Journalists from the two shores of the Mediterranean gathered from 8^th to 15^th December in Marrakech for two co-production workshops organized in the framework of the radio cooperation programme "The Waves for the Mediterranean", which is granted by the Anna Lindh Foundation in the framework of its Call for Proposals. 

The programme which gathers six partners: the Tunisian Radio (project leader), Radio France/France Bleu Frequenza Mora, ENRS/Algeria, SNRT/Morocco, ESAV/Morocco and the Permanent Conference of the Mediterranean Audiovisual Operators (COPEAM) enters in this occasion in its second phase, which will end in August 2011.

During the first months of the project, the four partner broadcasters of the programme have realized, in co-production with four other Mediterranean broadcasters : ERTU/Egypt, PBS/Malta, SRR/Romania and TRT/Turkey, a first radio series on the topic : “The Mediterranean, lives of yesterday, lives of today”. Made up of fifteen episodes focused on the survival of cultures and traditions such as street vendors, Turkish bath or polyphony, the work of eight journalists helped develop, consolidate and share co-production techniques during two training workshops hosted by the partners.

The second series will be launched in Marrakech and dedicated to the Cinema and the Mediterranean, with Radio France/FBFM taking care of the executive production, as for the first series. Along the four partner broadcasters of the programme, four broadcasters of the region: HRT/Croatia, MKRTV/Macedonia, PBC/Palestine and RTSH/Albania will be gathered for this series which will end in May 2011.

During the same period, partners of the programme have worked, together with ERTU/Egypt, on the evolution of the weekly magazine Kantara. This project, born in Corsica, was started ten years ago by Radio France/FBFM and Chaîne Inter of SNRT/Morocco. The programme has progressively been extended to the five current co-producers and will be joined, during the Marrakech workshop, by the French channel of RTVE/Spain. A pilot recording of Kantara will help in defining the new operational techniques and the new format of the programme, under the watchful eye of a representative of PBC/Palestine which is considering to join the programme.

Such results reflect the partners’ work and willingness to support a shared and valuable Mediterranean radio sector thanks to the efforts of COPEAM, the Radio Commission members and of its Presidency (Radio France / France Bleu Frequenza Mora).