Mamadou Lamine Massaly, an activist of the opposition Senegalese Democratic Party, was placed under a committal order by the Senegalese Gendarmerie on February 27, 2015.
The MFWA’s correspondent reported that the Gendarmerie had lodged a complaint against Massaly for “defamation and insulting behavior against a public body”.
Massaly was summoned for alleging that he had been “tortured by a political gendarmerie” while in custody making allegedly defamatory statements against Aminata Tall, President of the Senegalese Economic and Social Council.
Massaly was taken into police custody after a complaint had been lodged by Tall, who believed that she had been defamed by the statements by Massaly, a former party comrade, who called her a “political prostitute”.
MFWA urges Senegal to decriminalize speech offenses, such as defamation, in line with the binding decision of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights calling for restrictions on criminal defamation laws and ruling that imprisonment for defamation violates the right to freedom of expression.
Thanks to radio, I’m current when it comes to news and global information. It has also enabled me to be more aware of the cultures, lifestyles/ways of lives of other people in other parts of the world. Radio (through debates, free speeches etc.) has empowered me today to be in a position to empower other people through my work as broadcaster. I listen to radio principally to get news updates from around the world. I also listen to radio for music. And I prefer radio to newspaper or TV because I can listen to the radio while doing other things simultaneously. I don’t have to watch or be physically attentive. Radio is magical. Radio is the biggest form of communication in every part of the world and everybody relates to radio. We’ve seen more conflicts, intolerance and the need for wider sensitization in many parts of the globe. The more these increase, the more we need radio. Most youth today have cell phones and often times their phones are not sophisticated with mp3 players etc. However what most of them have on their phones is radio. So sober radio programmes will certainly help develop the youth. These include programmes that empower them.
I am a peace builder and initiate different activities to contribute to the development of Africa and change lives. I listen to radio to get information and stay updated. Radio has changed lives positively across the world and has reached out to people with news of progress of their country socially, politically and economically.As a Rwandan however, once between 1960s up to 1994 it affected us negatively where it was the most conspicuous tool used expand the propaganda of hatred leading to the Rwandan genocide.
A lot of young people are involved in radio right now; newscasters, Djs, talk show hosts etc. It is therefore a source of income to the youth as well as offering us a platform for our voices to be heard. . As a Ghanaian studying abroad, radio is a great way for me to follow up on current happenings within the country. I get to hear accounts from the horses own mouth without having to rely on international news agencies. Let’s not forget about people living in rural areas who have no access to the Internet or sometimes electricity, radio is their only source of information. If there is a public service announcement targeting people in rural areas, radio could be a good platform to use Even though social media is taking the world by storm, traditional media such as radio is still very important. Most radio stations interact with listeners using social media. This combination is very powerful as it gives people the chance to air their views on important subjects. The Internet is a very important factor and I will advise that more radio stations in Ghana take advantage of this to reach a wider audience.
Radio has positively helped me to touch lives as a broadcaster, provide information and knowledge to my listeners and has created for me a huge social capital. Radio by offering employment opportunities and consistent training provides two avenues to constantly develop the youth. We need radio more than ever because it has proven to be the largest and most widely circulated means of transferring information. In a world where many are still uneducated we need to reach everyone as various languages could be spoken to transmit information through radio. Radio has also proven to be faster than any other media form. I listen to radio because it gets me informed and constantly set me up to crave for more knowledge and informed opinions on all aspects of life.
In Nigeria, the radio is very important to us. It reaches the far ends of the country land. It is very important because it cuts through socioeconomic strata. It is a tool that has been said to be able to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots of my country. I love the power of the radio. I do not listen to radio often but when I do I listen, it is because I do so to feel connected to the society that I find myself in. I discovered that listening to radio is a good way to find your way around the nuances of a culture; even my own culture. But it depends on what programs are being aired Listening to radio has helped me learn a lot about diverse subjects such as politics, culture, and the society in general. I have learnt a lot of things from listening to radio such as French by listening to radio France international (RFI) for example. It is a good way to use your time effectively even while doing other things. It is a passive way of learning things but a very important means. I don’t really have any negative experiences from listening to the radio.