The meeting, which will take place on March 24, aims to bring together for the fifth time members, employees and collaborators of the free radio stations of the Basque Country, and Aitziber Zapagi asks that anyone interested come to Ondarro: “It has happened that people who have not been on the radio before have come to meet curiosity and since then have collaborated on the radio of their country.”

Even if there are meetings for reflection, the day will begin in a festive atmosphere and end in a festive atmosphere. At 10:30 in the morning there will be a welcome in the town square and in the evening there will be concerts. Among them, the organization has prepared radio workshops and a round table.

The workshops will begin at 11:00 a.m., one on the use of free software and the other on radio orality. “The radio workshops we have organized revolve around the shortcomings we see around the [Rosa] Network, which can be used to solve them,” explains Zapagi.

After the youth lunch, there will be a roundtable. The role of popular media will be discussed in countries in conflict. The director of Radio Antxeta has announced the names of the speakers, although they will be confirmed on Monday: Leonel Herrara, Director of the Association of Radios and Participatory Programs of El Salvador; María Maneuversa, expert in communication for peace and member of the Observatori Crític dels Mitjans; and María Aizpuru, researcher at the Red de Investigación dn Comunicación Comunitaria, Alternativa y Participativa.

The role and values of popular radio stations

Zapagi says that the theme chosen for the round table is not “casual”: “Although things have changed, the political conflict in the Basque Country continues. In the midst of this conflict, free radios have played a role that we are also playing today.” However, Zapagi believes that popular radio stations are not valued enough, in contrast, their functions and structures are underestimated, both “from the outside” and “from the inside”. He has said that many times “we free radios underestimate ourselves” without realizing the potential strength of the Radio Network Rosa. He mentioned that they have an active influence on the process of normalization of the Basque language, for example.

There will also be meetings for this, “to say that we are here”, and to raise awareness of what the popular radio stations are doing. The director of the Anchovies proclaims that they are as “professional” as any private radio station.

The Rosa Radio Network is made up of 23 free radio stations in the Basque Country. “It’s not a small number,” Zapirain says, “considering also the strength and experience that many have.” Each radio station has its own characteristics in terms of structure, but they unite common values: to work on nearby information, and according to Zapagi, in a “free way”, because nobody “cuts their wings”.