A hive of activity

A hive of activity

Colmena software enables a new way of working for local media to reliably report during crises, DW Akademie has developed an app which functions like an on-the-go editing room.

Text Nils Brock, Vivienne Gager and Jasmin Rietdorf, DW Akademie

“Bonjour chers collègues,” writes Awa Ouedraogo in the new app’s digital editing group chat. After the development team fixed a bug, it’s now even easier to log in. Ouedraogo is a journalist at one of the best-known online radio outlets in Burkina Faso, Radio Vénégré. The station is one of 23 community radio broadcasters, local media outlets and media organizations among 13 countries in Africa and Latin America that developed Colmena together with DW Akademie and its Mexican partner organization REDES A.C. “The software is not an external offer but rather a joint solution with local media, suited to their needs,” highlighted Erick Huerta Velázquez, Head Coordinator, REDES A.C.

Colmena — Spanish for beehive — is a digital toolbox for community radio stations and local media that enables them to reliably continue to reach their audiences in challenging times. The project is part of the DW Akademie and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development initiative “Transparency and media freedom — Crisis resilience in the pandemic”.

When everything’s down, Colmena works

Nationwide lockdowns and individual quarantines were both showstoppers for media makers, whether in a radio studio or in a small and local media outlet. The pandemic made one thing clear: an

inclusive solution is needed, so that community reporters and local news staff can stay in contact digitally and continue to produce news coverage.

“In times of crisis, reliable information can save lives. Local media contribute greatly, overcoming distances and language barriers,” says Natascha Schwanke, Head of Media Development, DW Akademie. “Colmena strengthens local media so that they can strengthen their communities.”

Open, secure, no fee

Colmena is currently available in six languages: Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese and Spanish. Colmena is 100 percent open

source and is also open to everyone who would like to be involved with its ongoing development. The project aims at a lively community of users. However, it is not only about producing together, but also about early adopters sharing their knowledge with new users.

Awa Ouedraogo and her colleagues at Radio Vénégré have taken on this role, assisting their partner station, Community-Radio La Voix de Paysant, through the first steps of using Colmena. They have already produced a few radio segments which can be heard on the project’s website. It’s the beginning of a new productive journey.

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