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[HCDX] Forbidden Voices From Zimbabwe
http://tinyurl.com/5uayyj
>From a back room in a London commuter town, a secret radio station is
broadcasting the voice Robert Mugabe's government doesn't want his
people to hear.
The SW Radio Africa studio
It's a constant battle, but exiled Zimbabweans are fighting to ensure SW
Radio Africa's programmes reach their compatriots back in Africa.
Station manager Gerry Jackson started the station in Harare in 2000, but it
was quickly shut down by the government.
Since then she and her team have struggled on in the UK against attempts
to block the transmission.
"It regularly jams broadcasts using Chinese equipment and expertise. We
get around that by going on additional frequencies," she said.
Current affairs programmes and talk shows reach their home country on
shortwave and over the internet, targeting people in rural areas in particular.
A special programme called 'Callback' gives ordinary people in Zimbabwe
the chance to describe the day-to-day horrors of living under Robert
Mugabe's regime.
"They're desperate to speak, they're desperate to have their voice heard,"
Ms Jackson explained.
"They're desperate for the world to know what is going on, because they feel
let down by the world community, particularly the regional countries who they
feel have left them to suffer terrible violence and torture at the hands of the
government."
Most people in Zimbabwe can't afford to call in, so the radio station provides
a local mobile phone to text in contact details.
Producers in the UK then call people back - although it's not easy getting
through to a country where mobile phone signals are often blocked.
There is also an element of risk for the programme's participants, many of
whom prefer to stay anonymous.
"People are being made to feel afraid, but the opposition is very much alive,'
said Callback presenter Mandsi Mundawarara.
"People are clinging to the hope that the opposition will one day take over
the country and they see a brighter future for themselves and for
Zimbabwe."
Zimbabweans who do have the courage to air their views tell of their
frustration at the recent election.
"They wrote our names down and then we were sent to vote," reported an
unidentified caller from Zimbabwe.
"Then we were told to say to the polling agent that we were blind or couldn't
write. The polling agent would say who do you want to vote for and obviously
I would say Robert Mugabe. Then they said if they see any evidence you
voted for MDC they would check on the list and go around beating everyone
who is MDC supporter."
Despite these strong messages coming through the airwaves, SW Radio
Africa's journalists have only seen change for the worse in Zimbabwe in their
eight years of broadcasting.
Please read my aricle on SINPO at http://tinyurl.com/yt7qjd
________________________
http://zliangas.blogspot.com (radio tech , gadgets, grk ethics)
http://zlgr.stumbleupon.com (my social 'bookmarks' )
http://zlgr.multiply.com (radio monitoring site plus audio clips ) MAIN SITE
http://www.youtube.com/zach0gr some videos
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/302315/ (Litohoro) 321199/Tinos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachgr pictures upload
http://www.geocities.com/zliangas
http://www.myspace.com/310100806
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=770974854
http://del.icio.us/gr_geek1
........
Zacharias Liangas , Thessaloniki Greece
greekdx @ otenet dot gr ---
Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75 , Lowe HF150 , Degen 1102,1103,108,
Tecsun PL200/550, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000
Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m australian loop
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