Cairo: “Good morning. Welcome to Kemet Radio: A station at the station.”
So rings a refreshing voice across the platform buzzing with chugging trains and a throng of commuters in the morning rush of the Cairo Underground Metro service.
The greeting launches the daily programming of the radio service that runs for 18 hours starting from 7 in the morning.
The broadcasting hit the airwaves of the metro service, which links the sprawling Egyptian capital, three months ago with a specific mission statement.
“The aim is to use the metro public address system to spread culture among the passengers and make them aware of their country’s history and traditions,” said Ahmad Meshal, the executive officer of the radio service told Gulf News.
The name of the radio station was deliberately chosen.
“Kemet is a hieroglyphic word meaning the black land, referring to the Nile soil,” he explained.
“Up to five million people use the Cairo metro every day, making it an important platform for spreading awareness through short programmes that do not exceed six minutes each, which is the usual interval between trains,” Meshal added.
Cairo subway radio offers educational programmes to commuters [Gulfnews]