The sweetest stories to escape the Gaza Strip are at Radio Lajee.

The blogging and podcast site is a media literacy advocate’s dream. It’s a colourful platform on which Palestinian youth record stories about their dreams, give recipes for dishes they’re cooking and discuss their art projects. The contributors range in age from 7 to 22.

The reality of life in Gaza obviously colours their perspectives, but the optimism of youth comes across in their podcasts as brightly as the colours in the site’s logo. That’s what makes Radio Lajee so great: It puts that coveted human face on what is so often portrayed as a negative story.

The site got going in November, 2008, when Australian journalist Daz Chandler travelled to Bethlehem and began working with an established youth centre called the Lajee Center. Lajee translates to ‘refugee’ in Arabic. It is located in Aida Camp, a refugee camp north of Bethlehem.

Chandler started off with leading her podcasters through radio workshops in Bethlehem. According to the Lajee site, these workshops covered sound recording, presentation and interview techniques. The podcasters were taught to audio editing, program structure, new media possibilities and online marketing.

According to The Australian, Chandler raised the money to buy the necessary equipment with a house party in Sydney.

As she told The Australian, she helps the students write and edit their scripts. The stories posted thus far on the site are both fun to listen to and easy to read – the transcripts appear with ease on the click of a button, making it possible to listen or read.

The stories are simple ones any young podcaster could produce. But the dynamic of place, the Gaza Strip, gives each podcast uniquely complex themes.

One, by 18-year-old Layan Azza, features her interview with her grandfather. He describes the early days of Aida Camp, where he has been living for 60 years. He describes living in tents and sitting on the ground at makeshift schools

“Now it’s different,” the younger Azza breaks in. “We have two schools: one for the boys and one for the girls. We don’t live in tents anymore. Now we have houses and electricity. Some people have satellite TV and a few people have internet. Water? Water is still a big problem…But, it is also a big story – for another time.”

While the stories inspire thought and questions, they also entertain.

Another podcaster, Amal Abu Srour, teaches listeners and readers how to make Maqlouba, a traditional local dish. She sprinkles some local language into her instructions for an extra serving of culture.

“Maqlouba in Arabic uses the verb ‘yaqloub’. It means ‘upside-down’. Why upside-down? You will find out later, ‘insharla’.”

It’s worth a try.

 

Published: February 10, 2009