Paper short abstract:

This paper, based on an ethnographic study of Star FM, a Nairobi based radio station broadcasting in Somali to North-East Kenya and South-Central Somalia, explores the methodological and ethnical challenges of researching the role ICTs play in collecting and articulating voice in conflict areas.

Paper long abstract:

South Central Somalia has been engaged in conflict since 1991 and ICTs, both old and new, have been variously perceived as a component of the war or a tool that could bring peace and reconciliation in the region. The absence of a government has led to a proliferation of media outlets, mostly radio stations, acting as mouthpieces for warring factions, supporting partisan agenda and playing a role in protracting violence. On the other hand, actors such as the United Nations and Somali journalists in the diaspora have heavily invested in communication, establishing and founding radio, TV stations and other media initiatives with the aim of creating a common ground for Somali to discuss a path for peace or of helping "legitimate" voices gaining trust among the population.

By focusing on Star FM, a radio initially targeting the Somali population in Kenya and which has progressively extended its reach and opened branches in South-Central Somalia, this paper analyses the challenges and opportunities of doing in-depth research on and through ICTs in a highly politicized conflict area. In such a politicized environment, where accusations of serious crimes on the part of journalists themselves are rife, the paper stresses how corroborating data can be a challenge but it is also a priority. It also discusses ways to cope with sensitive information about journalists and the audience in a context when journalists are actively targeted by militia groups such as al Shabaab but similarly accused to be part of the conflict.