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Voice, Citizenship and Civic Action Current Challenges in Communication for Development

This presentation explores the role of communication for development in today's network society, focusing on the challenges and opportunities brought by new media platforms. It discusses the transformative power of citizen media and the potential for altering relations between decision-makers and citizens.

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Voice, Citizenship and Civic Action Current Challenges in Communication for Development

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  1. Voice, Citizenship and Civic ActionCurrent Challenges in Communication for Development Thomas Tufte, PhD Professor Roskilde University, Denmark Keynotepresentation given at Symposium V at MoiUniveristy’sVIIth International Conference: ’KnowledgeCreation and Dissemination for Realization of MilleniumDevelopmentGoals’ Eldoret, Kenya, 7 September 2011

  2. Today’spresentation: 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

  3. 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.

  4. ComDevon the move… public connection public sphere engagement citizen journalism participatory journalism citizen media civic engagement

  5. Civil Society-driven Media Platforms • Altering relations between decision-makers and citizens? • Leading to new spaces of deliberation and public debate, critique and civic action? • Unpacking the processes of empowerment and citizen participation?

  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. 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)

  8. 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.

  9. Dominant Paradigms in… Development Support Communication (UN/FAO) DevelopmentCommunication (Los Banos/Quebral) BehaviourChangeCommunication (Public Health) Information, Education and Communication ParticipatoryCommunication Alternative Comm (Latin American Scholars) Communication for Development Communication for Empowerment (UNDP) Communication for Social Change (RF) Comm for Social and StructuralChange (Servaes) Comm for Social and SustainableChange Social and BehaviourChangeComm (Wits) C4D (UNICEF)

  10. Models of communication.. Persuasion Behaviourchangecommunication Social marketing Information, education and communication (IEC) Participatorycommunication Communication for social change

  11. 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)

  12. Communication Continuum CfD - Multiple Approaches (Obregon & Mosquera, 2005) Diffusion/ Individual Participatory/ Structural Diffusion/ Persuasion/ Social Marketing Communication For Social Change Information/ Education/ Communication Behavior Change Communication Social Ecological Approach Convergence model No magic formula Diversity of frameworks + diversity of strategies + multiplicity of interventions = growth of the field = New conceptual approaches

  13. Civil Society-driven Media PlatformsThe case of 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

  14. 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.

  15. 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)

  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, 170.000 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. 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

  19. Reach and Social Media • Feminareachesapprox. 10 mio of Tanzania’s 42 miopeople • Social Media Use: • ChezaSalama • FeminaFacebook • SMS-strategy

  20. Outcomes • Continuitysustains engagement • Communitymobilizationenables engagement • Young peopleengage in journalisticpractice • Sparks motivation and self-confidence • New public spheresemerge • Embryonic civil society

  21. Accountability • UpwardAccountability: • Gainingpoliticalclout • Balancing social critique and politicalinfluence • Downwardaccountability • Balancing a massvehicle for millions of audienceswithspace for personalengagment

  22. Whyvoicematters- the role of media and technology in 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

  23. Citizen Tactics Efforts made by ordinarypeple to createspaces for themselves, overcoming power structures to whichtheyaresubjected

  24. 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)

  25. Thankyou! ttufte@ruc.dk or http://ruc-dk.academia.edu/ThomasTufte

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