Voice 1
Hello, I’m Ruby Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Ryan Geerstma. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Caracol Radio Station, Bogota, Colombia. It is the Sunday all-night programme - usually the quietest time in a radio station’s week. But there are hundreds of people who telephone this show. They all have messages to read on the radio. Some people even come into Radio Caracol’s building to speak live. One such person is Marta Gonzalez. She sits in front of a large microphone, and she holds a small piece of paper in her hands. Her voice shakes with emotion as she speaks:
Voice 3
“I dreamed about you two times this week. It was so good to be with you - even if it was only a dream.”
Voice 1
Tears run down Marta’s face. Speaking such emotional words in public is a very difficult experience. But she knows it is something that she must do. Not just once, but again and again - until she can speak her words of love face to face to her missing husband.
Voice 2
This radio programme is called, “Voices of Kidnapping.” The man responsible for the programme is Herbin Hoyos. He started the program after a difficult experience in his own life. In 1994, Hoyos was working for Radio Caracol as a broadcaster. One day, he was working at the station as usual. Suddenly, some rebel soldiers entered the building. They were wearing normal clothes - so no one recognized them. They told the person in the welcome area to telephone Herbin Hoyos. She obeyed. When Hoyos appeared, the soldiers pointed a gun at him and pulled him out of the building.
Voice 1
The rebel soldiers took Hoyos to their secret camp. This camp was deep in the Colombian jungle - a large forest area. They made him march for hours through the thick, wild growth. After some time, his shoes broke. But the soldiers forced him to continue in his bare feet. On the way, Hoyos saw another kidnap victim. Soldiers had tied this man to a tree. Hoyos and the man managed to speak for a few minutes. The man discovered that Hoyos was a radio reporter. He showed Hoyos a radio. He said that many hostages listened to the radio. And he asked him why Colombia’s news writers did not make programs to encourage hostages. The man’s question stayed in Hoyos’ mind - right up until the time the army rescued him seventeen days later.
Voice 2
After his release, Herbin Hoyos returned to work at Radio Caracol. And a few weeks later, on the 10th of April, he broadcast the first “Voices of Kidnapping” programme. People take turns to read short messages of love and support for family and friends held hostage in the jungle. The programme is broadcast at night when the signal is strong. And the family members hope that the soldiers in the jungle will have their radios on. They want their loved ones to hear that they are not forgotten.
Voice 1
Colombia has been in a state of conflict for many years. And kidnapping is a common event. There are many military groups who want to get rid of the government. And many of these groups are also involved in the illegal drug trade. The government has to fight two battles against these groups - one to keep their political power. And the other to stop the spread of the illegal drugs trade across Colombia and the rest of South America.
Voice 2
The conflict in Colombia has caused its people to suffer greatly. Human rights groups report mass killings, torture, violent crime - and kidnapping. They estimate that the number of hostages in 2008 is around three thousand [3,000]. The main rebel group, the FARC, still holds the largest number - seven hundred [700] hostages.
Voice 1
Back at Radio Caracol, Herbin Hoyos is busy. He is finding time for as many family members as possible to read their messages. However one hostage’s mother does not need to telephone the programme again. Since 2002, Yolanda Pulecio has read many messages to her daughter. Herbin Hoyos remembers her well:
Voice 4
“She called on the telephone from all over the world. She would wait on the line for two hours to get a message to her daughter Ingrid.”
Voice 1
In 2002, Ingrid Betancourt was a candidate to become president of Colombia. She often spoke fiercely against rebel groups. Later that year, she visited a FARC-controlled area in South Colombia. The group then saw their chance. They seized Ingrid Betancourt. And they kept her hostage for almost six years.
Voice 2
The FARC made Ingrid’s life as a hostage very difficult. But sometimes she managed to send a letter to her mother. In one letter, she wrote:
Voice 5
“I open my eyes and get ready to be wide awake to listen to your messages... I hear your voice and sense your love and your strength. This fills me with joy.”
Voice 2
In July 2008, Colombian soldiers attempted to rescue Ingrid and some other hostages. The soldiers acted as if they belonged to a non-government organization. They said that someone had given them orders to fly the hostages to another camp. The rebel leader believed the soldiers’ words. So, the rebels loaded the hostages onto a helicopter. When they were flying away, the soldiers told the hostages the truth. The hostages jumped up and down with joy! They were free at last!
Voice 1
The hostages needed time to rest and recover their health. But Ingrid had one very special thing that she needed to do. She went to the Radio Caracol building very early on a Sunday morning. And she read this message to the remaining hostages in the jungle:
Voice 5
“I know that freedom will come soon. You who are in the jungle - you know me. You know that when I promise to do something, I mean what I say. I am not going to waste a second. I will fight for your freedom...I will make sure that you come home as quickly as possible.”
Voice 1
And that is the wish of all the people on the “Voices of Kidnapping” programme week after week. They will never give up hope. And they will continue to speak their words of love into the long, dark night.
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