The Drum Beat 5 - Communication and Change News and Issues

PROGRAMMES

1. Econews Africa's Community Media Programme promotes community-based media in Kenya and East and Southern African. One activity is The Kenya Community Media Network, a national network of individuals and organizations involved in participatory, community-based media for development and democratization. The network comprises professional media workers, community-based and non-governmental organizations dealing with information, communications, development, civic education and human rights. It's starting premise is that the greatest impediments to the involvement of community groups in relevant policy-making fora is a regulatory environment unconducive to freedom of expression, freedom of information and community-based organizing. Contact Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki wanyeki@iconnect.co.ke

2. Grameen Communications (GC) promotes development through information access, use and exchange. Two new programmes are planned. "Village Internet Program" will seek poverty alleviation by reducing migration from villages to cities through creating IT related job opportunities for the rural poor. The Village Email Program [joint collaboration of Grameen Communications and Volunteers in Technical Assistance] will provide early warning of disasters to villagers. Contact Nazneen Sultana gc@grameen.com

3. Straight Talk in Uganda is a communication initiative to improve mental, social and physical development of adolescents and young adults. Two monthly newspapers are produced: Straight Talk [for 15-24 years] and Young Talk [10-15 years]. They are "adolescent-driven", offering age-appropriate information on reproductive health, life skills and child rights. Wide distribution is through Uganda's main newspaper, 100 NGOs and the postal service to 10,000 primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions. There are plans to start radio programmes. Contact Anne Akia, Catharine Watson strtalk@straight-talk.or.ug Visit the Straight Talk website.

4. Radio Zibonele is a community station in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa. That township had serious violence between two Taxi associations. A number of commuters have been killed or injured. As a contribution to resolving this situation, Radio Zibonele invited parties to the violence to explain why they were "at war" and facilitated the community speaking with the Taxi associations. The crisis seems to have been settled. Zibonele is now working to ensure peace is maintained, Contact Vusi Tshose, Station Manager care of pphcmtc@sn.apc.org

5. A Video Training and Production Project designed to enhance the access of Southern video producers to mainstream television was launched in July, l998 in Maputo, Mozambique. The organizers are WETV - Global Access Television, with support from UNDP, Austria and Radio Nederland Training Centre. Sixteen producers made short videos on sustainable development. The best have been asked to prepare programs which will air on WETV's 38 affiliate broadcasters in 4 continents. Contact Charles Morrow cmorrow@wetv.com

MATERIALS

6. 'Communicating To Improve Health' summarizes presentations and recommendations from a conference hosted by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. A diverse group of communications professionals discussed the state of the art in health communications: what works, what do we still need to learn, what roles for philanthropy? Report is on The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation website. Contact Frank Karel FK@rwjf.org

7. The book 'Communication for Development' by Colin Fraser and Sonia Restrepo-Estrada draws attention to the fundamental importance of communication for development and change. Roy Colle's review [Journal of Development Communication] says " 'This book has numerous characteristics that make it extraordinary "must" reading for policy makers, ministry personnel, donors, project coordinators, academics, and students. Anyone who wonders what "communication for development" is, or..the potential role and impact of communication in development, or what its value is in economic terms, can find convincing answers..." Publishers: London: I.B. Tauris Fax: +44 171 831 9061 - US/Canada, St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Contact colinsonia@compuserve.com

PEOPLE

8. Amartya Sen, who was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics, had this to say: "[on] the role that democratic processes - plural politics, the freedom of the press, opportunities for public criticism - play in preventing disastrous deprivations of the kind that you see in famines and other catastrophes.....I believe that those roles are very important in preventing [such] desperate deprivations..." He wrote on this subject. For this interview and other coverage see The Times of India.
Do you agree or disagree? Comment in the Drum Beat Chat Forum

9. Dana Faulkner is to be the Project Director of the CHANGE programme - [see previous Drum Beats]. She will provide the overall strategic direction and be the liaison point for the relationship with USAID. Contact dfaulkner@aed.org

10. OneWorld Online is looking for an African Regional Coordinator. The person in this position will work with local NGOs to build their capacity to use the Internet, help them network together and ensure that African material is strongly featured on the OneWorld supersite. Contact miriam@oneworld.org

11. Leo Kenny is taking up a post in UNICEF's Regional office in Geneva with responsibility for a broad focus on HIV/AIDS related issues, including adolescent health, in Central and Eastern Europe. Tasks include a regional journalist training consortium, National Media Awards and the supply of relevant media programming. Contact lkenny@chsmtpgw.unicef.ch

FEATURED ON THE COMMUNICATION INITIATIVE WEB SITE - http://www.comminit.com

12. INTERVIEW - with Jennifer Sibanda, Executive Director, Federation of African Media Women-SADC. Jennifer reflects on support for disadvantaged and marginalised women accessing media channels and media trends in Southern Africa. Click here. Do you agree with Jennifer's views? Comment in the Drum Beat Chat Forum

WEB SITES

13. The Media Institute of Southern Africa promotes Media Diversity, Pluralism, Self Sufficiency and Independence. The site focuses on contemporary media issues in Southern Africa. MISA website. Contact John Barker johnb@ingrid.misa.org.na

14. The Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programmes web site has recently included "Tools for Life" - a 'versatile health communication kit designed for front line community health workers and health educators in Anglophone and Francophone Africa'. Review at the website. Contact Casey O'Brien cobrien@jhuccp.org

GATHERINGS

15. Africa Alive [AA] will hold a stakeholders meeting in Harare, November 16-19. AA is a regional Adolescent Reproductive Health and AIDS prevention communication initiative to enable young people making positive reproductive health choices. The meeting will refine the project's structure and strategy. 40 people representing governments and NGOs will attend. Facilitation will be by JHU/PCS. Contact Antje Becker ABECKER@jhuccp.org

16. WHO and UNESCO meeting of communication field staff on "Applications of IEC to Reproductive Health", Geneva - 26-30 October. Topics include "The Enabling Environment for Sexual and Reproductive Health" and "Innovative Communication Strategies for SRH and Rights" Contact Marilyn Rice ricem@who.ch

17. UNAIDS' regional workshop on the development of a framework for communications programming for HIV/AIDS in Latin America and Caribbean will be held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, November 4-6, 1998. Contact Bunmi Makinwa makinwab@unaids.org

18. The Development Communication Roundtable meeting will be held November 10-12 in Bahia de Salvador, Brazil. Hosted by UNICEF, topics for this global meeting include: Facts for Life; Capacity Building and Training Opportunities; and Edutainment Guidelines. Contact Morten Giersing mgiersing@unicef.org

19. The First International Conference on rural telecommunications, November 30 - December 2, Washington D.C. will be hosted by the National Telephone Cooperative Association (NTCA) and the World Bank. From the brochure: "Finding ways to serve rural residents is one of the most critical concerns in international communications technology development". Contact international@ntca.org or visit the Conference web site.

 

We would be honoured to communicate summaries of your programmes, policy developments, new positions and people, web sites, materials and gatherings/meetings to this growing network [1600 plus] of people involved in communication and change. Please send information to wfeek@comminit.com Many thanks and best wishes.