May 27, 2011 -- Updated 2114 GMT (0514 HKT)
Libya's rebel radio station
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Libyan rebels launch online radio station mixing music and news from the frontline
- Tribute FM is staffed by volunteers some of whom suffered under Libyan regime
- Station broadcast from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi is getting international listenership
- DJ: I believe we are we are in the frontline but with a voice, not with a gun
The guys running Tribute FM are amateurs who dug into their own pockets to fund Libya's first English-language online broadcaster targeting a worldwide audience.
So far it has received a few e-mails and Skype calls from listeners from as far away as Denmark, the United States and Italy.
"It is a people's movement right, but started by youth and powered by youth, OK," one of the DJs says into his mike as the show begins.
He wants to be heard, not seen or identified by name because, he says, it will put his family at risk. They still live in areas controlled by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
He, meanwhile, is in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and using his microphone as a weapon against the regime.
"This is our gift to all martyrs, to the people who actually died and suffered throughout this revolution," explains his colleague Aiman, who also asks that only his first name be used.
They are both Libyans who recently returned to the North African country from Britain. They have teamed with two of their countrymen in Benghazi and they're all looking to play a part in the history of their country -- a country they hope is in the midst of major change.
"We had 42 years of suffering," Aiman says. "We want to show the people that this regime hurt Libya very much. Hopefully it will be over very soon. We just want to prove to the world that Gadhafi is no longer wanted in this land."
The station format swings wildly from news and information to all kinds of music, from hardcore revolutionary rap to ballads. The show begins with the sounds of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" and its chorus: "Redemption song/These songs of Freedom, songs of freedom."
Then the team starts a talk segment, joking about how their co-founder had been sleeping while their website was hacked and knocked offline. They have no proof but they suspect it was an effort by the government because they have already been talked about on government-run TV.
"They actually did mention us four or five times on the state [TV]," says Aiman. "They said we've been brought up by foreign countries to spread Christianity."
The station founders dismiss this as a ridiculous allegation: yes, they are trying to spread a message, but it is not about religion, it's about revolution, they say. Even the language choice is a slap at Gadhafi's regime: from 1986 to 1997 the government banned the teaching of English in Libya.
The team is on air from 8 p.m. to about 4 a.m. local time. They want to be able to broadcast for as long as possible, so they are recruiting and auditioning volunteers. Applicants have to be able to speak English if they want to be an announcer: many can because they have lived abroad.
"My dad, a couple of years ago, he wrote an article criticizing Gadhafi's regime," recalls Hamida Baja. "You know, here you are not allowed to do that so we were targeted. Moammar [Gadhafi] saw the article and he wasn't too happy about it."
She and her family fled in fear. Her brothers still live abroad. "I also fear that he might kill my dad or he might come threaten me and my mom."
Baja is willing to help out at the station in any way that she can. She says it is also a venue that can give women a voice. "It's a new beginning. We can say how we feel and what we feel whenever we like. We shouldn't be afraid because we have certain opinions."
But Tribute FM is not immune to criticism from its listeners. It found itself facing a clash of cultures when it played rap music from the west, complete with curse words. "We apologized to our listeners," Aiman says. "We try to keep with the culture and our tradition. We try to keep everything here very clean, very moderate."
But what they won't apologize for is slamming the Gadhafi regime at will. "I believe we are in the frontline but with a voice, not with a gun," Aiman says.
RELATED TOPICS
No comments:
Post a Comment