The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) on Friday officially opened its new regional office in Gobabis in the Omaheke Region.
The office which is based in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology regional office will cater for the Setswana language radio station ‘Tirelo ya Sechaba FM’.
Welcoming the station to the region during the launch held in Gobabis, Omaheke Governor Pijoo Nganate highlighted the importance of media, saying it is an extremely powerful tool that if well utilised can contribute immensely towards the country’s development agenda.
“It is therefore imperative that as media you are held at a high standard of ethics and integrity, that you are unbiased and factual in your reporting and that you strive for inclusivity to ensure that every story is told,” he said.
Nganate went on to say, as a region Omaheke has been marginalised by esteemed institutions and their stories as a region were not fully told, adding that the launch of the Setswana radio station in the region is instrumental in ensuring that the stories of the people of Omaheke are told.
“I am hopeful that our stories will now be told. Your presence here brings forth hope,” said the governor while thanking the national broadcaster for setting roots in the region which he said it has been yearning for and what it needed.
Speaking at the same ceremony, NBC Director General Stanley Similo said the absence of platforms where people can express themselves can lead to the deterioration of a culture and language.
“When we speak broadcasting and in particular radio, there is no medium that can beat that. If people don’t hear their language and in the form of dialect also on platforms such as radio, then that culture is likely to become marginalised. This is why it was very important for us to make sure that we bring Tirelo ya Sechaba here,” said Similo.
Similo further informed that apart from the radio station, NBC also plans to have a permanent television crew that will be based in the region in the near future.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency
