President Sarkozy of France is in the UK today to commemorate 70 years since Charles De Gaulle made his historic first radio broadcast from the BBC in London, calling on the people of occupied France to resist the Nazis and organise into what became the French Resistance. Arguably this had a huge impact on the course of the second world war. But, listening to De Gaulle, what he offered to the French people in my view more than anything, is hope. Hope is something that I'd imagine would have been in short supply in newly occupied France, and in 1940 the defacto belief must have been that France had fallen to the Germans forever, and the dream of a democratic republic was over. But De Gaulle's radio broadcast changed this. It's now easy to imagine, with perhaps the romanticism of history on your side, the image of French folk secretively huddling round a radio listening to De Gaulle's message of hope.
But the purpose of this post is not just a history lesson, except in that best use of history which is to learn from it for the betterment of the future. Today there are still many other countries where the people are not free and in which hope is denied. I believe that few are more deserving of our attention at the start of the 21st century than Burma.
Burma is currently about to embark on its first election for twenty years, and at this time more than ever it is vital that people are able to discuss and debate what is happening in their country. Unfortunately, the Burmese junta has a habit of locking up journalists and political activists, rather than allow them to get involved in the democratic process. Perhaps even sadder, is that the vast majority of Burmese people have very little knowledge of this, or that there is the possibility of any change. In summary, after decades of military rule, there's little hope amongst the Burmese people.
Amnesty International is currently running a campaign in the run up to the Burmese election to try to get radios into Burma, so that ordinary people can hear for themselves that there is hope for a change. They're asking people to buy a radio (or two, or more) for people in Burma. At £12.50 each, they reckon that they can get them into Burma and delivered to ordinary people.
It's crazy isn't it, that in this 21st centrury world of Twitter and Facebook, blogs, 24 hour news and televised leadership debates, some people in the world don't even have a radio to hear that there's going to be an election. Quite a contrast to recent times in the UK.
Finally, I wonder if like Sarkozy is doing today, the political heir of Aung San Suu Kyi will be standing in London in 2080 thanking those with the ability to help, for the gift of radio.
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