As part of its outreach activities in the field, the West African Network to Fight against Clandestine Immigration (REALIC), in collaboration with the Organisation du Conseil des Jeunes de l’Entente (OCJE), the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research (FHB Foundation), organised the celebration of the 2020 edition of World Radio Day. This celebration took place on 12 and 13 February in Yamoussoukro, the political capital of Côte d’Ivoire. It focused on two themes, namely: “Youth and irregular migration in Côte d’Ivoire, the role of radio in the struggle” and “Youth and the promotion of the culture of peace during the electoral period”.
A public broadcast was recorded on Wednesday 12 February 2020 at the Yamoussoukro Scientific High School and broadcast live by the FHB Foundation radio station, Radio de la Paix. It saw the participation of students from the said high school and students from other higher education institutions in the city of Yamoussoukro. Spectators and listeners were made aware of the risks linked to illegal immigration through debates and games based on questions and answers.
According to Mrs. Florentine DJIRO, President of REALIC, the aim of this activity was to highlight the impact of radio in the fight against illegal immigration on the ground. For her, the aim was to show and strengthen the role of radio in awareness-raising campaigns aimed at pupils and students on the risks linked to illegal immigration, and to popularise reliable information and legal channels concerning the immigration chosen.
It should be noted that this programme saw the participation of Mrs. Diénéba DOUMBIA, Director of the Peace Research Department of the FHB Foundation and Mr. Ousmane KANTÉ, Editor-in-Chief of Radio de la Paix.
At the end of the exchanges, one could retain the important role played by the radio in raising awareness among young people on migration issues. The participants suggested radio programs that focus on accurate information about immigration and made a commitment to raise awareness among other young people about the risks associated with this scourge. It should be recalled that REALIC is a non-governmental organization (NGO) created in 2017 in Daloa to contribute to the resolution of the problems undermining Ivorian youth. Several prevention and awareness-raising activities have been carried out by this NGO to curb the migratory flows of young people in search of the Eldorado.
