Community Radio and Its Influence in the Society

The indispensability of radio as efficient and effective means of communication in today's African society is indisputable. However, for this medium to be useful in Africa or Enugu State--Nigeria, it has to be changed from being a means of transmitting to people but also of receiving from them. It has to be a radio that allows rural listeners not only to hear but should also to be the people's parliament, where the voice of the people can be heard. The author explores the development of community radio in different parts of Africa with particular reference to Enugu State, Nigeria. He proposes that "community radio" is a desideratum for genuine development to take place in Enugu State.

Joseph Okechukwu Offor is a catholic priest of the Enugu diocese in Nigeria. He studied philosophy and theology in Rome and Frankfurt am Main, where he completed his doctoral thesis. He currently works at the "Domradio" in Cologne which belongs to the arch-diocese of Cologne, Germany.