"Pause-détente" (Take a break) reaches out to as many people as possible

In December 2022, eleven programmes from MediaSahel's partner radio stations in Burkina Faso benefited from a month-long capacity building programme looking at the fundamentals of journalism and interactivity. One of the beneficiaries was "Pause-détente".
Hosted by Sali Touré, the programme is a 45-minute interactive magazine broadcast from Monday to Friday at 1:15 pm on Omega Radio. It is divided into two sections – "savoir vivre" (know how to live") and "question de l’auditeur" (listener's question) – and offers young people a space for entertainment, self-expression and answers to certain concerns: parent-child relationships, how to live better together in times of crisis, knowing how to navigate school life and promoting a "jokey relationship", etc.
The aim of these coaching programmes was to improve the quality of productions while simultaneously preserving the content and format of the selected programmes.

"We have brought added value to the programme by taking a two-pronged approach focusing on radio production standards and MediaSahel's expectations, through topics related to youth, gender and conflict".
Clémence Tuina, formatrice MédiaSahel

Bringing young people and parents together

Before this training, it was only possible to interact with the host via text message. Now, listeners are able to call in, leave a voice note on WhatsApp or send a message on Facebook. The result is that "new listeners can get involved," explains Sali Touré, pointing to one listener in particular who, "due to a lack of education, was unable to put across their point of view in writing". The means of communication used now bring together young people and parents, regardless of their level of education.

The coaching programme also allowed the "savoir vivre" section to be enriched through the presence of an expert. "During the training, I was able to work together with my trainer on a list of human resources," says Sali Touré. Their role is to support the host and to respond to listeners' concerns on a diverse range of topics, which are shared in advance on Facebook. Unfortunately, these people are not always available. "I sometimes have to host the show without an expert," she laments.

Having been upgraded thanks to the training, the "Pause détente" programme is now broadcast live on Facebook and also has a page for its fans.