Northeast Syrian airwaves home to radio tower of Babel
Multicultural northeastern Syria boasts a plethora of multilingual radio stations.
QAMISHLI, Syria — A small radio station in the town of Qamishli, on the border of Turkey and Syria, has been broadcasting in the ancient Christian liturgical language of Syriac. The station, run by a husband-and-wife team, is a newcomer to the multilingual radio scene in Rojava, ruled by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
Suroyo FM settled into its regular broadcasts in Syriac and Arabic on Feb. 2, after three months as a pilot project. Broadcasts in Armenian and Kurdish are expected to follow within the year.
The station will offer news reports from correspondents on the ground throughout the volatile region. It will also broadcast on social issues and the rich cultural heritage of the area inhabited by Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians and Armenians.
“We will have a variety of programs that cover politics, social issues and culture,” co-director Samer Hanna told Al-Monitor. “We will address the culture and history of the Assyrians and mark historical and religious occasions. We will have special programs on health and women.”
