Music, entertainment and educational programs as well as debates on various topics related to the problems of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities in the municipality of Prizren, can be heard during the 24-hour program of this radio.
Jasir Misini, journalist at Radio ‘Romano Avazo’, says that they bring information from the current events in real time in the Roma language, but at the same time the radio is a voice of the Roma community, and not only, for their rights.
"I believe that it gives a lot of voice because it is the only radio in Kosovo that broadcasts 24 hours a day and can have direct access to daily news or all the things that are currently happening in Kosovo to inform them in their language", said Misini.Misini shows that they organize four debates a month with different topics that affect the interests of the citizens of the minority communities in Prizren.
"The radio is financed by various organizations or by European organizations, taking into account that we create four debates a month with different topics that advocate or lobby for human rights or the rights of communities, different topics are broadcast on the radio every month, for example about health, education, culture, and all the topics that affect the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities", said Misini.
Shyret Hoxhaj, an activist from the Roma community, who from time to time also engages in Radio ‘Voice of the Roma’, says that she has learned a lot during her work in this media, but at the same time she has addressed topics that serve the youth of the communities."I have held several shows with different topics, where, as interviewees we have had people from the Roma community, or the Ashkali and Egyptian communities, we have also had people from the majority Albanian community, where the topics were different in the interest of the Municipality of Prizren. It has been a very good experience for me that I have worked and continue to work with a profitable team where I continue to learn more about local media where I have a great desire to continue working with them”, said Hoxhaj.
Misini shows that financing remains the biggest challenge of the media in which he works.
"The biggest challenge, not only of this radio, but of all community radios, is financial stability because the projects are from time to time, they do not have a stability, the projects are given based on the circumstances of the situation", he said.However, Radio "Romano Avazo" has tried to adapt to the changes in the media market by enabling its program to be heard online through the official website and Facebook page.
They also post news on social networks so that those who cannot hear it on the radio can read it.
"The Facebook page is more active where the Roma community has the opportunity or access to see everything posted by the ministries, the Ministry of Communities and Return, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, where we receive the news from the Albanian language and translate it into the Roma language where we have cooperation also with other media where we translate all the news", said Misini.Radio 'Voice of the Roma' can be found on Facebook under the name Radio ‘Romano Avazo’ and also on the local frequencies in Prizren 107.3 MHz.
The project “Media education against disinformation for non-majority communities in Kosovo” is supported by the United States Embassy in Prishtina.
