Audio postcard: Vox popping in Ghana to capture the voice of the people

Hello my name is Sylvie Harrison and I am the radio broadcast specialist for the Climate Change Adaptation in Northern Ghana Enhanced project, also known as the CHANGE project.

The objective of the CHANGE project for Farm Radio International is to work closely with four new radio stations in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions of Ghana to develop high-quality radio programs that provide farmers with information and knowledge related to climate change and climate-smart agricultural technologies.

In this photo, Mohamed from MIGHT FM in the Savelugu-Nanton region near Tamale is doing the practical part of a workshop on vox pop that we did together. In the broadcasting world, a vox pop means an interview with members of the general public. It comes from the Latin phrase, vox populi, which means the voice of the people.

After going through what a vox pop is and how it can be a great way to introduce a subject or kick start a discussion, we went out into the street near the station to see if we could find some people to talk to. Mohamed chose a question relevant to the next topic he would be doing in the program so he could use the sound bites.

Just across the street from the station there is a field where a few farmers grow peppers. He asked them about the characteristics that farmers look for in a good seed. After hearing what they had to say, Mohamed then approached a few other farmers that were sitting under a tree near there. The recordings completed, we discussed the answers given and what editing choices should be made to give a variety of answers and keep the sound bites at an appropriate length. A quick walk brought us back to the MIGHT FM studio and Mohamed and I completed our work day.

These workshops are a great way to present new formats to the stations and the practical side of them enables the teams to gather the material they need for upcoming episodes.

To learn more about the project featured in this audio postcard, which is made possible through the generous support of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada and Canadian Feed the Children,  please see the project page

About the author
Sylvie Harrison is a volunteer radio broadcast specialist for the CHANGE project in Ghana. She is working with four radio stations in northern Ghana to develop high-quality radio programs that provide farmers with information and knowledge related to climate change and climate-smart agricultural technologies. Follow her adventures in Ghana through her blog, It’s Ghana be awesome.

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