Radio Martí and RFE’s Radio Svaboda Collaborate
Radio Martí and RFE’s Belarusian Service, Radio Svaboda, collaborated for the first time to create a radio bridge between the Belarusian and Cuban people.
Well-known Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez and Belarusian democracy activist Nasta Palanshanka talked about their experiences and current events in their respective countries. They also discussed their shared experience of being denied the chance to attend a recent ceremony recognizing the recipients of this year’s “Women of Courage Award” in Washington.
On March 8, International Women’s Day, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama honored 10 women from around the world with the Women of Courage Award.
The women honored were journalists, lawyers, human rights activists who all traveled to Washington, DC, to receive this recognition.
Two winners were not able to attend — Ms. Sanchez and Ms. Palanshanka. Both women were denied permission to travel by their governments.
Through a radio bridge, Martí producers were able to link Sanchez and Palanshanka, with translation provided by an RFE reporter based in Minsk. The women spoke with each other for more than an hour.
Radio Martí will air a special program about the radio bridge on April 7 and has posted an article on the event to its website, www.martinoticias.com. Radio Svaboda also aired portions of the radio bridge and made them available on its website, www.svaboda.org