Building Community, Empowering People in the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islanders gather at the new radio station

‘Building community, Empowering people’ is the slogan of the Community Radio station. It will strive to focus on issues of Education, health, women, youth and community issues – as it shares news, views, happenings and stories from the lives of the people in its daily broadcast. Dykes Angiki, Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation, SIBC, General manager has welcomed the idea of the rebroadcast of their news and current affairs.

Situated at the Don Bosco, Tetere, the radio station is in the midst of the RTC center for boys and girls, the parish, the health center, school, prison and the villages around the plantation. “We ask God’s blessings for our people, our work, our efforts, our lives”, prayed Fr. Luciano Capelli sdb, at the opening of the radio station. “This is one more dream fulfilled”, he stated, “and we are grateful for the gift. We ask the Lord to bless us and the volunteers who trust us and believe in what we do for the good of our people”.

Several have joined hands to get the radio station started. SIBCs engineer, Cornelius Rathamana suggested possibilities while Patrick Tibaua tested the equipment on arrival. Rex Manilofi, Spectrum Management Division has been happy to grant the community radio station an FM frequency and is hopeful that other community radio stations will also be established. Harry Zolevehe, Paul Pusan and others from the engineering division of Telekom have rendered their expertise and supplied the additional aerial cable. “Networking has been an enriching experience as the different groups strive to contribute to enhance the lives of people”, stated Fr. Ambrose Pereira. “We hope that the radio station will fulfill its role of education, information and entertainment for the people of Tetere”.

The present small range equipment has been donated by Italian volunteers and will be used an hour every afternoon. "Its a new and educative expereince," stated Alena Takacova, radio programmer for the station. “The radio station has generated a wave of enthusiasm amongst the people”, stated a smiling John Paeni, youth leader at Sali. The people and youth at Sali village animated a lively Eucharist celebration and entertained guests on Sunday morning.

“It is important that the people come forward to sustain the station with programmes,” stated Georg Amshoff. Earlier Georg met several media and church personnel to get a glimpse of the situation and difficulties we face in Solomon Islands.

* WACC Pacific Excom plans to visit the Solomon Islands from 31 March to 7 April, 2005, on a solidarity and fact-finding tour to the Christian communicators there. WACC supported the Solomon Islands Christian Association (SICA) in 2000 at the height of the ethnic cleansing under the Critical Situation Fund.

See also:
http://www.catholicnet.com/solomon/
WACC Pacific site
http://www.solomonstarnews.com