Telephonie Trottoir

Telephonie Trottoir is a telephone network built in collaboration with radio programme 'Nostalgie Ya Mboka' that encourages Londons Congolese community to pass around music tracks and news extracts and discuss them over their phones.

In a country where free speech has been censored for over forty years, Congolese people spread information while standing on the pavement – by Radio Trottoir or pavement radio.

Telephonie Trottoir is a telephone network that encourages Londons Congolese community to pass around music tracks and news extracts and discuss them over their phones. Mongrel will work with London radio programmes 'Nostalgie Ya Mboka' and 'Londres Na Biso' to involve their regular audiences while reaching out to others who may not be aware of the exhilarating Congolese musical culture living in their midst. Over 25,000 Congolese people live around London and approximately 90% are political refugees. 'Nostalgie Ya Mboka' and 'Londres Na Biso' serve this community by trying to keep the countrys musical and social history alive.

Telephonie Trottoir randomly phones up radio listeners and plays them tracks from the 'Nostalgie Ya Mboka' music archive or news extracts from 'Londres Na Biso'. Each listener can then record a response or pass the call on to another number of their choice. Congolese music and culture will eventually ripple out to anyone with a phone number.

Project Participants
Participating Groups and other projects: 
Editors of this node:
Richard Wright