"Mummy, come and hear me on the radio!!!"

Guineans young comedians enjoying during the recordingof the stories

"I'm a child but I have my rights too!!” When Fanta, a 10 year-old Guinean girl, says that in front of the microphone, it is not only a slogan, you can see in her eyes how important this sentence is for her. Fanta, one of the 600 children who participated to the unique radio campaign promoting the rights of the child in 7 countries in West Africa, feels that: “We have rights to good health, to freedom of expression, to education, to play"

This experience was a series of “firsts” she explains: “It’s the first time I come to the Capital city, the first time I enter in a recording studio and the first time I keep close to famous comedians I used to see on TV and who I never dreamed to meet” said Fanta. For a small girl from a remote village which is often without water or electricity, you can imagine how impressive it all is.

Child Participation through radio

The same pleasure to be part of the production of the stories of the radio campaign "I'm a child but I have my rights too!" in Bissau

The radio campaign “I am a Child but I have my Rights too!” has been produced by Plan since 1998. It informs parents, children and authorities on their responsibilities of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC). This is vital in a country like Guinea where many of the most basic rights remain unfulfilled. 

Fanta will be involved in two levels of this ambitious program: as a comedian and as a listener through interviews and debates, radio contests, and by sending poems, letters and drawings. "I'm so impatient to hear my voice on the radio. My friends will be jealous and my parents very proud of me!!" she added mischievously.