Radio for Hope

By Leah Germain

Andrew Kromah of the Independent Radio Network

I first meet Andrew Kromah at the Independent Radio Network (IRN) headquarters in Freetown, where I’ve been assigned.

“Welcome, welcome,” he says reaching for my hand and giving it a firm shake. He invites me to take a seat in a wicker chair placed in the corner of his second floor office.

As he takes his seat he inquires about my name.

“Ahh, Leah,” he says. “Do you know the origin of that name?”

I do. As a young girl I looked it up in Webster’s dictionary and learned that Leah was the third wife of Jacob in the Bible. As I relay the information to Mr. Kromah, he throws his head back and laughs a booming laugh that fills every corner of his office. He goes on to regale me with all the reasons why Leah was one of his favorite characters.

Our conversation then turns to the work of the Independent Radio Network and the crucial role it has played in rebuilding Sierra Leone’s civil society after the country was torn apart by an 11-year civil war.

IRN was established in 2002 as a collective for just a few community and independent radio stations. Eight years later, IRN has a network of 23 radio stations throughout the country; Mr. Kromah points out several of them on the brightly colored map next to his desk.

Even though the network has made substantial progress since 2002, it continues to experience numerous setbacks. In addition to lacking proper equipment, many of the radio stations are short-staffed and seriously under-funded. Part of my role is helping IRN towards their long-term goal of becoming an independently financed media organization.

To many, this may seem like a lofty goal for a network that still relies heavily on foreign aid, but after talking with Mr. Kromah for 20 minutes, it doesn’t seem so far-fetched.

Providing the citizens of Sierra Leone with fair and unbiased media was a challenge Mr. Kromah took on long before IRN was established. He begins to tell me the story of when he launched KISS FM, a station in Bo, the country’s second largest city. The launch came towards the war’s end, when conflict had forced many to flee their city and country.

But Mr. Kromah stayed. And while so much was being destroyed, he created. With help from Voice of America, he was able to furbish a radio station with the necessary equipment and begin broadcasting.

When the American chopper carrying the radio equipment landed in Bo, most of the city showed up to see what was going on.

“They all thought ‘The Americans are here! The Americans are here,’” he says. While not a military intervention, the chopper represented a different kind of salvation for the city and its residents.

The arrival of the chopper gave people hope, enough hope to stay in Bo and not run from the threat of a potential rebel attack, says Mr. Kromah.

Heading back to Talking Drum Studio, I can’t help but be inspired by Mr. Kromah’s story. It is the perfect metaphor for Sierra Leone: even though there is an uncertainty surrounding the country’s future, the media is giving people hope and that alone allows the residents of this country to believe in the promise of a better tomorrow.