Haiti Radio - Still, The Most Popular form of Media

Of course there is a big percentage of Haitians in Haiti who are slowly moving from radio to their Blackberries for news updates but the following statistic is surprising:

"Ninety-seven percent of the Haitian population owns a radio, and they all listen to it."

Growing up in Hinche Haiti back in the late 1970's and early 1980's there use to sell a cheap PEONY Mono AM radio brand for HTG 17 Gourdes and every ABITAN coming and going in the streets of Hinche owned one... They used to hang it in their backs listening to Radio Lumiere with the volume all the way up... They took it everywhere! LOL... Everywhere... and the hottest selling item in the stores besides these radios were D-Cell RAY-O-VAC batteries LOL...

Am I the only one who used to boil batteries and tap the ends in Bi-Carbonate to recharge them?

Ohhh... The childhood memories...

I hate to admit it being that my media is on the Internet but there is no shame in admitting the truth that I actually listen to Haitian radio in order to inform you, the technologically advanced, on-the-go, busy Haitian who rely on a simple email notice or text message for your daily dose of news from LAKAY...

Now here is a little element of surprise for you about Radio in Haiti...

I just read a photo blog article on MSNBC that made a startling revelation about how Radio got to Haiti and what purpose it was supposed to serve

Read this...

"Since the introduction of battery-operated transistor receivers in the 1960s, radio has been the main media in Haiti. American missionaries donated the first transistor radios, hoping to convert the masses through the 24-hour evangelical programming on Radio Lumiere. But in the hellish years of the Duvalier dictatorship, Haitians far preferred the radio programs in Creole broadcast on Radio Haiti Inter by legendary opposition figure Jean Dominique, to being constantly reminded about hell awaiting them if they did not become Protestant."

INTERESTING...

Nothing against the message that "Le royaume de Dieu est proche" but once again... The intention of bringing Radio to Haiti was never to educate, motivate, and make Haiti a better place... Nope... It was rather to broadcast the FEAR of burning in Hell and life after death...

And you wonder Haitians reply "NAP BOULE" when you ask them "SAP PASE?"

M'ale papa...

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