Radio Dabanga

Radio Dabanga broadcasts one hour every day in Arabic through shortwave radio (for listening details, click here). In addition to reporting on the latest news and health issues, the station offers programmes such as Kandaka, which gives women throughout the country the space to express themselves and be heard in the media. Radio programmes are also broadcast via TV satellite and published on Soundcloud in order to reach a diverse audience, including diaspora. Written in Arabic and English, articles are published daily on Radio Dabanga's website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, and in over 100 WhatsApp groups.

Radio Dabanga has survived a number of government efforts to take its shortwave radio and TV satellite broadcasts off-air, including attempts at jamming and prosecution of reporters. Due to such restrictions, Radio Dabanga operates from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Free Press Unlimited enables the team of professional Sudanese journalists to do their jobs from the studios in Amsterdam independently. They are supported by a widespread network of stringers and citizen journalists who deliver the news from all over Sudan. The Radio Dabanga central desk also receives news from organisers of the protests, trade unions, and local journalists. These witness reports may range from air raids in Darfur to abductions in eastern Sudan. The editors use WhatsApp as a tool to receive, verify, and publish news. This contributes to swift communication, not only with interested individuals but also with specialist groups as medics and civil servants from all over Sudan.

In May of 2018, Radio Dabanga started a crowdfunding campaign in order to keep the radio station afloat and support its route to independence.

Independent Media, Conflict, Health, Gender, Rights

Radio Dabanga was founded 2008 by a coalition of Sudanese journalists, a number of international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the movers behind the Dutch campaign 'Tot Zover Darfur', including Stichting Vluchteling, Pax for Peace, and Stichting Doen. Since its naissance, Radio Dabanga has functioned under the operational and financial support of Free Press Unlimited (formerly Press Now), a Dutch NGO promoting press freedom in countries where freedom of expression in the media is limited.

Sometimes written "damanga" or "dabunga", a dabanga is a large storage vessel made of a mixture of clay, water, and dried grass that is used by Sudanese farmers to preserve crops, such as corn and grain, to keep them from spoiling. These provisions can be lifesaving rations in the event of a famine. In addition, farmers sometimes hide their money or other valuables in the bottom.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) data indicate that the illiteracy rate for people above 15 years in Sudan is approximately 45%. Only around 5 million of the 42 million inhabitants of Sudan have access to the internet, and both the Sudanese government and the militia that overthrew the government shut down the internet multiple times when clashes with protesters turned bloody.

Thus, radio is in many cases the only type of media that can overcome the obstacles people in Sudan face to accessing information. The broadcasts from Radio Dabanga reach the whole country via shortwave radio frequencies from undisclosed locations. This allows the radio station to avoid government censorship and provide independent news to people in even the most remote areas of Sudan without disruptions.

On a daily basis, Radio Dabanga reaches roughly: 2.3 million people through shortwave radio; 1.5 million through satellite television; 390,000 followers on Facebook; 23,000 followers on Twitter; 25,000 directly via WhatsApp; and 5,000 users via its website.