Limbe — "Climate and weather tory. Wona lookot!" "Climate and weather news! Pay attention!"
The announcement, made in pidgin English, catches the attention of
listeners to Eden Radio, a community station in the coastal town of
Limbe, in Cameroon's Southwest Province.
"Put ear for Eden Radio for sabi weti weather for tomorrow di talk,"
the radio announcer continues, telling listeners to stay tuned for the
weather forecast.
This is the introduction to a daily 30-minute programme providing
locals with updates on weather and issues related to climate change -
news that could affect their lives and livelihoods as Cameroon struggles
to cope with increasingly extreme weather.
Some 40 community radio stations in this West African country are now
incorporating disaster warning information into their programming, as
part of a joint effort with the government to educate local people about
climate change and the need to take preventative measures to deal with
extreme weather.
Under a recent agreement between the country's ministry of
communication and stations in areas vulnerable to the effects of climate
change, the government is helping to finance the new programmes.
"We are aware of the important role community radios play in
sensitizing the local masses, given their ... adaptation to the local
reality of the people," the minister of communication, Issa Tchiroma
Bakary, explained in December in Limbe, at a two-day training workshop
about the new radio programmes.
The government has been supporting non-state media since 2009, with
licensed community and commercial radios each receiving 1.6-2.4 million
West African CFA francs (about $3,300-4,900) a year. The new agreement
will double the level of aid given to the 40 community stations
involved.
(Source : Alertnet via allAfrica.com)
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