Radio forums, both national and local, are powerful tools for discussing issues affecting people’s lives. Many listeners participate using SMS texting – a rich source of data which, if analysed with care and using sophisticated techniques, can provide invaluable insights into changes in the audience’s beliefs and opinions. These changes can be readily linked to socio-demographics (i.e. […]
Interactive radio allows for new voices to be amplified across Africa. But, how can we listen carefully and make sense of these unstructured conversations? Further, any audience data that is collected will be skewed – because the voices are also skewed. Firstly, radio audiences are skewed in comparison to the population. In addition, those who choose to participate in […]
The availability of large datasets, and the tools to link and analyse them, offer huge potential to improve the delivery and implementation of public services. A new publication from Cambridge’s Centre for Science and Policy presents 10 perspectives on this potential, as well as the associated practical and ethical challenges. Featuring Africa’s Voices’ Sharath Srinivasan and Claudia Lopes. […]
How can interactive radio make space for all voices? Together with the Internews Center for Innovation & Learning, Africa’s Voices developed a toolkit to help radio presenters create lively, inclusive and open debates with their audience. Designed for stations in the African continent, the toolkit is based on robust research from the Centre of Governance and Human Rights, and is free to download. […]
Academia has the greatest impact when it connects to the real-world. Cambridge’s Centre of Governance and Human Rights leads this approach with its innovative, outward-looking work. For its fifth anniversary, the University’s alumni magazine features the most ambitious initiative from the centre – Africa’s Voices. Read more
In May 2013, Claudia Abreu Lopes (Head of Research at Africa’s Voices) travelled to Malawi, Zambia and Kenya for our pilot research project, accompanied by filmmaker Dominique Chadwick. They produced a film featuring radio presenters and listeners, demonstrating how Africa’s Voices gave citizens a platform to express their views. Get grounded in Africa’s Voices’ pilot research by watching the […]
‘RadioActive! The Story of Interactive Radio in Africa’ is an accessible and engaging starting point for radio stations to create interactive programmes. It was developed by Africa’s Voices and our partners, and now forms one part of the training we provide our media partners when planning interactive shows with them. Explore the guide below, read […]
Common concerns about the growth of digital society include state uses (security) and capital (profit). Sharath Srinivasan, director of Africa’s Voices, suggests another concern we should be paying attention to: “We need to focus on how the digital affects politics.” Watch an interview with Sharath as he discusses these issues at the Center for Media, Data […]
13th February 2015 was World Radio Day – an international event supported by UNESCO to celebrate the unique power of radio. As radio is central to Africa’s Voices work, we were keen to join in the celebrations. Sharath Srinivasan, Director of Africa’s Voices, spoke at the World Radio Day SOAS event, along with other leading […]
Read our paper on how mobile phones and radio can be used to foster public discussion and collect the opinions of ordinary Africans. Africa’s Voices began as an applied research pilot project at Cambridge’s Centre of Governance and Human Rights (CGHR). The goal was to practically assess the potential for interactive radio to gather and comparatively analyse opinions […]