The radio station giving African and Caribbean people a voice

When nurse Oluwakemi Akinbobola isn't on shift, you are likely to find her sitting in a studio next to Glasgow Airport.

Nigerian-born Kemi is a presenter on Jambo! Radio, the only station in Scotland dedicated to people of African and Caribbean heritage.

It broadcasts online in multiple languages, including Pidgin, Yoruba, Swahili, Igbo and French.

Jambo! - a Swahili word for "hello" - covers everything from sport and politics to music and talk shows, with a focus on African and Caribbean themes.

Kemi, 34, who came to Scotland a decade ago with her husband, hosts a music and discussion show in the West African language of Yoruba.

The Glasgow-based NHS worker says she has "the zeal to protect our heritage".

"We are in a foreign land and we have only a few people from the same place," she says.

"So we are trying to bring ourselves together so we don't forget where we are coming from, so we don't forget this language."

Jambo! broadcasts online for the African and Caribbean diaspora

Jambo! Radio was launched two years ago by Cameroon-born media entrepreneur George Tah, in part to help Scotland's African and Caribbean population navigate the pandemic.

"Because of the multiple languages spoken within the community, there was a lack of understanding about what Covid-19 was all about," he says.

"For people whose first language is not English, it is very difficult to understand mainstream communication messages."

To help overcome that problem, the station dubbed public health information messages on Covid-19 from Scotland's national clinical director Prof Jason Leitch in several languages, including Yoruba and Swahili.

The social enterprise expects its platform to grow as the community expands in Scotland.

At the last census in 2011, more than 36,000 people identified as African, Caribbean or black in Scotland.

George believes that the true number is significantly bigger, as many from the community did not fill in the census forms.

George Tah founded the radio station two years ago

Since then, he says, there is evidence that the population has grown even larger.

"The indicators are the increase in the number of African and Caribbean restaurants and shops that are spread across different cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen and in Renfrewshire.

"There are also multiple churches that are attracting huge crowds of people of African and Caribbean heritage in Scotland."

George says much of the influx of African and Caribbean people in recent years is down to family or work connections with Scotland.

"There are many reasons why they have come here," he says. "Many have heard by word of mouth that Scotland is a good place to live, with a welcoming attitude and a good quality of life."

"Chinny" says Jambo! creates a sense of community for the diaspora

Jambo! music request show presenter Chineye ("Chinny") Ochuba, who came to Scotland 10 years ago as a student, says the station helps foster a sense of community for the diaspora north of the border.

"Unlike places like England which are on their third generation of African and Caribbean community, here in Scotland we are probably on our first generation," she says.

"Not many of us were born in Scotland, so just to have that sense of community - that sense of 'oh, I can actually feel like I am back home' - gives you what I call a taste of home."

Some of the staff working at Jambo! Radio

Chinny is one of 34 staff - mostly volunteers - at the station, which relies heavily on donations and grants to survive. It is also backed by Social Investment Scotland.

Its remit stretches beyond just broadcasting.

Jambo! has also been supporting young people from the African and Caribbean community who are not in employment, education or training by teaching them digital and employability skills.

With support from Renfrewshire Council, so far it has helped nearly a dozen youths find jobs by teaching them basic computer skills, CV writing and interview techniques.

However, George believes more should be done by authorities to create opportunities for young people.

"We have a young African and Caribbean population in Scotland and it is growing every year," he says.

"So if we don't create institutions which can support the overall system from the grassroots, it will be so difficult that we will find ourselves in a situation where we will have a lot of young black kids or kids of mixed-race who are running around the streets because they just feel the whole system is against them."

Jambo! is currently accessible via its website or mobile app, but the station aims to become available on digital radio in the near future.

"The idea is to broaden our reach for the community and make it more accessible," says George.

"And although it is true there are mobile devices to connect you to the internet today, it tends to be younger people who are using mobile devices to engage.

"With digital radio, we can reach people who are driving or older people who are not very used to their phone but have digital radio at home."