ian Hughes. The driving force behind the office is the Trust’s new Country Director, Rebecca Stringer. She talks about finding ways of working with local and national radio stations.

Journalists in Sierra Leone have a heavy burden on their shoulders – they are responsible to the citizens of their county to provide accurate, fair and impartial information. These principles of Public Service Broadcasting have defined the BBC for the past 70 years. And that’s where BBC WST has a real opportunity to support the development of Sierra Leone.

Radio reaches almost 80% of the population. That is massive in a country where many areas are still inaccessible by road.

Glued to their radios

I was in Freetown during the 2007 national elections and spent days amongst a population glued to their radios. Walking down the street with the set fixed to their ear, in the car, volume up, windows down, in the office, or just sitting silently by the side of the road, listening.

I was also there in the hall where the election results were announced. We sat in silence as one party’s vote count was read out, followed by another. On the last count, a great roar rose up from the city below us. It was electric. The live radio broadcast had in a second sent the city and the country buzzing. I still have tingles in my spine remembering the day.”

Journalists in Sierra Leone have the potential to improve the way their country is governed and provide vital, sometimes life-saving information to their citizens. But the history of Sierra Leone has shown that journalists haven’t always acted responsibly. Radio can both provide information to empower and improve lives, but during the civil war it was used to provide hate, fuel violence and destroy lives.

Giving citizens options

The phrase ‘knowledge is power’ never meant much to me until I came to Sierra Leone. Here I realised that without knowledge, people don’t have the power to prevent their babies from dying from diarrhoea; understand the laws of their country and their rights; or know where to go if they do not feel they have access to justice. And know what government should and shouldn’t do, from the role of the police to education to healthcare.

There are alternative ways to vent frustration rather than violence; BBC WST would like to help journalists to give citizens those options.

Healing a nation

But radio isn’t only about proving information, radio and voices can inspire, empower and stimulate. There are powerful Sierra Leonean women who could serve as inspirational role models for the women of their country, there are investors, business men and entrepreneurs from the humblest roots who could do the same. BBC WST would like to support them to do so.

Bringing people together to talk can heal a nation, promote development and force government to listen and respond. The Trust would like to work with radio, journalists and media to create a greater and better impact with their voices.

click BBC World Service Trust uses the creative power of media to reduce poverty and promote human rights.

Find out more about the Trust's work in click Sierra Leone.