Gender and Media Campaigns

This section of the fourth edition of the Gender and Media Diversity Journal, published by the Gender and Media Diversity Centre, explores various aspects of media activism, including: the work of Gender Links (GL); the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Gender and Development Protocol Campaign; a media activism campaign; the”I” Story; media and human trafficking; rural women and community radio; and gender violence in the media.

It contains the following articles:

Making Every Voice Count: a Southern Africa Case Study by Colleen Lowe Morna

This article describes the work and partnerships of GL and the Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) network that it hosts."This paper explores how GL, working with key strategic partners, has sought to position itself in relation to the mainstream media...." Strategies for change include:

• empowering women journalists;
• creating alternative media for women’s voices to be heard, particularly low-cost internet and email-based media;
• organising consumer protests and boycotts, especially against offensive advertising; and
• seeking to bring about gender balance in the institution of the media as well as in its editorial content.
  

In Practice: SADC Gender and Development Protocol Campaign

This piece describes the campaign to adopt, ratify, and implement a SADC Gender and Development Protocol (the Protocol), a legally binding instrument, by SADC governments, consolidating the region’s commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as accelerating delivery on those commitments. Elements of the media strategy for the campaign include: commentaries and supplements in national and regional media advocating the adoption, particularly the piece entitled Lentsoe La Basali – Women’s Voices; skills-building training for alliance membership on campaign advocacy, particularly training on writing for the media; and materials production of brochures, posters, and fact sheets.

Media Activism and the 16 Days of Activism by Loveness Jambaya Nyakujarah

This author defines media activism and explains its justification and impact. As stated here, "journalism’s allegiance to “objectivity” often comes at a price of community understanding and engagement." In contrast the author presents the potential for effecting social transformation through the media, particularly using the case of media coverage of Sixteen Days of Activism against Gender Violence. "This was initially instigated by gender activists but journalists and media houses are increasingly being proactive as they begin to feel that it is their duty to report on the campaign as a contribution...."

The Power of the “I“ Story by Mariette van Dijk

"The “I“ Stories are a series of first-hand accounts of gender violence from across Southern Africa produced annually by the GL Opinion and Commentary Service for the Sixteen Days of Activism. These stories share women’s real experiences with violence - domestic violence, child abuse, contracting HIV after sexual assault, being attacked because of their sexual orientation, and any other story that the women wish to tell. All these stories are powerful for different reasons; they are stories of abuse, but also of struggle and survival. For the writers they are empowering - telling their story often forms the transition from victim into survivor. For the media who pick up the stories it is a meaningful form of journalism to inform the public about gender based violence."

Popular Media to Combat Human Trafficking by Tonya Graham

"Produced by CMFD (Community Media for Development) Productions, the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Southern African Counter-Trafficking Assistance Programme (SACTAP) initiated two popular media projects – one live theatre and one radio drama - that work to address issues of human trafficking and migration in both source, transit and destination countries."

Media Activism: Opportunities for Rural Women by Saeanna Chingamuka

This article explains the value of rural women's voices in media activism. It describes capacity building projects for women in community radio in Southern Africa.

Portrait of Domestic Violence in Botswana: A Case Study of The Voice And Botswana Guardian Newspapers by Dr. Eno Akpabio and Patience Mathambo

"The overall objective of the study was to determine media representation of domestic violence in Botswana by paying particular attention to the coverage of the problem by a tabloid newspaper. The choice was informed by the fact that tabloids pay particular attention to human-interest stories whereas mainstream papers tend to focus more on hard news stories....It is clear that... human-interest brand of journalism ...[has a] particular emphasis on the sensational... [as well as] bold... headlines are employed with pictures to grab attention....However, the [mainstream paper] reports these crimes in a straightforward and informative manner, presumably to alert society to the crisis the nation faces."