At the end of the seventies, a wind of freedom blew over Belgium's airwaves, as free radio stations took centre stage, challenging the mainstream radio . The eighties were synonymous with the explosion of free radio in Brussels. A battle for free airwaves raged among free (then still pirate) radio stations. By the time the first mass authorizations were issued in 1987, there were more than 50 radio stations, 7 of which broadcasted in Arabic on different frequencies, until the state imposed them to fuse in one single "Arab frequency", broadcast from the Rogier Tower (the Martini Center). One of these seven radio stations was El Wafa Radio (The Trustworthy). who aired from 1980 until 2008, in French, mostly activated by a second-generation Maghrebi residents of Brussels. One of the main programs was ‘Noir sur Blanc’, a show hosted by Fatiha Saidi, looking in the cultural life of Maghrebi diaspora in in between Brussels and Morocco.

"This radio station presents itself as a radio station for young people, for the second generation. It advocates integration and its aim is to encourage dialogue. Broadcasts are generally bilingual. It also broadcasts news in French and Arabic at 4pm or 6pm. On Saturdays, El Wafa broadcasts a more comprehensive news programme. During the week, there are news flashes at 9.30 a.m. or 10.30 a.m. Radio El Wafa has contacts with associations such as Avicenne, the Jeunesses Maghrébines, progressive student committees and the magazine Nord-Sud. It claims to make room for women. The radio station would like to promote Belgian-style 'beur' culture."

F. Bouras, 105,5 FM. La Fréquence arabe. Tribune Immigrée, nr 20, Octobre 1986