BBC Swahili’s Dira ya Dunia celebrates five years on air
BBC Swahili’s flagship TV programme Dira ya Dunia is marking its 5th Birthday with special programming. All next week, viewers can expect daily features, including:
- Specially commissioned stories from across East Africa from our talented correspondents
- A look back at the big, important and unique stories from the last 5 years
- Behind the scenes meetings with the production crew and camera operators who help deliver the programme
- The story of Dira TV - how it started, its achievements and how it hopes to continue to deliver outstanding journalism for the future
- Plus a chance for the viewers themselves to interact with the programme
Dira ya Dunia was launched on Sep 27, 2012 and is watched by over 7 million viewers in East Africa. BBC Swahili has an impressive social media following and can be found on Facebook , YouTube , Twitter , Instagram and Soundcloud .
From the start, the programme offered audiences in East Africa and beyond an international perspective of the news from the region. Viewers have been updated on big global stories through coverage of current affairs, business, culture and sport. East Africa has seen major changes in politics and the economy in the last five years and Dira Ya Dunia has been there to chronicle the changes through major interviews with the Presidents and the major political players of Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda. They have also brought the voices of the new entrepreneurs driving change and new entertainers for a new generation - such as Diamond Platnumz from Tanzania, Eddy Kenzo from Uganda and Juliani from Kenya.
The programme will continue to be a trusted reference point for big breaking news as well as offering an insight into East Africa and rest of the continent.
Dira ya Dunia can be seen via partner TV stations - Star TV in Tanzania and Wantanshi TV in the DRC at 1800GMT and Raga TV in the DRC at 2130GMT.