{"id":40597,"date":"2019-11-13T07:24:07","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T11:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=40597"},"modified":"2019-11-13T07:24:07","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T11:24:07","slug":"bbc-world-service-documentary-about-radio-berlin-international-service-to-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/bbc-world-service-documentary-about-radio-berlin-international-service-to-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC World Service documentary about Radio Berlin International Service to Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\nMany thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributors Kris and Ed who both note a fascinating BBC World Service documentary. Ed writes:<\/p>\n

Hey Thomas,<\/p>\n

SWLing Post readers will surely enjoy this brilliant BBC World Service documentary about Radio Berlin International Service to Africa. “Comrade Africa” offers a 53-minute fascinating blast from the cold-war past with many nostalgic RBI airchecks and programming analyses.<\/p>\n

-Ed<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/w3ct036t<\/a><\/p>\n

Comrade Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Documentary<\/strong><\/p>\n

How Communist East Germany tried to influence Africa via radio, during the Cold War. The West often saw the GDR as a grim and grey place, so it\u2019s something of a surprise to find a radio station based in East Berlin playing swinging African tunes. Yet Radio Berlin International (RBI), the \u2018voice of the German Democratic Republic\u2019, made it all happen over the many years it broadcast to Africa. It built on the little known strong bonds between East Germany and several large states in Africa such as Tanzania and Angola during the 1960s, \u201870s and \u201880s.<\/p>\n

Dr Emily Oliver, a historian of postwar Germany from Warwick University, finds out why multicultural Radio Berlin International was a special place within East Germany and what happened behind the scenes. The government set tight reporting restrictions on output. Staff faced the dilemma of following the rules while competing with the likes of the BBC World Service. They were also conscious of the output of the station\u2019s main direct rival, West Germany\u2019s Deutsche Welle, which portrayed the world quite differently. And how did RBI employees coming from nations like Tanzania cope with working for the oppressive East German regime?<\/p>\n

Emily hears how RBI appealed to listeners in Africa, reveals how East Germans and Angolans made friends over coffee and tractors, and discovers how the Cold War played out in Africa at a time when many African states were fighting for independence.<\/p>\n

Presenter: Emily Oliver
\nProducer: Sabine Schereck
\nResearcher: Balthazar Kitundu
\nEditor: Hugh Levinson
\nReaders: Neil McCaul, Leone Ouedraogo (podcast only), Ian Conningham and Adam Courting
\nThe Two Comrades: Will Kirk and Greg Jones<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Click here to listen on the BBC World Service website.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Kris and Ed who both note a fascinating BBC World Service documentary. Ed writes: Hey Thomas, SWLing Post readers will surely enjoy this brilliant BBC World Service documentary about Radio Berlin International Service to Africa. “Comrade Africa” offers a 53-minute fascinating blast from the cold-war past with many nostalgic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,288],"tags":[327,752,3067,3079,3523,465],"class_list":["post-40597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-radio-history","tag-bbc-world-service","tag-cold-war","tag-cold-war-radio","tag-documentaries","tag-radio-berlin-international","tag-radio-documentaries"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-ayN","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49333,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/comrade-africa-a-historic-look-at-the-gdrs-cold-war-era-shortwave-broadcasts-to-africa\/","url_meta":{"origin":40597,"position":0},"title":"Comrade Africa: A historic look at the GDR\u2019s Cold War era shortwave broadcasts to Africa","author":"Thomas","date":"June 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ulis (K3LU), who shares the following note via his Twitter feed: \u201cComrade Africa\u201d - a historic look at the GDR\u2019s (Radio Berlin International) Cold War era shortwave broadcasts to Africa via the BBC World Service: https:\/\/open.live.bbc.co.uk\/mediaselector\/6\/redir\/version\/2.0\/mediaset\/audio-nondrm-download\/proto\/https\/vpid\/p07zc40r.mp3 Click here to listen to the documentary at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International Broadcasting"","block_context":{"text":"International Broadcasting","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/international-broadcasting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/RadioBerlinInternationalFront-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/RadioBerlinInternationalFront-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/RadioBerlinInternationalFront-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/RadioBerlinInternationalFront-001.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10154,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/bbc-world-service-documentary-hang-on-ill-just-speak-to-the-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":40597,"position":1},"title":"BBC World Service Documentary: “Hang On, I’ll Just Speak to the World”","author":"Thomas","date":"July 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to Mike Barraclough\u00a0who shares this documentary about the BBC World Service from 1982: \"Hang On, I'll Just Speak to the World.\" I've embedded video players and linked to each of the four parts on YouTube: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"BBC-WorldService","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/BBC-WorldService.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":20848,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/august-28-bbc-atlantic-relay-station-special-drm-broadcasts\/","url_meta":{"origin":40597,"position":2},"title":"August 28: BBC Atlantic Relay station special DRM broadcasts","author":"Thomas","date":"August 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: DRM Consortium) DRM will be part of a big anniversary on a small island in the Atlantic Ocean. On 28th of August at 1155 GMT Babcock International will ensure a special BBC digital transmission on 21715 kHz from the BBC Atlantic Relay station, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Current Events"","block_context":{"text":"Current Events","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/current-events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RNZI-DRM-2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/RNZI-DRM-2-e1472222611639.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/RNZI-DRM-2-e1472222611639.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/RNZI-DRM-2-e1472222611639.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59963,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/06\/video-afternoon-plus-documentary-on-the-bbc-world-service-1982\/","url_meta":{"origin":40597,"position":3},"title":"Video: ‘Afternoon Plus’ documentary on the BBC World Service (1982)","author":"Thomas","date":"June 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary (W4EEY), who shares a link the following archived documentary on the BBC World Service from 1982: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JPqqXHMwqKQ Click here to view on YouTube.","rel":"","context":"In "International Broadcasting"","block_context":{"text":"International Broadcasting","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/international-broadcasting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Green-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Green-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Green-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Green-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Green-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12004,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/01\/interval-signal-ringtones-via-pcj\/","url_meta":{"origin":40597,"position":4},"title":"Interval signal ringtones via PCJ","author":"Thomas","date":"January 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"PCJ International has sent a press release regarding a series of interval signal ring tones they are selling on their web site. PCJ states: Package one includes 35 interval signals from the past and present. In a few months the second package will be released. The price is $1.99 US.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Products"","block_context":{"text":"New Products","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/new-products\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Apple-iPhone","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Apple-iPhone-175x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":51835,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/bbc-ws-documentary-world-wide-waves-22-the-sounds-of-community-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":40597,"position":5},"title":"BBC World Service Documentary: “World Wide Waves ’22: The sounds of community radio”","author":"Thomas","date":"February 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kris Partridge, who shares the following: Just heard a trail for this BBC World Service Radio programme to be broadcast at 12h00 UTC this coming Saturday, 12 February 2022. Here is the background of the programme: For World Radio Day 2022, we tune in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FM"","block_context":{"text":"FM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/fm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/World-Radio-Day-WRD-2020.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/World-Radio-Day-WRD-2020.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/World-Radio-Day-WRD-2020.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/World-Radio-Day-WRD-2020.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40597\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}