Nelly Bassily | April 4, 2011
CFXU is a community radio station based at St. Francis Xavier University, in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. The station partnered with Radio Ada, based about 100 kilometres east of Accra in Ghana. Radio Ada is Ghana’s first community radio station, and a Farm Radio International broadcasting partner. The two community radio stations share the same frequency, 93.3 FM, yet broadcast in different worlds.
The partnership has developed five radio programs so far. The programs combine the voices of Ada and Antigonish into a single broadcast. Each show explores the similarities between the communities, as well as their differences. Program topics include homecoming, livelihoods, women’s livelihoods, language and climate change.
Each station develops a segment on a particular theme, and then the two segments are combined into a single show broadcast in both locations. Show themes are decided through dialogue between the two stations and communities − a dialogue which is evolving over time as each community comes to know the other better.
For additional information about the history and pioneering efforts of Radio Ada in Ghana, please see: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=30555&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
You can listen to all the CFXU/Radio Ada “Call and response” shows on the internet at: http://soundcloud.com/cfxu-radio-ada