By Lamin Cham Â
The BBC World Service’s flagship radio discussion program Africa Debate will be recorded from the Gambia on Thursday April 20.
The programme is a monthly one-hour discussion program that examines topical African issues in detail.
According to the producer Alice Muthengi this month’s edition, which will be recorded in the Gambia on 20th April from 11:00-12.30pm in Banjul. It will be aired on Friday April 21 in place of the third edition of Focus on Africa at 19 hours GMT to be relayed on West Coast Radio 92.1.
The show will explore Gambia’s transition after more than 20 years of former President Yahya Jammeh’s authoritarian rule. “We will look at what it takes to manage and reconstruct a country whose democratic institutions have been weakened or where they are non-existent, how to deal with human rights violations etc. The format of the show is town hall style. We usually have a panel of about four, and a specially invited participating audience of up to 100 people. These will include key players and stakeholders, civil servants, students, teachers, victims of human rights violations, politicians, pundits, artists, representatives from various NGOs and journalists and ordinary Gambians,” Muthengi said.
Everyone taking part will be welcome to ask questions, make comments and generally have an informative discussion that will inform and educate Gambians and listeners cross Africa and the world.
Among those expected be on the panel are Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the UN Envoy for West Africa and the Minister for information, Mr Demba Jawo among others.
