Tuning in

Salonaz Sami reports on the launch of a new Internet radio station, the brainchild of a group of young political activists

---

"We want our voices to be heard," says Peter Alfred, a 28-year-old member of the group Youth for Change and the man behind the idea of setting up an Internet radio station which will be owned and managed by a group of young activists.

"We decided to launch the station on the Internet because it is the safest and cheapest way. We are funding the whole thing ourselves."

Overheads are minimal. Beyond the technical equipment needed for recording, all that is needed is to buy and register a domain.

"The Internet is incredible and is being used by people of all ages," Alfred told Al-Ahram Weekly.

"We have been trying for some time to find a way for our voices to be heard and though most of us are active politically, regularly attending demonstrations and protests, we wanted to do more."

The war on Lebanon provided impetus to the project. "I had been thinking about it for a couple of months," Alfred explains, "but when Israel attacked Lebanon I decided to speed up the launch."

"We were all so frustrated but we didn't know what to do. We participated in the protests held in Cairo but it was not enough. We needed to find a way to communicate how we felt to other Egyptians and send a message to our brothers and sisters in Lebanon and Palestine that we are fully behind them."

The station aims to address political, social and cultural issues of interest to young people across the Arab world. Though some of the staff are members of the Kifaya movement, the group Youth for Change and the Al-Wassat Party, the station aims to be independent, reflecting the thoughts and ideas of its crew rather than the movements to which they belong.

Although some decisions have yet to be made, basic principles have already been agreed by the station's team. "We will be working against the American agenda, the so-called "New Middle East" and against the presence of the Zionist entity in the Arab region," says Alfred.

"We also want to change the old-fashioned way radio stations are perceived in Egypt and the Middle East. We want to create a station that discusses anything and everything. During the first couple of days of broadcasting we will be tackling issues like homosexuality and religious conversion."

Broadcasts will also deal with human rights issues and will cover what is happening on the Egyptian street.

The station has yet to be named. "We are torn between two names, The Voice of the Nation and Taboos," says Ahmed Hamed, an engineer and a member of Al-Wassat. "Personally I prefer the second because it reflects what we want to do, which is to challenge the political, social and cultural taboos that we live with."

As the station's crew prepares for the launch they have one concern in mind. "We are still unsure how the state security will respond to the broadcasts. After all we are considered opposition," says Alfred.

Hamed concurs: "We will do our part and hope for the best."

The station is due to start broadcasting on 15 September.