Ensuring Access to Radio Rurale de Kayes

When Radio Rurale de Kayes first went on air, in 1988, it mostly broadcast recorded interviews and performances from villages of the two districts (or “cercles”) of Kayes and Yélimané. This brochure in French explains the context of the creation of the radio and its evolution over three decades. As part of the digitizing project funded by MEAP (2021-2024), the present-day team of the radio, which comprises men and women who were already working at the station in 1988, organized so as to reach out to performers, singers and musicians whose recordings were part of the collection. Their memories supplemented the written documentation, and their connections in the villages allowed the identification of the performers, or their families when they had passed away. The trust built across the years and the reputation of the radio made it possible to gather the informed consent of many interpreters.