Connection Found / side A

66.1% of people living in Dakar, the most populated region in Senegal, spent on average 3 hours and 46 minutes a day listening to the radio. Radio stations like RFM or Zick FM are staples in public buses, shuttles, and taxis.

The range and diversity of radio programming in Senegal is one of the cornerstones of its democracy. Citizens across income, literacy, and mobility levels have the opportunity to engage in critical political dialogue - passively, by listening in; or actively, by dialling in to contribute to ongoing conversations.

Whereas social media promotes political polarization, creating echo chambers of extreme opinions; radio continues to expose listeners to a wide spectrum of political views, which is essential to political moderation.

As digital technologies gain prominence over their analogue predecessors, how do we retain some of the design and cultural principles that shaped technologies like the radio - those that promote living and engaging better as a society?