RADIO Paiwomak, Guyana’s first community radio station, set up through voluntary services, celebrated its 20th anniversary on Saturday, with the hard-working staff vowing to continue serving in the interest of the North Rupununi people.

The station was established following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) among the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the then Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), and the Iwokrama Rain Forest.

Radio Paiwomak 97.1 BINA FM, which serves thousands of people in approximately 20 indigenous communities across Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo), is managed by the National Communications Network (NCN), in collaboration with the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB).
Broadcasting from 06:00hrs to 21:00 hrs, Monday through Friday, from Annai Village, the radio station operates with a core of five volunteers.
“The programmes reflect the involvement of the community, with most of them allowing the interviews and writing of the people in the community,” explained Virgil Harding, who serves as coordinator for the radio station.

According to him, the word ‘Paiwomak’ is an acronym drawn from the names of three mountain ranges that dominate the North Rupununi – Pakaraima, Iwokrama, and Makarapan.

Newly-installed NCN Chief Executive Officer, Michella Abraham Ali, offered that the radio station has stood the test of time as it continues to serve the people of North Rupununi, despite all of the odds.
She pointed out how it has been disseminating COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) messages, and other programmes, in the Macushi language, spoken by the Carib-speaking people.

Michael Williams, one of the volunteers at the station over the past 15 years, spoke about how rewarding the experience has been for him. He said he saw the need to help out in providing much-needed information to the indigenous communities in the region.

While there was a shortage of volunteers due to the lack of a stipend, Williams said he has witnessed the great support that the station has received over the years.
Nadira Pedro is now in her second year of volunteering her services and she explained how her interest grew after beginning to experience the skill of speaking. “I started to think of how I can help them (the indigenous peoples) to be more knowledgeable through this radio,” she said. She has since been working on environmental programmes and school-related matters.

Another volunteer, Rocky Vanlong, has been volunteering since the station’s beginning 20 years ago. As a young school leaver at the time, he heard that the station was soon coming on board.

“Having our little radio at home, I used to catch a few Brazilian stations but I was more than anxious to hear what it would sound like so I glued myself to my little transmitter radio to catch the first bounce of the sound wave coming out of the station.”