A
fire outbreak at the studio of Brikamaba community radio in the Central River
Region south has claimed equipment and facilities worth over D300,000, the
station manager has said.
Ebrima
Jobarteh said the fire outbreak happened in the early hours of Thursday morning
when the studio was off air and staff were at home.
The
cause of the fire is not still known but the station manager said the case has
been reported to Brikamaba police station for investigation.
“The
materials burnt in the studio include an amplifier, a mixer, two desktop
computers, two stand fans along with furniture,” he said. “The damage is
estimated at D300,000.”
By
7am on Thursday, the operator went to the station to begin transmission just to
be greeted by flying papers and burnt down offices and studio materials.
“He
called and informed me about the incident.
I alerted my board chairman and together we went to the police station
to file a complaint,” Mr Jobarteh said.
The
station was funded by Action Aid The Gambia for the township of Brikamaba and
satellite villages. Since its handing
over to the village, almost four years ago, the community has been struggling
with covering the operational costs of the radio and its volunteer staff.
Safety
vulnerabilities, technical challenges
The
Gambia currently has nine community radios spread across the country. However,
most of them are faced with technical challenges with their mixers and
transmitters, said Yusupha Bojang, coordinator of the Network of the Community
Radio stations in The Gambia.
The
network is affiliated with The Gambia Press Union and one of its objectives is
to look into how they can mutually share and find solutions to their
problems.
“The
safety and technical vulnerabilities are more common during the rainy seasons
when mixers and transmitters of almost all stations are burnt due to lightning,”
Bojang said while calling on NGOs and the general public to give a helping hand
to the community radio stations.
Saikou
Jammeh, secretary general of the Gambia Press Union, said the community radio
stations are struggling with series of problems but key among them is their
inability to cover operational costs or pay staff.
“They
volunteer to work for the benefit of grassroots empowerment. Their operational licence does not allow them
to advertise for businesses or seek out advertisements,” he explained.
