Immigrant's Radio

I've had the honour of being involved in a very special project these past two weeks now - I'm one of the contenders for a new radio show, to be conducted by foreigners in Iceland, broadcast in their own languages. If I am accepted to take part in this radio show, I plan to give weekly summaries of Icelandic news, in English, play music from around the world, and hold a phone-in talk show on immigrant issues such as language classes, religious freedom, integration, and more.

The project, which is the brainchild of Amal Tamimi, is a cultural experiment being supported by the Intercultural Centre, Radio Hafnarfjörður 96.2 FM and Flensborg menntaskólan, and is slated to go on the air in the beginning of November. I can't tell you how much it pleased me to see so many of Iceland's different ethnic groups show up to take part in this - people from Poland, Lithuania, Thailand, the Phillipines, Jordan, Iran, Slovenia, and Spain were among the nationalities represented. There are a lot of very talented and enthusiastic people taking part in this effort, and I look forward to seeing what they can produce.

Tamimi told me that she began working on this idea in 2003, and to me, this is an idea that's a long time coming. For Iceland's different nationalities to be able to broadcast their own material in their own language - whether that material be news, music, or chat - is more than just something Iceland's immigrant community is doing for itself. This medium will also help open dialogue further between Icelanders and immigrants. Even if those listening don't understand Thai or Polish, our presence on the airwaves alongside Icelanders increases our integration into Icelandic society - perhaps one day, a radio station for immigrants won't even be a novelty anymore!