(Juba) – Veteran South Sudanese-Australian journalist Ajak Deng Chiengkou has unveiled plans to launch a community radio station in Juba that will focus on local voices, traditional knowledge and grassroots storytelling.
The station is expected to begin pilot programmes by the end of 2025 and will prioritise broadcasting in local languages including Dinka, Nuer, Anyuak and others.
The proposed radio project is designed to serve as a platform for peacebuilding, civic education and cultural preservation. Unlike most media initiatives in the region that rely on international donor support and foreign editorial direction, Chiengkou’s approach will be rooted in community participation and local priorities.
“This station will listen before it speaks,” said Chiengkou, using a bottom-up model that seeks to reflect the lived realities of South Sudanese communities, from remote cattle camps to crowded urban neighbourhoods.
He added that the station will place special attention on oral traditions, indigenous wisdom and everyday experiences that are often ignored by mainstream outlets.
Chiengkou has worked as a journalist in both South Sudan and Australia. He said the motivation behind the initiative is to create media “by and for South Sudanese people”.
He hopes the station will become a credible source of information in a country where misinformation and politically influenced narratives remain a challenge.
“A nation’s voice is strongest when it echoes from its people,” Chiengkou said, calling for partnerships with local institutions, community leaders, and the South Sudanese diaspora to bring the idea to life.
