The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Réseau Arts Vivants (RAV)

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The Niger-based Réseau Arts Vivants (RAV) is a network of national and international organisations that aims to promote performing arts as a means of communication for development. The network uses theatre, puppets, song, dance, and other local performing arts to raise awareness about various issues such as democratisation, HIV/AIDS, girls' education, reproductive health, and early marriage. In an effort to fulfill RAV's mission to spark dialogue on the local level and empower the public, RAV also offers artists the possibility to develop "innovative content" and introduces them to potential partners and facilitators.
Communication Strategies

The network's strategy is to use performing arts - dance, puppetry, songs, and theatre - to sensitise people on different issues. In addition to promoting, coordinating, and using performing arts in communication for development, the network has extended its capacity by establishing regular working groups as creative forums for artists and artists' associations. The results of their efforts are presented to potential clients in an effort to convey a progressive image of the network. Still, as was the case when the network was launched, a large portion of its time is spent training local theatre groups in performing arts and interactive theatre and then touring with them in surrounding communities.

The Forum Theater technique is widely used. The coordinator, accompanied by one or two artists, is responsible for the training. The performances are the result of collective work where the local artists bring in their own experience and that of the community they come from. (The network has a list of all available theatre groups in Niger and of those that they have already trained.)

The network's activities include the following:

  • The members of the network meet quarterly and exchange ideas on issues relating to how to communicate about various themes, using theatre.
  • Artists and artists' associations meet monthly (and more often, if necessary) in the localities of the network in order to develop new content and awareness raising tools.
  • The coordinator organises and carries out training sessions, especially in the forum theatre technique. He is assisted by trained local artists.
  • The coordinator organises tours of the various productions. When doing so, he tries to work with local groups throughout Niger.
  • The coordinator looks for other partners and proposes projects related to their objectives.
  • The coordinator looks for funds in order for local artists to participate in festivals and training sessions outside of Niger (e.g. they took part in the Festival International de Théâtre pour le Développement - FITD - in Burkina Faso).
Development Issues

Democratisation, Decentralisation, Girls' Education, Health, Human Rights, HIV/AIDS, Youth.

Key Points

The network's objective is to promote performing arts as a means of communication for development. It started in 2001 as an informal exchange platform and became a Nigerien non-governmental organisation (NGO) in December 2003.

Partners

German Development Service (DED Niger) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Sources

Emails from Dominique Thaly and Tobias Dierks to the Communication Initiative on May 27 2005, July 31 2007, and August 8 2007; and DED website on February 12 2009.