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When radio finds a new digital voice: Bringing Romani language and culture online in Kosovo

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A community radio station in Prizren, Kosovo, has expanded its reach by moving some of its Romani-language programming onto major digital platforms, making content that was previously available only during live broadcasts accessible to listeners at any time and from any location.

Turning broadcasts into a lasting digital resource

Radio Romano Avazo, which has long served as one of the few consistent sources of Romani-language media in Kosovo, worked through a project called “Romani Voice Digital: Podcast Platform for Civic Inclusion” to convert existing audio content into a podcast format. Three episodes were drawn from the station’s cultural programme and made available on platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube, as well as on the station’s own website.

Each episode featured a different guest with connections to Romani language, culture and public life:

  • A teacher of the Romani language and creator of a Roma Mini-Library in Prizren, who also works as an author and translator
  • A politician, former deputy minister, actor and poet, who discussed the relationship between Roma culture and public institutions
  • A media editor, former dancer, folklorist and actor, whose career traced the development of Roma cultural expression in contemporary broadcasting

The conversations were structured to go beyond formal discussion of language and professional roles, with guests also invited to share their perspectives on how conditions for the Roma community could be improved.

Early response and longer-term ambitions

After the podcasts were published and promoted through existing community communication channels, the station received inquiries from Roma audiences across multiple municipalities, not only in Prizren. Because the content is hosted on international platforms, it is also accessible to Romani speakers in the diaspora. The combined reach across digital channels has already run into the tens of thousands of views and listens, exceeding the project’s initial targets of more than 500 listens and 200 new followers.

The project was supported through the Digital Spark granting scheme, part of a broader regional initiative involving several international organisations focused on digital inclusion.

The station has described the podcast section of its website as a potential permanent home for future Romani-language productions, with the three initial episodes forming the foundation of what it hopes will become a wider digital archive serving Roma communities both within Kosovo and abroad.

This article is adapted from “When radio finds a new digital voice: Bringing Romani language and culture online in Kosovo” published by Global Voices, licensed under CC BY 3.0. Changes were made. Read the original story at the link above.

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