Millions of Africans have never had power on tap, and in isolated rural areas most rely on battery-powered radios as their only source of news. But in many impoverished communities even the cost of batteries is out of reach, leaving villagers in the dark.
The United States Energy Information Administration has found that more than 75% of electricity used in Africa is consumed by just five countries — South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria and Libya. It is estimated that only 22% of the continent is fully electrified.
This predicament led to the establishment of Freeplay Group, a company that markets appliances such as wind-up radios and torches.
Inspired by a 1994 broadcast describing a clockwork radio, Freeplay’s founder Chris Staines realised the potential to reach radio audiences with Aids education messages. He presented his plan to co-founder Rory Stear and they secured seed capital from the British government.
Within two years Freeplay had rolled out the first mass-produced wind-up radio, designed to be hard-wearing and purpose-built for the African market. The first Baylis radio, named after Trevor Baylis, the inventor of the original clockwork radio, went into mass production in 1996.
The Freeplay Group set up a non-profit foundation, which also receives contributions from the private sector to distribute the Lifeline wind-up radio to communities in Africa and other developing countries. The radios are often a village’s prized possession and news bulletins are frequently cited as the most popular programmes.
When a Freeplay radio found its way into an Afghan rural village it was instantly awarded iconic status. One teenager was allocated the task of keeping the radio wound up throughout the day and when the winder handle broke after prolonged usage, the child ran away from home for several days.
The foundation is also involved in developing broadcast content in almost a dozen African countries, compiling health, weather, agricultural and educational information, often through enormously popular radio soap operas and children’s programming.
But its audiences exist within particular social and cultural contexts; in some parts of the continent it is common practice for men to remove the batteries from the family radio when they leave for work. This is done to save precious battery life, but also undermines rural women’s access to educational programming and information, which may threaten the status quo.
”There are many things that disenfranchise women and children in patriarchal societies and our radios can, in many ways, improve that situation,” says Phil Goodwin, Freeplay Group product manager.
In the nine years since the company was founded, the Freeplay range of radios and torches has become synonymous with wind-up technology and are sold around the world. All research and development, design and prototyping of the electro-mechanical innards is done in Cape Town, while global sales and distribution are handled in Britain.
The products have evolved through user feedback to include solar power and direct-drive crank action, which replaces the less efficient spring mechanism.
But Freeplay has become a victim of its own success. Market forces have changed the face of the company. Production lines that were set up, staffed and operated by disabled and disadvantaged people in Cape Town in 1996 have subsequently moved to China. It was argued that offshore manufacture would lower the cost of production, making the products more affordable to Africans.
”The Western world recognised the value and quality of our products. We had to upscale our production capabilities and become more responsive to market demands,” explains Goodwin. ”And as the market took off it took our focus away from what we had wanted to do in Africa.”
The reality was that Freeplay was selling 90% of its products to outdoor enthusiasts and survivalists in the United States and Britain, and Africans were getting access to the products primarily through donations from the European Union, Rotary and the British charity War Child.
”We thought we should get big first and become generous after,” says Goodwin.
Recently the focus has moved back to Africa, and local sales now rival those in the US and Britain.
The latest products are designed specifically for African conditions. The new Jonta torch represents a pinnacle of engineering achievement for Freeplay. It uses a super-bright 1W LED (light-emitting diode) instead of a conventional light bulb, which wears out, and has an outlet that allows it to power another device, such as a radio, all running under crank power.
In rural Kenya people have been known to post cellphones into the city for recharging. The new Freecharge cellphone charger delivers three minutes of talk time for every 30 seconds of winding.
The company is field-testing a range of wind-up neonatal devices for use in non-electrified areas, including a foetal heart monitor, a pulsoximeter, a centrifuge for blood analysis and a syringe controller.
The company’s marketing revolves around the costs saved on replacing batteries, as well as being ecologically friendly. Unlike appliances powered by renewable energy, disposable batteries are a major ecological hazard.
In 2002, nearly 115-billion batteries, comprising mostly toxic substances such as mercury and lead, found their way into landfills.
”That’s enough batteries to build 15 towers all the way to the moon,” notes Goodwin. ”It’s an ecological disaster.”