Grace FM: Calls for debate

Call-in programs on the radio create debate and raise awareness in Kajo-Keji County, Southern Sudan.

By Janne Bruvoll, information officer, MS Sudan

11. February 2010

‘A car hits a young man on the road. The man dies immediately. People around start beating up the driver. What will you do?’

You are sick with malaria but your boss insists that you go to work anyway. If not, you’ll be fired. What will you do?’

‘Your daughter needs to do a lot of homework. The problem is that there is a lot of domestic work to do at home when school is finished. What will you do?’

These are some of the questions that radio presenters at Grace FM in Kajo-Keji County have asked their listeners to discuss.

“The presenter chooses a debate card which he feels is vital for the community like a card about family issues or religion. Then he asks people to call in with their views and many people react,” says Grace Kisakye, media officer at Grace FM.

Grace FM uses debate cards on democracy produced by MS Uganda and debate cards produced by MS Sudan focusing on issues related to elections.

“We get a lot of feedback and people even come to the radio station to seek more information,” Grace Kisakye says.

She is confident that the debates raised in the radio have a positive impact on the communities.

“Once, we had a debate on the churches’ collection of money. It is difficult to get the churches to account for how they spend the collected money and some church people just tell people to “leave everything to God” when they are asked about the money. After we had the discussion in the radio, more people started asking their church representatives to account for the money they collected. I feel that we educate the people through these programs,” says Grace Kisakye.

For more information about how Grace FM uses debate cards in their programs, contact Grace Kisakye, media officer, Grace FM (+249 128 125 362) and for more information about debate cards, contact Peter Tholstrup, democracy & advocacy advisor, MS Sudan (pt@mssudan.dk, +256 477 199 820 or +249 955 219 207).