Who We Are

Ujima Radio CIC is Bristol’s leading African & Caribbean arts and media social enterprise. Providing on-air community broadcasting. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

We are a non-profit organisation supplying Bristol with local news, lively discussions across a range of topics, with art and music from Bristol, the Caribbean, Africa and the rest of the world.

What We Do

Broadcast on FM radio, DAB and online.
Celebrate African and Caribbean cultures through music, projects and informative talk shows
Provide career pathways into the radio, media and the arts
Train, support and up skill volunteers
Act as a consultant for community organisations and businesses
Provide a platform for showcasing local and international artists
Work in partnership with the business, public, media communities and academia including our investors UWE Bristol and University of Bristol sector to provide opportunities for collaboration.

Ujima Radio: More than just a radio station.

Since launching in 2008, Ujima has built an audience of 30,000 listeners daily on FM, 87,500 streaming live online & now on DAB, run by a team of over 150 volunteers. We have promoted and worked on cultural events including Bristol Harbourside Festival, St Pauls Carnival, Bristol City Council, Watershed, SS Great Britain, Engine Shed and Pervasive Media and several other organisations including Colston Hall, St George’s Bristol and Arnolfini in the city from our Arts Council England investment.

We also work in partnership with Bristol’s major media organisations, BBC Bristol, where we have a regular weekly programme showcasing the best of our weekly output, and Bristol Post, where we promote and raise awareness, positive news stories and views from our BAME community.

Each year we support and train over 150 volunteers and, with a ten-year track record, our station gives voice to individuals, groups and issues that may otherwise go unheard. Ujima Radio has gained national recognition for its programme of work which goes beyond the studio, such as our Sistas With Voices live events, the Green and Black Initiative and our mission Ujima Nights, showcasing Bristol artists in collaboration with Bristol Old Vic. We’ve received various awards for our collective work, including the National Diversity Award (2015) and the Community Radio Station of the Year Award (2016) and several local awards for our broadcast, project and outcomes.

We were the first radio station in the UK to receive Arts Council England funding in 2016.

Listener Demographics

Our listener demographics show our commitment to the Black British population:

17% of our listeners are of Caribbean heritage
11% are of African heritage
13% are Dual Heritage
21% Other.
In total, 62% are from non-White British backgrounds and our most engaged listeners live in high BAME concentration areas.
We found that the wards with the most listeners in general match those wards with more than a 14% BME population as well as wards with high levels of inequality and deprivation.

We are the foremost channel of communication for the region’s BAME community and the leading BAME led Arts, Culture and Media organisation in the Southwest.