Community Radio and Peacebuilding in Africa

A report by Search for Common Ground on four community radio stations in rural Sierra Leone and Liberia has found that community stations positively contributed to peacebuilding in their communities.

Listeners reported a high impact from programmes that address peace and nonviolent conflict resolution. Community stations in all locations were also described as active participants in diffusing potential violent crises. It was found that radio helps marginalised people without access to other means of communications and was universally cited as vital in facilitating peaceful election processes.

However, the report also found that radio's impact is often reliant on the cooperation of government, and that community radio stations are making limited use of their power as media outlets to compel government participation in media.