BBC Media Action: empowered citizens in a welcoming society

BBC Media Action produces radio shows in Tanzania around good governance, climate adaptation and gender equality. Citizens are encouraged to express their views while the government learns what matters to the public, and local radio improves its editing and production skills. With the support of Belgium.
 

Right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press

Belgium is a vehement supporter of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. After all, that fundamental human right, which is guaranteed in international, European and Belgian law, is one of the cornerstones of any democratic society. It is also essential for the rule of law, peace, stability and a genuinely sustainable development. In addition, being able to hold one's own opinion without oppression is indispensable for the dignity and self-development of every human being.

Freedom of the press is closely related to this. Journalists who can practise their profession safely and independently are an essential cornerstone of a well-functioning and open democracy. They play an important role in "civil space": the space where citizens and civil society can freely express themselves critically and be heard.

Promoting civil space is one of the priorities of Belgium's membership in the UN Human Rights Council. Moreover, in May 2024, our country became a member of the Media Freedom Coalition, a coalition of 51 countries working together to promote media freedom at home and abroad.
 

BBC Media Action

Belgium supports BBC Media Action in Tanzania. This charitable arm of the BBC - Britain's public broadcaster - works with local radio stations there to promote issues such as good governance. Through a variety of radio programmes, BBC Media Action has three actions and target audiences in particular:

• Encouraging citizens to express their views and participate in local and national debates around the decision-making that affects their personal lives, such as improving public services;
• Inviting officials to participate in radio programmes that will make them more aware of what is going on in the population, understand the importance of free speech and become receptive to it;
• Boosting the editorial and production skills of local radios so that they can deliver quality content and become a platform where Tanzanians from all walks of life can express their views.
   

5.5 million listeners

Radio takes centre stage. Radio remains an extremely popular and efficient medium for reaching Tanzanians in all corners of the country. As much as 83% of the population listens to it either through a radio set or a smartphone. 50% gets their daily news from the radio, significantly more than from newspapers or TV.

With a national show, BBC Media Action can reach 5.5 million listeners, mostly rural and aged between 15 and 50. In doing so, it works with more than 40 radio stations that can also produce their own editions of the national broadcast on topics of local interest if they wish. BBC Media Action has also forged strong ties with NGOs and think-tanks that can provide content for programmes on topics ranging from marine pollution to public spending.
 

Female leadership

One popular programme with 2 million listeners, for example, is the weekly interactive radio show Niambie (Talk to me) for and by young people throughout Tanzania. Its goal? To raise awareness of girls' and women's rights and encourage behavioural change. It has addressed the questions of what it means to vote and how to participate in politics.

In turn, its sister show Tuyajenge (Let's Build It) addresses a slightly older audience of parents, community leaders and other influencers in Tanzania and East Africa in Swahili. It covers gender themes such as gender-based violence, child marriage and teenage pregnancy, genital mutilation, girls' access to education, mental health, women's leadership and so on.
 

Podcasts

The weekly radio show Itika (Answer), aimed at Tanzanians between the ages of 18 and 35, explores topics such as gender, climate disruption and civic participation. A local version of this is Nijuze (Inform Me) set up by local radio partners with the support of highly experienced mentors.

BBC Media Action also produces Tanzania adapts, podcasts in Swahili around climate disruption. Through interviews with experts and experiencers, they explore the impact of climate disruption and figure out how Tanzanian women can cope.
 

Bridge between citizen and government

Finally, we mention Haba na Haba (Slowly but surely), BBC Media Action's most popular radio show in Tanzania with 5.3 million listeners. The programme bridges the gap between citizens and (local) government. The government comes to know how the people perceive its policies, and citizens learn that they are allowed to ask questions of their leaders and hold them accountable.

BBC Media Action trained their partner radios to create their own versions of Haba na Haba around themes relevant to the local context. These could reach another 500,000 listeners.

In short, BBC Media Action proved to be an excellent choice for encouraging civic participation and increasing the quality of media in Tanzania. In addition, our country supported seven other projects that seek to promote civil space in Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi and ensure that citizens' voices are heard.