Fondation Hirondelle, in partnership with local media and youth organizations, is creating ‘Studio Yafa’ in Burkina Faso. In the local language “Yafa” means “mediation” or “finding common ground.” The first productions, in radio and then multimedia, will be launched in February 2019.
A team of Burkinabe journalists supervised and trained by Fondation Hirondelle experts, will produce weekly radio magazines, as well as videos and articles for social networks. The main aim is to provide Burkinabe youth with information that meets their needs and helps them understand the context in which they live and the problems they face. ‘Studio Yafa’ will also address other generations, to enable them better understand the aspirations of youth, and create spaces for dialogue between all these components of the Burkina society.
The Burkinabe journalistic, technical and administrative team was recruited at the end of 2018 in Ouagadougou. This team is currently attending training workshops set up by Fondation Hirondelle. For the journalists, this training blends theory, basic tenets of journalism and ethical principles, deontology, and a strong practical component with the production of sounds, reports and programs corresponding to productions defined for the programming of ‘Studio Yafa’. The Studio team will produce weekly mini-magazines in the main languages of the country and a radio talk show in French. The broadcast of the first productions will begin in February, via a network of fifteen radio partners throughout the country, as well as on social networks to reach a greater part of the country’s population.
The ‘Studio Yafa’ project is an initiative of Fondation Hirondelle, with its Burkinabe partners: the Burkina Faso National Union of Free Broadcasters (UNALFA), the Burkina Union of Private Television Producers (UBESTV) and AgribusinessTV. It is financially supported by international public donors: Swedish cooperation and Swiss cooperation.
Find more information on www.hirondelle.org