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Sound Messengers
The mountain dwellers in the Nepalese valley of Mugu live in a quasi autarchy. The nearest
route is a six-day walk from the small village of Jadepani. These farmers, without access to
electricity or the written press, are literally in the dark concerning events taking place in the
capital city of Kathmandu.
These young Nepalese men have discovered a means of communication which could be
considered obsolete : the good old transistor radio. They have saved for months to buy these
radios in order to proudly hawk the latest news from valley to valey. They also listen to
traditional songs as well as the latest local music trends. These radios have become the only
link between this region and the rest of the country. Over time, their owners have fabricated
protective covers for their most precious source of information.
Thanks to these messengers, the mountain dwellers could witness an historic event live : the
abolition of the Nepalese monarchy and the birth of the Democratic Republic of Nepal.
This summer the inhabitants of the Mugu valley learned of the election of Ram Baran Yadav,
member of the Nepalese Congress, as the president of the Republic. On August 15,
Prachanda, the leader of the Maoist communist party was elected prime minister after 25
years of living clandestinely. Today the youngest republic in the world has buried two
centuries of hindu monarchism yet still lives on sound messenger time. © STEPHANE REMAEL
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