In a remote town in southern Tunisia a man wanted to tell the world about life's hardships there. So he set up a radio station without any funding, and that station has become a success.
But experience was not the only thing missing. There was also no material and, most importantly, no money.That's why he wanted to get some feedback. Sure, Fahmi, I said, what is it?
He had an idea, he said. The sacrificial feast would be coming up in about half a years time and he was thinking of buying a herd of lambs. He said he'd raise the lambs, sell them as sheep, and then subsidize the station with the profits.
It's a great idea, I said, but if you don't have faith in your radio station and don't think you'll be able to earn money with it, why don't you just shut down the station and keep the money from the sheep sales instead? Yeah, Fahmi said, you’re probably right.
Striving for change
A proud moment: The official opening of Radio Nefzawa’s new studio, with station founder Fahmi Blidaoui (right)
Still, Fahmi has a quality that helps in Kebili - he's stubborn. His aim is to change things for the benefit of the region. Through a support association, the station is also organizing competitions for company founders, a crafts trade fair, and a cultural festival.
Nefzawa reporters get additional training whenever they can – often but not always from DW Akademie. They report on streets that were promised but were never built or on hospitals where there's an unusually high death rate. They also organize searches for victims of floods that were caused by torrential rains. They look at the things that large radio stations ignore.
It's having an impact. Even though Nefzawa still doesn't sound entirely professional and other stations broadcast better music, the people of Kebili and surrounding region are proud of their station and stay tuned.
And this in turn creates power. The governor before the last one was seconded from far-away Tunis and tried hard to ignore the station. The last governor threatened to finish the station off. But when Nefzawa opened its new studio in 2015 it was the current governor who stood up to cut the cake.
Democracies need free and independent media, and media that enable minorities and marginalized groups to voice their concerns to the world. DW Akademie has been supporting local radios in Tunisia for the last three years. Nefzawa is one of these stations. It is located in the small town of Kebili and has become the leading radio station in the region. DW Akademie project manager Rüdiger Maack has been on location for almost four years now and heads the Tunisian projects. He has been coaching Radio Nefzawa since the first workshop got underway in 2013.