MEXICO: ONE IN TEN RADIOS IS COMMUNITY OR INDIGENOUS

Community and indigenous radio stations have been protected by Mexican law since 2014, for the service they provide in hard-to-reach areas, ensuring better access to education, self-expression and communication
Community and indigenous radio stations have been protected by Mexican law since 2014, for the service they provide in hard-to-reach areas, ensuring better access to education, self-expression, and communication
Source

In the North American country, 10 % of the frequencies are reserved for community and indigenous radio stations, said Sóstenes Díaz, commissioner of the Federal Telecommunications Institute (FTI), on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Mexican radio. There are 109 community radio stations and 20 indigenous radio stations protected by the Federal Law on Telecommunications and Broadcasting (LFTyR), which since 2014 has defined a regulatory framework to give certainty to social organizations. The law recognizes the importance of radio in the cultural and social development of communities. The legislation authorizes the granting of licenses to all entities interested in offering these services (Article 87), so much so that the airwaves regulator will hold seminars for entities interested in opening new ones.

GUATEMALA: Radio warns Maya of COVID

Radio Naköj promotes the participation of indigenous peoples in communication to foster social change
Radio Naköj promotes the participation of indigenous peoples in communication to foster social change
Source

We have already talked about the role played by community radio stations during the pandemic, in involving the population in rural areas and explaining the safety measures needed to prevent infection. The biggest problem is language barriers, such as those that Radio Naköj, a Guatemalan radio station that since 2013 has been speaking to the Kaqchikels, one of the indigenous Mayan peoples of the highlands, has been able to overcome with ease. The station, which broadcasts on 99.1 MHz from Santo Domingo Xenacoj, a municipality in the department of Sacatepéquez, aired stories with educational messages on how to prevent contagion. Explaining with grace and imagination how to use a mask correctly, the importance of washing hands or even bartering strategies to deal with the economic crisis.

A battle against discrimination

A group of volunteers photographed in the radio studios during a live broadcast
Source

An extensive article can be read in the periodical Lado B, which, in addition to the radio station’s activities, talks about the discrimination against indigenous peoples. Although they are not a minority, they represent 43.8% of the inhabitants out of a total of 16.6 million: of these, more than a million are Maya Kaqchikel. Yet, the state does not inform them in their own language and allocates only a third of its spending (compared to mestizos and Latinos) for health services, education and social protection.

Translate »