Nairobi — Visiting veteran Voice of America broadcaster Georges Collinet believes that properly used, radio can bring about positive change to any community. Disc jockey Georges has been at it for nearly 40 years and knows only too well what radio can do. He remembers with pride, his visit to Bamako, Mali, in 1969 as a cultural ambassador and how he was met by thousands of fans.

"I attracted such a huge crowd, chanting my name that the government sent paratroopers, thinking that something had gone wrong," he recalls.

The white-haired Georges has been working with the Voice of America (VOA) since the late 1960s, when he launched a breakfast show. "Since VOA has worldwide listenership, my programmes got to be heard by millions of people, and that is how I came to be appointed a cultural ambassador," he says.

The Cameroun-born Georges was recently in Kenya for a different mission, though. For two weeks, he trained radio DJs on how to present HIV/Aids awareness messages. His visit was sponsored by Internews, through a project called "Local Voices".

Internews approached him three years ago to train African radio DJs on how to disseminate Aids awareness messages in an attractive manner.

Last year, he came for a similar mission and trained about 10 radio presenters. "I am proud that one of them, Zainab Aziz, has won a scholarship from DeutscheWelle, Germany," he says. This year, he trained seven presenters from different media houses.

Georges notes that radio presenters have a lot of influence on listeners, "and that is what we hope to harness in the fight against Aids."

He adds: "I give them ideas on how to reach out. I want them to have some imagination, they also have to smile, while they are presenting. This is very important," he explains.

Known to his fans as "Maxi Voom Voom", Georges's French and English language music programmes on the VoA have attracted millions of listeners. He also hosts a television show for Africa's leading public policy and cultural figures. Georges has played a key role in connecting the US, Europe and Africa.

He worked with African musicians in Paris in the 1970s and early 1980s, supporting efforts to retain African roots in their music and develop a distinct, professional sound. Since 1988, he has hosted Afropop and Afropop Worldwide, the award-winning series relayed on public radio in the US, Europe and Africa. The Afropop Worldwide is syndicated to more than 300 radio stations in the US alone.

He says that it is in appreciation of his work that Mark Frohardt, the Washington Bureau chief for Internews, recruited him for the project "Local Voices".

The USaid-funded project hopes to stimulate public dialogue on the HIV/Aids epidemic, to provide accurate information on prevention, care and treatment.

"The media have the unique power to create a more supportive environment for prevention and treatment to work successfully," says Liz Gold, the HIV/Aids adviser for Internews.

Internews initially focused its "Local Voices" work in Kenya and Nigeria, two countries most affected by Aids. Ethiopia is the latest addition to the project.

Born in 1940, to a French father and Camerounian mother, Georges grew up in Cameroun and France. He is married to Cookie, and they have a son, Jojo, 21, who is at university in Montreal, Canada.