The 2024 edition of the Day is placed under the theme “Radio: A century of information, entertainment and education”, which marks a milestone in the history of this medium which celebrates 100 years of the first broadcast, live on the radio, from the Olympic Games, at the dawn of their new edition in Paris.
“Since its creation at the end of the 19th century, radio has continued to accompany us, uniting us around strong moments and shared emotions. And this is how for more than a century, it has informed us, entertained us, but also educated us, as highlighted in this year’s theme,” argued the Director-General of the United Nations for education, science and culture (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay.
“We celebrate the history of radio, but also its central role in our societies, today and in the years to come,” she added.
The medium that goes where others don’t go
While almost a third of the world’s population does not have access to decent Internet in 2023, proportions which rise to half of the populations in rural areas, radio is emerging as a more inclusive and accessible, particularly in crisis situations.
For example, in Afghanistan, following the decision – which UNESCO immediately and strongly condemned – to deprive Afghan women of their fundamental right to learn and teach, the UN agency implemented a real pedagogy airwaves, particularly supporting Radio Begum.
This radio, run by Afghan women, for Afghan women, provides them with literacy lessons and gives them a voice.
The voice of the voiceless
UNESCO also points out that radio can also be the voice of the voiceless, by allowing all people and communities to express themselves, to bring the diversity of their cultures to life, including through community radios everywhere. in the world.
“We see it this way: radio is more than a means of technical broadcasting: it carries within itself a certain idea of information, of cultural diversity, of the education of all; let us dare to say it: radio can and must be a humanist medium,” argued the head of UNESCO.
On this February 13, “may we once again salute the path traveled by radio, and the strength of its waves to build – to ‘transmit’ – the possibility of a better world,” concluded Ms. Azoulay.
2024-02-13 20:54:24
#century #radio #remains #leading #source #information #entertainment
