Radio Miraya
2771: 18 Years of Miraya: Bentiu Journalist Reflects on the Impact of Accurate News for Vulnerable Communities
I'm here with my good friend, John Doc. He's a journalist here and Ben to you. Radio Mariah is turning 18 on Friday. So I just wanted to chat with you and ask you about some of your memories of Radio Mariah and when was the first time that you listened to Radio Mariah? Okay, about Radio Mariah, my first time to tune on Radio Mariah, it was in 2007 when I was in still under school in Uganda. So it was the time I came. It was during my public holiday I came to South Sudan. So I tuned Radio Mariah and then after now I'm still listening Radio Mariah. But the fact remains that if you can compare, you know, you know the radius within South Sudan, we have many radios featured in South Sudan. But if you can follow them and they're in permission, sometimes most radio are not relevance or are not accurate in sending information. But what is most important in Radio Mariah, it sends accurate information that convene people about what is happening within their location. And again, it covered 10 states including three administrative areas, you know, giving wide information to the community within the state or within South Sudan. Radio Mariah is the most trusted radio number one in South Sudan. That is what I can say now about Radio Mariah. But we are really very happy, you know, for Radio Mariah sending, you know, message to most vulnerable people. So in a different language, so which is really very good and to have a coordination of it within the state like what we have in Ventio now, people just use it using the telephone and listening like compared to other ideas. When there is information, what will come in the mind of people within the community is featured in Ventio I did become and Ventio Taurukon. When they heard about news, the question is that was it broadcast in Radio Mariah? So if it is not broadcast in Radio Mariah, they will not trust that information in the way that they think. So what come when someone asks you, did you have this message from Radio Mariah? When you say yes, then this is where now they will circulate the message. That means that Radio Mariah is the most trusted radio among the local radio within South Sudan. And this is the one I can see because I'm also a journalist getting information within the community and also finding out what is really community very interested. So if you can compare you with them, we have a lot of radio station in Cuba. What radio station apart from local radio within the state do you like? So they will say Radio Mariah. This is because of the information. So I would encourage Radio Mariah to continue with that, it's a field of sending or creating information and reliable information to the community. So that vulnerable people should also get information as it is needed or demand for the community. You're a journalist now and a lot of your work is on radio. So did listening to Radio Mariah inspire you in any way to become a journalist? Yes, you know, when I was in school, so there was a radio station apart from before I used to radio Mariah. There was a radio called Radio Pius that was in Uganda, Northern Uganda, in Arua. So I used to listen and my thinking was I will one day, one time be a journalist. So when I came back to South Sudan again, I really get very interested to go with my career about Radio Mariah. So I used to listen until if you can get back my, you know, my talking point when I'm on my radio, people will say it, people will compare me, the local community will compare me to a journalist in a radio variety called Sivir William because of the tunes that I have in the figure. But I'm also very interested sometime in Radio Mariah. So my thinking was one day, one time maybe I also joined Radio Mariah. This is my thinking, but Radio Mariah encouraged, you know, being a journalist within local liberals here, sometime you paid up with a situation. But when you listen, you know, you know, the most reliable radio, you also keep encouraging yourself. Like we, I listen to Radio Mariah after now, after I get out of my local radio, I just put on my airport and listen to Radio Mariah, what is it, you know, about political, whatever. And you know, about the instrument update. So I always tuned to Radio Mariah even after now. Few years ago, I even tuned to Radio Mariah getting information. Yeah. Thank you very much. And yeah, we'd be happy to have you at Radio Mariah. You're an excellent journalist. Is there anything else you'd like to say on this occasion of Radio Mariah's 18th birthday? Happy birthday to Radio Mariah. You know, and happy birthday to, you know, to a radio that gave accurate information to the community. Let Radio Mariah continue sending accurate information to the, you know, vulnerable people within across South Sudan and neighboring South Sudan. And this is what I can say now.