The
British Broadcasting Corporation on Monday launched BBC Pidgin as part of the
biggest expansion of the World Service since the 1940s.
The BBC Pidgin, the first African digital
service, will provide news, current affairs and analysis of Nigeria, West and
Central Africa – as well as international news from the BBC’s global network of
correspondents. The new service will also provide the BBC’s global audience
with a better understanding of the region.
The new digital service – aimed at younger and
female audiences – will also feature BBC Minute, broadcasting six times a day,
with a round up of the world in 60 seconds available online and social. New
programming will also feature a specially commissioned drama which will
illustrate the beauty of the language and the fun people have in following the
language.
The BBC Pidgin will aim to serve a younger
audience and women with social media playing a key role. In addition to news
and current affairs, there will be extensive coverage of culture,
entertainment, entrepreneurship, science & technology, health and sport –
including the English Premier League.
Pidgin is spoken by 75 million people in
Nigeria alone, with additional speakers in Cameroon, Ghana, and Equatorial
Guinea. It is primarily an oral language, without a standard agreed written
form. With the introduction of the new service, the BBC said it hopes to
contribute to the development of the language.
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