Refugee radio broadcasts inspire liberated Jarablus
by Daily Sabah with AA
ISTANBULOct 28, 2016 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Daily Sabah with AA
Oct 28, 2016 12:00 am
Tucked away in a neat office building in Gaziantep, a southeastern-Turkish province on the border with Syria, Fecr Radio is far from an amateur attempt. "The first Arabic radio," according to its manager, the station boasts relaying up-to-date information about Jarablus, the Syrian town on the other side of the border that is a hot topic in Turkey recently.
Newly liberated from Daesh control by Turkish-backed rebels working with Operation Euphrates Shield, Jarablus means little for Gaziantep locals, but for refugees, it is a glimmer of hope amid the quagmire of a conflict in Syria. It symbolizes a late victory for the rebels and a promise of a return home for refugees in Turkey. When the Fecr staff hit the airwaves, refugees turn on their radios to find out about the current state of the town. Once trapped in their homes or forced to flee to neighboring countries, such as Turkey, residents are gradually returning. As the population, which declined to 3,000 during the Daesh rule, rises to nearly 30,000 in recent weeks, those who fled are eager to hear the news on the ground before planning a return via the Turkish border.
Fecr offers an insight into daily life in the town with call-ins with residents and news on the rebuilding efforts.
The radio stations manager Aladdin Husso says their broadcasts are largely in Arabic, but they also host one-hour programs in Turkish and Kurdish at the station, whose reception goes as far as Lebanon and regions of Syria. He summarizes their mission as, "Providing accurate information about Jarablus." "We inform listeners about the daily life in the town, on the state of education services and infrastructure as well as covering stories about residents," he says.
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