Voice, Citizenship and Civic Action Current Challenges in Communication for Development
Thomas Tufte, PhD Professor Roskilde University, Denmark
Keynote presentation given at Symposium V at Moi Univeristy’s VIIth International Conference: ’Knowledge Creation and Dissemination for Realization of Millenium Development Goals’ Eldoret, Kenya, 7 September 2011
Today’s presentation: Communication for development at a crossroad Role of network society and media developments in the new dynamics between citizens and decision-makers Dominant paradigms in communication for development Case from Tanzania: civil-society driven media platform New opportunities of voice
The Crossroads transformation
of the relation between production of media content, technology and audiences
social
media have altered the relation between sender and receiver in communication processes.
ComDev on the move… public
connection public sphere engagement citizen journalism participatory journalism citizen media civic engagement
Civil Society-driven Media Platforms
Altering relations between decisionmakers and citizens? Leading to new spaces of deliberation and public debate, critique and civic action? Unpacking the processes of empowerment and citizen participation?
Communication, Citizenship and Social Change
Co-evolution of new and old media Citizenship: a social practice grounded in everyday life Civic action: active manifestation of citizens as claimants of development Citizens as media producers, citizen journalists, bloggers
Communication Power
‘in a world marked by the rise of mass selfcommunication, social movements and insurgent politics have a the chance to enter the public space from multiple sources. By using both horizontal communication networks and mainstream media to convey their images and messages, they increase their chances of enacting social and political change – even if they start from a subordinate position in institutional power, financial resources, or symbolic legitimacy’ (Castells 2009. 302)
Innovation and Caution Innovation:
social media offer us a new communication model: dynamic and interactive
Caution:
The media don’t drive social change. The sentiment of exclusion is the driving force.
Dominant Paradigms in…
Development Support Communication (UN/FAO) Development Communication (Los Banos/Quebral) Behaviour Change Communication (Public Health) Information, Education and Communication Participatory Communication Alternative Comm (Latin American Scholars) Communication for Development Communication for Empowerment (UNDP) Communication for Social Change (RF) Comm for Social and Structural Change (Servaes) Comm for Social and Sustainable Change Social and Behaviour Change Comm (Wits) C4D (UNICEF)
Models of communication.. Persuasion Behaviour
change communication Social marketing Information, education and communication (IEC) Participatory communication Communication for social change
Communication for Social Change
‘process of public and private dialogue through which people themselves define who they are, what they need and how to get what they need in order to improve their own lives. It utilizes dialogue that leads to collective problem identification, decision making, and community-based implementation of solutions to development issues’ (www.communicationforsocialchange.org)
CfD - Multiple Approaches (Obregon & Mosquera, 2005) Communication Continuum Diffusion/ Individual
Participatory/ Structural
Diffusion/ Persuasion/ Social Marketing
Information/ Education/ Communication
Behavior Change Communication
Social Ecological Approach
Communication For Social Change
Convergence model No magic formula Diversity of frameworks + diversity of strategies + multiplicity of interventions = growth of the field = New conceptual approaches
Civil Society-driven Media Platforms The case of Femina HIP
Tanzanian NGO, 1999Largest print media producer in Tanzania Many donors on board, but is a ’homegrown’ organisation Entertainment-education through real life stories Multi-media platform
Femina HIP Objectives To build supportive environments in Tanzania where:
Young people in their communities enjoy their right to access information & services and are empowered to make positive informed choices around sexuality and lead healthy lifestyles in order to reduce the negative impact of HIV/AIDS.
Femina HIP Objectives To build supportive environments in Tanzania where:
Communities exercise their right to express themselves, participate in public debate & engage in civil society. (Femina HIP Logical Framework, 2007)
FEMA
FEMA. A glossy magazine, 64 pages, 170.000 copies
Published 4 x a year. Targets youth aged 15-24 especially secondary school students in every region of the country
SiMchezo
Si Mchezo! 32 pages, 170.000 copies.
6 x a year. Targets out of school youth and their communities particularly in rural areas.
Multi Media Platform
Pilika Pilika. A radio soap opera. 4 x week. FEMA Tv Talk Show. Half ½ hour talk show, national TV 4 times a week. ChezaSalama (‘play safe’). Interactive website. First of its kind in Tanzania.
5-600 Femina Clubs in schools and communities
Community outreach programme
Reach and Social Media Femina
reaches approx. 10 mio of Tanzania’s 42 mio people Social
Media Use:
- ChezaSalama – Femina Facebook – SMS-strategy
Outcomes
Continuity sustains engagement Community mobilization enables engagement Young people engage in journalistic practice Sparks motivation and self-confidence New public spheres emerge Embryonic civil society
Accountability Upward
Accountability: – Gaining political clout – Balancing social critique and political influence
Downward
accountability – Balancing a mass vehicle for millions of audiences with space for personal engagment
Why voice matters - the role of media and technology in carving out space
Allowing voice in public for a vastly increased range of people A greatly increased mutual awareness of these new voices New scales of organisation Understanding what spaces are required for political organization New forms of listening
Citizen Tactics Efforts
made by ordinary peple to create spaces for themselves, overcoming power structures to which they are subjected
Citizen Media
The term ’citizens media’ implies, first, that a collectivity is enacting its citizenship by actively intervening and transforming the established mediascape: second, that these media are contesting social codes, legitimized identities and institutionalized social relations: and third, that these communication practices are empowering the community involved, to the point where these transformations and chages are possible (Rodriguez 2001/2006: 774)
Thank you!
[email protected] or http://ruc-dk.academia.edu/ThomasTufte
