About us
To contact Radio Dabanga please email to radiodabanga@yahoo.com or call 0031 208000470
Beginning of Radio Dabanga
As of 15 November 2008, Radio Dabanga came on air: a radio station by Darfuri for Darfuri. Since 1 December 2008, news and information broadcasts were commenced and we are currently broadcasting two and a half hours of daily programming. If you are interested in listening to Radio Dabanga, check our frequencies or search through our broadcast scheme and radio archive.
Radio Dabanga is a project of the Radio Darfur Network, a coalition of Sudanese journalists and international (media) development organizations, supported by a consortium of international donors, humanitarian community organizations and local NGOs. Radio Dabanga is conceived, operated and facilitated by Free Press Unlimited in the Netherlands.
Reporting
Radio Dabanga reports from inside Sudan as well as from abroad, producing independent news and relevant information for all Darfuri: city folk, villagers and herdsman, IDPs, Refugees, Darfuri abroad and in Sudan.
Radio Dabanga broadcasts in vernacular languages, so that everyone in Darfur can understand the latest news about Darfur and its population.
Meaning of Dabanga: life is changeable for good or bad
The dabanga is the most important part of a family’s home. Sometimes written “damanga” or “dabunga,” it is a large storage vessel used by Sudanese farmers to preserve food. It takes women between three days and a week to build a dabanga, made from mounds of a mixture of clay, water and dried grass, because each layer needs to dry before the next layer can be piled on. After the dabanga is completed, it is left for two weeks to bake in the sun until it is completely dry. When it hardens, the dabanga becomes very heavy and cannot be moved or carried. A hut is usually built over the dabanga so as to protect it from the torrents of water during the rainy season. Dabangas are used to store crops (e.g. maize and corn) to keep them from spoiling, and these provisions can be lifesaving rations in the event of a famine. Farmers sometimes hide their money or other valuables in the bottom.
Grain is stored in a dabanga, which can contain as much as 700 kg, or a in a suraya (large straw sacks smeared with cow dung and mud from the inside as well as the outside and capable of containing 1900 kg of grain). A dabanga is preferred because it is more durable than a suraya.
Proverb
The dabanga as a unique aspect of Sudanese farmers’ daily life gave birth to the Arabic adage (proverb) ”Duniya dabanga dardigi bishaish” (“the world is like a Dabanga, roll it carefully”), which essentially means that life is precious and the world is filled with danger and risk, so be careful and take it easy, or it could be destroyed (like a fragile dabanga that will break if rolled hastily). This proverb is commonly used all over the country even though it is a Darfurian proverb. The word dabanga is especially known among people of the western Sudan. Metaphors from people’s surroundings are used with great effect to express their wisdom in handling daily problems. The message of this proverb is that diplomacy is needed in life to solve problems. Life is like a round pot, move it with care (meaning life is changeable, for good or bad).
Dabanga, the village and well in Darfur:
Dabanga is also the name of a small village near El Fasher (North Darfur). It is also a well in the Wilayat area in South Darfur, 528 meters above sea level. In December 2007, over one thousand people were displaced from this area due to insecurity and lack of humanitarian assistance.
