From a tiny purple cabin, in a valley flanked by four volcanoes, a group of young journalists is pushing back against a tide of white noise, creating space for marginalised young people. Live on air from Guatemala City, Radio Sonica breaks the country’s fiercest taboos, passes the microphone and counters the flood of coronavirus disinformation which has made media literacy a life-or-death issue over the last year. “We never, ever say we’re giving a voice to those who don’t have one – of course they have one!” says Melu Coyoy, one of the station’s hosts. “We just hand them a mic and ask, ‘What do you want to say? What’s on your mind? What’s in your heart?’” They’re a tight-knit team who vibrate with enthusiasm for the work they do.
Around 70% of Guatemala’s population is under 30, making it the youngest country in Latin America. But young people here are stigmatised, ignored and patronised by politicians and mainstream media of the city they live in. Many grow up in unstable environments: poverty, malnutrition and gang violence are widespread, and many have to earn money from an early age, meaning they don’t finish school.
