By Musa Sarjo
A two-day training of Community Radio journalists meant to “Enhance Accurate Local News Dissemination at the Grassroots and Combat Misinformation” opened on Wednesday in Jarra Soma, Gambia’s Lower River Region.
The training, taking place from 26-27 February, 2025, is funded by UNESCO Dakar under the Infrastructure for Peace (I4P) Project. It will provide basic knowledge of the Gambia National Alphabet and Orthography which was adopted in 1979 as a unified standard orthography of our national languages, using the African Reference Alphabet (ARA recommended symbols).
“Local language news broadcasters still grapple with the difficult task of reading and translating (accurately) texts written in English into the local languages,” GPU Secretary General, Modou S. Joof, said.
They are required to do four things within the span of a minute:
- Read silently – decode message,
- Understand content and context – meaning and cultural sensitivity,
- Translate – select the appropriate words in the target language
- Broadcast – voice out message clearly in local language (determining tone levels, making the right pauses and stops for good communication flow, emphasis and clarity).
“This training is necessary because there are usually instances where members of the public and newsmakers feel that their statements made in English are taken out of context and the meaning changes when translated in local languages by news readers or talk show hosts,” Joof said.
Alpha Jallow, a trainer on local languages, told participants that the practical aspect of the training will involve reading sessions covering phonic, syllabic, sentence, stories and some aspects of numeracy.
“It will provide participants with the opportunity to critique and seek ways of improving their strengths and weaknesses in the target language (Mandinka and Wolof),” Jallow said.
The training will also include the simulation of the following specific functions:
- Translation – participants will translate texts written in English into local languages,
- Editing – participants will edit translated texts for content and context;
- Broadcasting – participants will read news articles directly from translated text in the local languages.
Fatou Njie, Programme Officer, National Commission for UNESCO, said “community radios have a critical role in enhancing accurate local news dissemination and combating misinformation and disinformation.”
“Community radio holds a unique and powerful position within our society, serving as the voice of our local communities and providing a platform for open dialogue, education, unity, share concerns and aspirations,” Njie said.
“In today’s world, where misinformation and disinformation can spread rapidly and cause significant harm, the role of community radio has never been more important.”
Hon. Seedia Jatta, also a national language trainer, said the training was “one of the most important forums he has ever attended in the last 60 years – where we think we should know how to transmit information to our people in our own languages.”
“Emphatically, we will never develop in this country as long as we continue to use English as a tool for development – because it is alien to 80% of the people who are the creators of the wealth of The Gambia – who are never participants in making decisions regarding their livelihoods,” Jatta, who is a well-known advocate, curriculum developer and teacher of national languages, said.
The training is intended to achieve the following objectives:
- To enhance accurate and effective local news translation at the grassroots level
- To equip journalists with the knowledge and tools to combat mis/disinformation
- To enhance understanding and use of the Gambia National Alphabet and Orthography
