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Enhancing participation, citizenship and good governance via civil society-driven media platforms - a case from Tanza

Enhancing participation, citizenship and good governance via civil society-driven media platforms - a case from Tanzania. Thomas Tufte , Roskilde University , Denmark Presentation given at Lund University 7 March 2012. Today’s presentation. Conceptual framework

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Enhancing participation, citizenship and good governance via civil society-driven media platforms - a case from Tanza

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  1. Enhancing participation, citizenship and good governance via civil society-driven media platforms - a case from Tanzania Thomas Tufte, Roskilde University, Denmark Presentation given at Lund University 7 March 2012

  2. Today’spresentation • Conceptualframework • PeopleSpeaking Back? MEDIeA 2009-2013 • The Tanzanian case • The organisation • Civic engagement • Recap: Accountability, voice and ’national conversation’

  3. Communication Power ‘in a world marked by the rise of mass self-communication, 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)

  4. ICT development, contentproduction & audienceinvolvement • Changingdynamics and relations • Agency revisited: public connection, public sphere engagement, citizenjournalism, participatoryjournalism, citizen media, civic engagement • Particularfocus: Media development + civil society development: civil-society driven media platforms

  5. Civil society-driven media platforms- corequestions • How are they altering relations between decision-makers and citizens? • What new spaces of deliberation and public debate, critique and civic action do they create? • What processes of empowerment and civic engagement can be identified?

  6. Communication, citizenship and social change • Co-evolution of new and old media • Citizenship: a social practicegrounded in everydaylife • Civic action: active manifestation of citizens as claimants of development. Citizens as media producers, citizen journalists, bloggers

  7. Civil society-drivenmedia platforms Howcan civil society-driven media and communicationinitiativesenhanceprocesses of empowerment and ultimatelygoodgovernance? Broadening the scope of communication for development and social change (fluxtuation in the relations between: institutions, activism, communication and change)

  8. Keychange agents Civil society – gainingvisibility, how? articulatingchange and obtainingpoliticalinfluence? Citizens – (dis)connectionswithorgs and movements, new forms of engagement Government, decision-makers: goodgovernance, accountability, transparency Civil society-driven media platforms:theobject of thisstudy

  9. Citizen media The term ’citizens media’ implies, first, that a collectivity is enactingitscitizenship by activelyintervening and transforming the establishedmediascape: second, thatthese media arecontesting social codes, legitimizedidentities and institutionalized social relations: and third, thatthesecommunicationpracticesareempowering the communityinvolved, to the point wherethese transformations and chagesarepossible (Rodriguez 2001/2006: 774)

  10. PeopleSpeaking Back?Media, Empowerment and Democracy in East Africa (MEDIeA) 2009-2013, twocountries, 6 researchers Different but complimenting research designs Young girls’ media use, civil society development and media development. Questions of participation and goodgovernance Tanzania: Datius (a large survey), Rose (a media ethnography), TT (civil society case)

  11. PeopleSpeaking Back?- the case of Tanzania Democraticdevelopment: multi-party system (1995), civil society development, free media 3 % internet access 45% mobile phoneaccess 6% economicgrowth pr year 6.2% HIV prevalence Young marginalizedwomen: lackvoice in public life

  12. Introducing Femina HIP • Tanzanian NGO, 1999- • Largest print media producer in Tanzania • Many donors onboard, but is a ’homegrown’ organisation • Entertainment-educationthrough real lifestories • Multi-media platform

  13. 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.

  14. 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)

  15. Femina’s new strategic plan 2013-2017 Sexualhealth EconomicEmpowerment Civic engagement

  16. 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

  17. SiMchezo • Si Mchezo! 32 pages, 175.000 copies. • 6 x a year. Targets out of school youth and their communities particularly in rural areas.

  18. Multi Media Platform • PilikaPilika. A radio soap opera (stopped 2011). New radio drama starting 2012. • FEMA Tv Talk Show. Half ½ hour talk show, national TV 4 times a week. • RukaJuu. Tv Show on Entrepreneurship. • ChezaSalama(‘play safe’). Interactive website. First of its kind in Tanzania. • 5-600 Femina Clubs in schools and communities • Community outreach programme

  19. ’Layering’ agendas- a diachronicperspectiveonFemina • Since 1999:…. • SRHR – in particular HIV/AIDS • Environment (Dlight, Trees, Cop15, Masai Mara…) • Entrepreneurship • Civic engagement • WHAT determines the NGO’s agenda?

  20. Contexts Global discourseswithindevelopment – the politicaleconomy of the ’development business’ The politicalchanges in Tanzania – pushingboundaries, openingdiscourses, setting agendas, citizenopportunities for deliberation Media developments: carving out new media and communiationspaces WHO pushes boundaries, opensdiscourses, carvesspaces and sets agendas?

  21. Youth and the Constitution- a synchronicperspectiveonFemina Fema and SiMchezo series (print) National YouthConference (IPC) International celebrityvisit…led to Symposium Club competitions Suggestinglocalgovernanceissues to the clubs

  22. Youth and the Constitution- Symposium+ Chairperson…representscontinuity Youthvox-pop Research driven debate NGOs speak out International experience Keypoliticians of the new generation Government and parliament Day 2 for youth workshop

  23. Outcomes- short term…and long term? Media coverage (9xprint, 2 x radio, 2xnational tv) Politiciansblogging Relations establishedwith ’those in power’ Youthclubs, schools, civil society partners engagingwith the issues…

  24. Outcomes- local, national, regional/international.. Issues of clout, respect, visibility Breadth and volume in ’own’ organisation Partnershipsevolving – in civil society, government, withMPs

  25. Accountability and goodgovernance Upstream: Holding decision-makersaccountable Downstream? Ensuring the voices of youthbeingheard? Har far canyouth set the agenda? The youthadv.board ’Sidestream’: Strengthening civil society partnerships, setting a media agenda, gaining media visibility..

  26. Outcomesamongstyouth? • Continuitysustains engagement • Communitymobilizationenables engagement • Young peopleengage in journalisticpractice and some deliberation • Sparks motivation and self-confidence • New public spheresemerge • Embryonic civil society?

  27. Challenges • UpwardAccountability: • Gainingpoliticalclout • Balancing social critique and politicalinfluence • Downwardaccountability • Balancing a massvehicle for millions of audienceswithspace for personal engagement

  28. Voicedoes matter- media and technology is carving out space Allowingvoice in public for a vastlyincreased range of people A greatlyincreasedmutualawareness of these new voices New scales of organisation Understandingwhatspacesarerequired for politicalorganization New forms of listening?

  29. Disjunctions of citizenship Global and national discoursesondemocracy, goodgovernance and citizenship Localrealities: poverty, unemployment, lack of media access, otherpriorities…

  30. Mediápolis, Femina, and the emergence of national conversation? The polis, properly speaking, is not the city-state in its physical location: it is the organisation of the people as it arises out of acting and speaking together, and its true space lies between people living together for this purpose, no matter where they happen to be… (Arendt 1958; 198)

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