NGO launches the first podcast portal in Morocco

2007-04-08

The Tanmia Association has launched Morocco’s first portal dedicated to podcasting on the Internet. Visitors to the site can access podcasts created by schoolchildren, teachers and those involved in Moroccan civil society.

By Adam Mahdi for Magharebia in Casablanca -- 08/04/2007

[Tanmia]

The Tanmia association has just launched its online portal dedicated to podcasting. The first project of its kind in Morocco, the portal can be accessed online at the following address: http://podcast.tanmia.ma. The association hopes the site will contribute to the process of democratising the online publication of multi-media content.

The word podcasting comes from two words: "iPod", Apple’s highly successful personal audio player, and "broadcasting". In technical terms, the process makes it easy to distribute audio or video files free of charge over the Internet. These are called "podcasts". Through a subscription to the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, podcasting allows Internet users to set up automated downloads of audio or video broadcasts, to their computer or digital music player, for immediate or later listening.

"The new Tanmia portal is intended for those involved in civil society to be able to use audio and video as a tool to raise public awareness and to share their views. It is also aimed at teachers who wish to produce a podcast or video to support their lessons, or as a school activity together with a group of pupils," explains an enthusiastic Thomas Bekkers, the project’s leader at the Tanmia Association.

NGOs, teachers and pupils can learn how to broadcast online using the downloadable guide furnished by Tanmia. The guide is available free of charge under a Creative Commons licence and provides practical information on formats, the equipment needed to produce podcasts, and techniques for creating a script, filming and recording.

"This little handbook for audio and video production on the Web is the fruit of collaboration between the Tanmia Association, the UNPF [United Nations Population Fund] and the ALEF/USAID project," says Sandy Wark, vice-president of the association.

At the same time, one can view a podcasting directory on the new Tanmia portal, featuring links grouped into categories relating to podcasting. Categories include a directory of thematic sites, software, podcasts and community-based media.

In addition to the podcasting portal, Tanmia in partnership with the European Union recently produced a CD-ROM aimed at raising young people’s awareness of women’s and children’s rights. As with the podcasting guide, the association has adopted an open approach to the distribution of its CD-ROM, deciding that the content of this electronic medium may be freely copied and circulated.

At the moment, Morocco has more than five million Internet users and in excess of 400,000 Internet subscribers, more than 97% of whom are on broadband (ADSL). The market has expanded rapidly since early 2007 due to the deregulation of the telecommunications sector. In addition to the historic operator, Maroc Telecom, two new operators, Méditel and Wana, now operate in the fixed telephone and Internet segment.