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A MOBILE CINEMA EXPERIENCE IN NIGER. Reach and impact
Get PDFMobile cinema projects in Africa reach as far back as the colonial times. Today, new and lighter technologies have made mobile cinema easier to implement. The Cinéma Numérique Ambulant (CNA) project has been in activity in Benin, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso since 2001. This article discusses CNA\u27s impact on a rural audience in Niger
In this issue (February 2008)
No full textIn an article first published in the Spanish newspaper “El País” on December 31 2007 with the title “Ten problems not solved in 2007”, David Hayes, deputy editor of openDemocracy, listed “the impact of new technologies (the internet, mobile phones, social networks) on human experience, identities and life-chances” as one of the problems that would shape the course of human events in 2008. Haynes added that “the spread of dynamic communications technologies makes people feel weaker and stronger at the same time. The instantaneity of information and opinion - especially via the relentless “24/7” news-cycle - routinely solicits a disempowering feeling of unmanageable overload that encourages dependency on unreliable or even extreme sources (…).Yet the same technologies that spur a retreat into enclaves of tribal agreement also increase people’s ability to expand their knowledge, find innovative ways of holding power to account, and develop their own enlightening channels of social connection and mobilization”.This issue of Glocal Times is based on what Haynes describes as the positive aspect of the communication technologies contradiction. The five contributions presented were derived from an online discussion held early in 2007 as part of the networking facilitated by the Pelican Initiative, and they represent a case of best practice in terms of increasing people’s and organizations’ ability to expand their knowledge in an innovative way.In “Research and communication: bridging the research-policy gap?”, Niels Keijzer, Wendy Quarry and Ricardo Ramírez introduce the lessons learnt through online networking as part of the online discussion of the same name, and give concrete examples of research’s influence on policy processes. In “Linking evidence with policy and practice”, Andrew Chetley presents Healthlink Worldwide’s work to support the effective communication of research and discusses the difficulties implied in transforming sound research into improved practice and effective and workable policies. In “Evidence-based advocacy in development practice: experiences from HelpAge International in Eastern Europe and Central Asia”, Catherine Hine describes examples in evidence-based advocacy from HelpAge’s programmes in Eastern Europe and Central Asia to show how policy change can be catalyzed when the voice of people living in poverty is prioritised above all others. In “Strategies for impact and policy relevance”, John Young summarizes the lessons learnt through the implementation of the Research and Policy in Development Programme (RAPID), an initiative of the Overseas Development Institute, a British think tank. Last but not least, in “Decision makers do want communication –but they may not want participation”, Wendy Quarry draws on the communication strategy for Afghanistan’s National Solidarity Programme to address the gap between planning and implementation in development communication. I must thank Niels Keijzer, Wendy Quarry and Ricardo Ramírez for their readiness towards making this issue of Glocal Times possible and their enlightening use of e-mail correspondence as a way to collaborate at a distance. … The next issue of Glocal Times will be published in late May, and include a series of articles by graduates from Malmö University’s Master course in Communication for Development. Until then, please let us know your comments and suggestions
EVIDENCE-BASED ADVOCACY IN DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE. Experiences from HelpAge International in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Get PDFIn this article, Catherine Hine describes examples of experiences in evidence-based advocacy from HelpAge’s programmes in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, to demonstrate how policy change can be catalyzed when the voice of people living in poverty is prioritised above all others. Certain implications for the role and place of development practitioners in this process are discussed
LINKING EVIDENCE WITH POLICY AND PRACTICE
Get PDFUp-to-date research that informs policy and practice is vital in the constantly evolving field of international development. Research ensures that development programmes respond to the realities of people. Sharing that research and knowledge effectively is critical to ensuring that what we know is acted upon. In this article, Andrew Chetley presents Healthlink Worldwide\u27s work in support of the effective communication of research
BIG BROTHER AND EMPOWERED SISTERS. The Role of New Communication Technologies in Democratic Processes
Get PDFInformation and communication technology (ICT) entails both immense possibilities and great challenges. Globally, ICT is an integral part of international development cooperation, with the ultimate goal of poverty reduction –not only economic poverty and lack of physical resources, but also lack of information, possibilities and power. An international conference held in Sweden in April 2008 explored how the use of new technologies could lead to increased participation in democracy at all levels of society
SEX TOURISM AND THE IMPORTANCE OF IMAGES. Swedes in Natal
Get PDFThis article discusses the responsibility of travel agents and governmental tourism agencies for the increase in male sex tourism in Natal, in Northeast Brazil. It examines the work of the NGO Ecpat in Sweden and their Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Toursim, which calls for travel agents to provide information to travellers
DANCING TO CHANGE. Gender in the popular music of Kampala, Uganda
Get PDFA growing body of scholars identifies a similarity between the didactic role of ancient art and modern edutainment: in their view, edutainment provides a platform for ideas to be processed, debated and disseminated. This article looks at lyrics of popular songs from the capital city of Uganda, Kampala, and investigates their contribution to the millennium development goals (MDG) on gender equity
IN THIS ISSUE (OCTOBER 2008)
Get PDFIt is not May but October 2008 as this new issue of Glocal Times is published online.The world is in shock, puzzled over the spectacle of the market crisis and governments suddenly keen on rescuing high-level speculators.In the field of communication for development, the sad news was that Colin Fraser, one of its most influential figures, died in September. If you are not familiar with his work, I strongly suggest that you read his book Communicating for Development/Human Change for Survival, co-written in 1998 with his wife, Sonia Restrepo-Estrada, also a relevant figure in the field. This issue of Glocal Times was edited in the spirit of a type of education described by Juan Díaz Bordenave, a Latin American communication expert, in a paper from 1976. Bordenave referred to an educational model or pedagogy that emphasizes process, which included, among other imperatives, an aim to “facilitate the observation of reality and problemposing, such that people seek solutions adapted to their individual situations” and “facilitate dialogue, participation and cooperation, such that individuals learn to live together, articulate common problems and resolve them cooperatively”1. We are proud to present six contributions from graduates of the Malmö University Master in Communication for Development.In “A mobile cinema experience in Niger”, Dominique Thaly explores the impact of the Cinéma Numérique Ambulant project on a rural audience in western Africa, in a context in which new technologies and lighter equipment have made mobile cinema, a long-time tradition, easier to implement. In “Dancing to change”, Evelyn Lutwama-Rukundo looks into a selection of popular songs from Kampala, Uganda, and discusses their potential to advance the Millennium Development Goal of gender equity. In “DramAidE and live drama”, Fredrick Mugira examines the distinctive ways in which live drama could help sensitize people about the HIV/AIDS pandemic by analyzing a project at work in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. In “Sex tourism and the importance of images”, Charlotte Pruth points at the responsibility of travel and governmental tourism agencies in the increase of male sex tourism to Natal, in Brazil, and introduces the work of the international NGO “Ecpat” to prevent child sex tourism.In “Seeing beyond celebrity”, Varihi Scott maps the emergence of new philanthropists and ‘Hollywood’s new progressives’ in the development landscape and compares different celebrity-led communication initiatives, categorizing them as “new” vis-à-vis “traditional” and analyzing their pros and cons. In “Big Brother and empowered sisters”, Helen Belcastro highlights the themes and initiatives discussed during an international conference of the same title held in Sweden in April 2008, with participants fromKenya, South Africa, Egypt, Yemen, China, USA and the Philippines.Oscar Hemer, in his “Editorial”, recalls Jan Nedervee Pieterse’s keynote lecture on “Media and Global Divides” at the annual congress of the International Association of media and Communication Research (IAMCR), held in Sweden in July 2008. For more about the congress, and in particular the presentations of IAMCR’s Participatory Communication Research Section, see my report as guest columnist for MAZI, the newsletter of the Communication for Social Change Consortium, at http://www.communicationforsocialchange.org/mazi-articles.php? id=378 All articles in this issue provide one or more links to interesting online resources. Even if you do not have the time to read the articles straight away, we invite you to browse them for windows into projects and initiatives worldwide, as well as additional reading.The next issue of Glocal Times will be published in March 2009. In the meantime, your comments and suggestions are welcome at [email protected]
RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATION: BRIDGING THE RESEARCH-POLICY GAP? Lessons learnt through online networking
Get PDFHow can evidence and learning contribute to policy change? How can learning evolve within organizations and among partners? How can society-wide learning be facilitated among a multitude of stakeholders? An online discussion facilitated by the Pelican Initiative seizes the potential of networking to explore answers to these questions
THE "DEVELOPMENT" TURN
Get PDFThe rise of the rest was the witty title of a book by political economist Alice Amsden that already in 2001 –and before 9/11– described the imminent emergence of a handful of countries outside the West (or more precisely, outside the North Atlantic) as increasingly determinant players in the world economy. Amsden mentioned most notably China and India, but also for example Turkey and Brazil. Jan Nederveen Pieterse, one of the keynote speakers at the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) congress held in Stockholm in July 2008, took the rising rest as the starting point for his reflections on the congress theme “Media and the Global Divides” and discussed Western media’s reaction to the changing world order. According to Pieterse, there are three forms of response: to ignore it, to represent it as a threat, and to celebrate it as a triumph of the marketplace. The first form is still the dominant one. Western media coverage remains unashamedly Eurocentric. The third is the liberal response, represented by for example Thomas L. Friedman1 and his much-acclaimed “Flat world” theory. An optimistic pro-globalization response, according to which the expanding world market in the long run will bring prosperity to us all, Friedman\u27s theory misses Amsden’s point. Namely, that the key element in the emerging new economies is the strong state and government intervention, which marks a rupture with the neoliberal paradigm that has been dominating world affairs for the last two or three decades. In fact, the "Flat world" theory is being proved wrong, according to Pieterse. What we are witnessing now is the implosion of the neoliberal Anglo-American model and the return of the development state (and not necessarily a democratic one). Pieterse even suggested 2008, when the financial crisis in the USA has propelled calls for state and government intervention in the heart of the world capitalist system, as a historical Uturn. (In view of what has happened since his presentation at the IAMCR congress, his prognosis seems like an already fulfilled prophecy.)Structurally, the ongoing transformation resembles the post-war period. The global South is moving up fast, while the North (West) is facing marginalization. Former winners are becoming losers. As a consequence, opinions towards globalization are turning tables: It is the North that suddenly thinks that globalization goes too fast and calls for protectionist measures. The rise of the rest is increasingly represented as a threat in the Western media, with “China bashing” as a symptomatic phenomenon.If we accept Pieterse’s and Amsden’s general analysis, we should note that it may have significant implications for international development cooperation and the field of communication for development. "Development" has been dismissed by neo-liberals and anti-globalization activists alike. Deregulation and structural adjustment are the only requirements for economic growth -which equals development, according to the neoliberal credo-, and special development policies will most probably obstruct the wealth-producing market mechanisms. The "postdevelopment" school of the ‘90s objected to development as such, since it was seen to perpetuate ruthless exploitation and colonial power relations. Post-development ideas were quite influential in the reorientation of communication for development towards a focus on local communities and empowerment. As compared to the early development communication efforts, mainly as agriculture extension, there has been a clear gradual shift in emphasis from development to communication. Communication, regarded not merely as a means but as a process, has become an end in itself, while the compromised development has tended to be reformulated as individual (behavioral) or social "change". Now it seems that development is coming back –and with a vengeance. The bilateral and multilateral development industry is largely dominated by the West, but its model for social and economic development is losing legitimacy. The new success model that poor countries aspire to is East Asia. Western efforts to develop Africa have overall been a giant failure, due to the legacy of colonialism that still marks Euro-African relations. Lately, countries like Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana and Zambia, are in a positive moment and seem likely to break the vicious circle of aid dependency, thanks to Asian investors who see Africa not as a miserable recipient of charity, but as the last frontier. South-South partnerships are reshaping the world, while "the West vs. the Rest" mindset prevails in the North, especially after 9/11, which Pieterse describes as a Western cul de sac. Perhaps we are witnessing a "development turn" in communication for development, too. Wendy Quarry and Ricardo Ramirez, well known to the readers of Glocal Times, presented findings at the IAMCR congress that potentially “turn decades of communication advocacy on its head”. Why is it that participatory communication practices have not been widely adopted, in spite of all the evidence of their virtues?According to Quarry and Ramirez, it is not that donors don’t understand the value of participation; it’s simply that they don’t want it, because it threatens to disturb their plans. This seemingly discouraging conclusion lead Quarry and Ramírez to further analyze the context within which development initiatives take place, leading them to the revealing assumption that we, communication for development trainers and practitioners, have been looking at the wrong end of the stick: It is not good communication that makes good development; it is good development that breeds good communication. Inspired by Malcolm Gladwell’s theory of "the tipping point", Quarry and Ramírez stress the importance of champions –individuals or organizations– that are unusually committed in one place over long time. When champions make change happen, communication flowers. This should however not be interpreted as a dismissal of the importance of communication, or a call for abandoning the participatory ideal. Communication can certainly help create the conditions for change. But, say Quarry and Ramirez, we first need a compelling case for healthy development programs, projects and organizations. Communication will only sprout when the conditions are right. Then, of course, the sequel question immediately arises: What is good development? Think about that! 1 An American journalist, he is an op-ed contributor to "The New York Times" whose column mainly addresses topics on foreign affairs