Guinea Bissau: the radio in rural communities

Countries

Pedro Quade

Communication for Development Consultant

Guinea Bissau

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In the rural areas of Guinea Bissau, local communication is still the most used method for transmitting messages that should lead to change. As in other West African countries, the rural areas of the country have a high illiteracy rate and have very little access to the media: the printed press is lacking due to the inexistence of distribution networks, and television is practically not watched.

As a result, radio represents a very strong means of communication, at the local level (community radio) and long distance (national radio) for male and female farmers of the country, including for those who benefit from the project in the regions of Oio (north of the country) and Bafata (in the east).
The radio, the communication channel that is particularly appreciated by the public, is listened to by most of the agro-silvo-pastoral sector. Nevertheless, it is necessary to have a good understanding of access to it by different categories of the population, as well as their interests, needs and expectations with respect to selected subjects and broadcast time.

Therefore, a survey conducted on the field within the framework of drafting a communication strategy for developing the DIVA project has made it possible to create a profile, with respect to radio, on the different actors and beneficiaries on the project sites. The first observation was that, above all, it is the men and youth who listen to it. Women practically do not listen to it, in particular because they lack of time as a result of their great workload, have difficulties in understanding the languages in which the radio is broadcast, and often they don’t even own radios. With respect to the subjects covered, men listen in particular to the programmes on traditions, death notices, and various messages sent by relatives living far away, as well as advice on life in general and to agricultural work.

These programmes are successful because they are broadcast in local languages (Pular, Mandingue and Balanta), as opposed to other programmes, which are mainly broadcast in Creole (the most understood national unity language) or in Portuguese (the official language, which is not well known in the rural areas). Youth are a distinct radio audience: they prefer mostly, listening to music and sport news, and are neither interested in the DIVA project nor involved in the implemented activities, feeling that their specific interests are ignored. Despite radio’s potential as a means of communication, it has not yet been exploited by the project.

With the implementation of the next phase of the communication strategy, this situation should soon change. Indeed, numerous activities have been planned for the community radio, especially awareness-raising programmes on local agricultural products and product processing procedures; coverage of events such as meetings between producers, organizing on-air debates or news and information on agricultural issues and perspectives of rural development. It is an enormous challenge to face, but worth pursuing.