Voices of Resistance Radio Marathon

The FIRE marathon broadcast "Voices of Resistance" used information and communication technologies (ICTs) as tools to give voice to diverse women's perspectives on the Middle East conflict currently being experienced. Produced in Spanish and English, the 8-hour live broadcast was repeated 3 times during a 24-hour streaming schedule. Listeners tuned in by visiting the FIRE website (Spanish language version).

The broadcast featured interviews with women in the midst of the conflicts, casting a very personal lens on a potentially abstract situation. Many of the voices heard clearly had an activist/feminist tone; for example, Patricia Villavicencio from Spain opened the channels of feminist solidarity on August 4 by calling for the end of "this war that is guided by patriarchal minds with the ultimate goal of destroying a people." One feminist peace activist discussed the joint mobilisation of Arab and Israeli women through daily manifestations against the war in cities such as Haifa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Nazareth and Galilee. Along these lines, Noeleen Heyzer, executive director of UNIFEM, expressed her conviction that "women must be part of the solution," emphasising the key role being played by Israeli and Palestinian women's leadership, expertise, and resources in the International Women's Commission (IWC) for a Just and Sustainable Palestinian-Israeli Peace.

FIRE invited audience members to write or call in during the programme to respond to such advocacy messages, as well as to express solidarity with women experiencing the Middle East conflicts. In collaboration with MADRE, FIRE sent US$5 for each email received, and US$10 for each phone call, to women-to-women organisations that work for peace and justice. Additional donations could also be made by audience members, to be sent to these same organisations.

To expand the marathon's reach, in addition to linking to other campaigns, FIRE connected to other media venues around the world. As a result, the webcast was rebroadcast by radio stations and networks and reproduced or covered in other media and communication centres such as the City Radio of Buenos Aires, the Women's Media Center in the United States, and Radio Novoa in Italy, where a journalist listened to the FIRE marathon in order to produce reports the following day. Likewise, the World Association of Community Radios (AMARC) distributed the initiative to all their members.

Conflict, Women.

In an interview from Lebanon during the FIRE marathon, Lina Abou-Habib, executive director of the Center for Research, Training and Action (CRTA), in Beirut expressed her deep concern for the nearly one-fourth of the Lebanese population who are displaced and have sought refuge to escape from the escalating conflict in their country. She talked about how mainstream media is focusing primarily on the military action and ignoring the voices and perspectives of people, particularly those living in poverty. Other participants in the broadcast echoed this observation, stressing that the media has provided little coverage of work for peace being carried out by Israeli and Palestinian women leaders, for example. "Voices of Resistance" was meant to be one step toward reshaping the tone and scope of media coverage.

FIRE/RIF is an international women's internet radio produced by women in Costa Rica that offers the voices and perspectives of women on all issues through a combination of voices, technologies and actions.