The Sudan Radio Project, a monthly program that explores historic political, economic, and social issues in Sudan, begins its third season of broadcasts this month. Using Skype phones and contacts around the globe, the Sudan Radio Project provides the kind of in-depth coverage of the region and stories not covered by main-stream media.

Formerly known as the Darfur Radio Project, the program, produced by students of Swarthmore College, focuses on insightful and thought-provoking issues surrounding but not confined to the conflict in Darfur.  With the renaming, the project broadens its scope to include the spillover effects of the conflict to other regions, as well as analysis of the relationship between North and South Sudan and other Sudanese cultural issues. The shows seek to provide balanced coverage of events in Sudan through an examination of their various facets and the voices of a wide range of people, including analysts, activists, and Sudanese nationals.

The first program, “Speaking Out,” includes a feature on a Sudanese woman who was arrested for wearing pants in public, a look at the Sudanese community in Philadelphia, and an interview with Emmanual Jal, a musician and former child solider now based in the U.K.

The half-hour program is broadcast over WSRN Radio in Philadelphia.  Present and past programs as well as individual feature segments can be heard at www.sudanradioproject.org.  They’re also available at the Public Radio Exchange , and podcast through iTunes and other aggregators.  The Sudan Radio Project can be followed on Facebook and Twitter as well.

The Sudan Radio Project is supported by Project Pericles and the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility at Swarthmore College.

For more information on The Sudan Radio Project, go to www.sudanradioproject.org, or email Chelsea@sudanradioproject.org.