Protocols
His Excellency Ernest Bai Koroma extends his best wishes to all of you and wished he could be here personally to launch this important occasion. VOA in Sierra Leone is one more endorsement testifying and demonstrating to the world, in a loud voice like that of Uncle Ted of VOA’s popular Nightline, that Sierra Leone has actually returned to normalcy.
The fact that the people of Sierra Leone have been awarded the Africa Peace Prize for 2008 confirms our nation has embraced democratic principles underpinned by good governance, The Rule of Law, the judicious dispensation of justice and the fight to eradicate corruption. At the confluence of all this is the commitment by President Ernest Bai Koroma and his government to lift the people of Sierra Leone out of poverty and ignorance.
In furtherance of the latter, the power of the radio as the most effective modern communication tool especially for developing economies like ours cannot be over-emphasised. No one will forget Rwanda where one journalist with a radio instigated the genocide, the worst in the continent.
In poor communities, such as are prevalent in Sierra Leone, the radio, whether owned by an individual, a family or a community is a point of convergence for social interaction, for consumption of information, for entertainment, and to gain education.
This statement summarises the key functions of radio broadcasting:
1.to foster peace
2.to inform
3.to educate and
4.to entertain
During my school days in the mid 60s, education programmes such as ‘French by Radio’, ‘Friday Promenade’ presented by Ms. Alice Kamara, my former French teacher, as well as the Science by Radio SLBS programme enabled children to complement school lessons. These programmes were very effective. The science programmes encouraged me to develop enough interest in the sciences to become the engineer I am today as well as provided me a communication vehicle in French, which has proven invaluable in my business and political metamorphosis.
Those were the good old days, which President Koroma’s government will bring back from the twilight to the sunlight.
Fortunately in Sierra Leone today, we have an enabling communication and information environment that is conducive to socio-economic development. Our National Communication Strategy Project is all encompassing of the entire Information Communication Technology (ICT) cabinet paper from the Ministry of Information and Communication.
As an entity in the business of newsgathering and news dissemination, it will please you to learn that there is a Freedom of Access to Information private member bill in Parliament and there is much educating of our Parliamentarians and our people on the importance of this important tenet of democracy.
His Excellency has launched democratic institutions such as the Attitudinal and Behavioural Change (ABC) campaign charged with the reorientation of the mindset of our people to do all the right things for the overall socio-economic development of our nation.
There is also the Open Government Initiative that is mandated to coordinate and facilitate free-flow of information between Government and the people of Sierra Leone. You see you have planted your seed on a fertile soil I must assure you. We believe that although information is expensive, it is the oxygen for democracy and the reward is priceless. You have returned to a country where the leadership is determined to ensure that democracy is provided enough oxygen and that it breathes freely.
We have over thirty operating radio stations and counting, over sixty registered newspapers and counting. Indeed, for our small size and population, one can safely say that we are among the nations with the highest number of radio stations per capita in the world.
Today, that number has increased by the addition of no less a service than the renowned Voice of America English to Africa service on FM, which is now joining the BBC world Service and Radio France International.
In the past, we used to listen to the pulsating baritone voice of Ted Roberts or Uncle Ted, as he is fondly known throughout the continent, on short wave. More recently on FM through piggyback arrangements with local broadcasters such as Sky 106.6 and FM KISS 104.
Today, we will have an opportunity to listen to our very own Uncle Ted who has been with the service for over 17 years, David Vandy who until 2006 was a local broadcast icon in Sierra Leone and who also articulately moderated H.E. President Koroma’s business lunch meeting with the Sierra Leone American Business Association on the 27th September in Washington DC.
‘De vive voix’, straight from the horses’ mouth, even as we will truly miss the silky serene voice of Josephine Kamara, on behalf of the President, I welcome the third member of the Big Three Worldwide Broadcasting Services. It is my pleasure to launch the VOICE OF AMERICA ENGLISH TO AFRICA SERVICE VOA 102.4 FM broadcasting in Sierra Leone.
I thank you.
Photo: Honourable Alhaji Alpha Kanu, minister of Presidential Affairs.
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