Afghans tune in for music, information

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan –  The people of the Wata Poor District in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province are receiving something unheard of in their area – their own radio station.

In January, with the assistance of International Security Assistance Force personnel, residents launched radio station 91.5 FM, also known as the Wata Poor Review.

The program list includes a mix of Pashtu, Dari, Indian and English-language music, teachings from the Holy Koran, public information broadcasts, and a medical call-in show.

The station has generated excitement among area residents.

“Within two minutes of us putting [our] phone number out, we received more than 20 calls from listeners,” said Shams, an interpreter who also works part-time as a disc jockey for the station. “Each evening, listeners call us and tell us exactly what they want to hear.”

The station is so popular that two additional DJs are being hired to replace pre-programmed shows. A few of the programs have quickly become favorites of Wata Poor residents, particularly Pashtu poetry.  

The show also features a medical program, where listeners call into the station and give doctors their symptoms. Doctors respond with a tentative diagnosis and recommendations. Another expert provides the same type of service concerning calls about animal sicknesses.

Village mullahs play an active role in the station as well. The mullah’s radio teachings have become so popular, they have been given an hour of airtime every day.

“We prefer more traditional styles of programming, but (these) existing programs are very beneficial to listeners,” said Haji Mohammad, Safi village’s mullah. 

The station itself is part of a larger program sponsored by the U.S. State Department. The official name of the radio equipment is Radio In A Box, or RIAB. Currently there are fourteen RAIB systems in the Kunar Valley. Each unit contains a CD player, an A/V jack, a laptop connection and an amplifier. The unit can be installed and running in two hours.

U.S. Army Soldiers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Lethal, played an instrumental role in getting the station started. 

They informed the public about the frequency and call-in number, distributed radios during their patrols throughout the district, and gave the station a home at Combat Outpost Honaker-Miracle. 

The Soldiers try to distribute between 50 and 100 radios per week, attempting to provide them to different families and increasing the number of households who can hear the broadcasts.

Afghan National Army Capt. Abdul Samad, commander of Weapons Company, 2nd Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 201st Corps, is another key leader that has embraced the station. 

He listens to the radio for pleasure, but he recognizes how valuable a resource it can be to reach out to the public. Samad took command of the unit in February and one of his early decisions was to address the public over the airwaves.  

“This is the best way to distribute our message to those living at the top of the mountain,” he said. “It is the best way to give them the right information about the Holy Koran, to explain that the Holy Koran [does] not [allow] the killing of Muslims or Coalition forces.”

Samad, in his first radio address, reminded residents that the ANA are Muslims and they are here to provide security for the people. He also reminded them that the ISAF are guests in their country.

“All the ISAF and local government want is to bring peace to the area,” he said.