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Listen to the voice of the people
Written by Tamara on July 24, 2008 – 8:12 am -
Description: The major factor that will shape the future evolution of the developing world is in the education and sensitisation of the people. A commonly cited example is the AIDs epidemic. Over 20 years after its outbreak, ignorance and stigma still surround the epidemic to the point where AIDs victims are unable to openly talk about their struggles for fear of discrimination or violence. AIDs workers still encounter examples of HIV patients who are ignorant of how they contracted the disease.
Many innovative campaigns are being utilised in the education of the population. Where computing and the internet are relatively expensive and only accessible to an elite, radio and t.v. are household norms, even in some of the most isolated regions. Radio programs are increasingly being used as an effective means of sensitizing large portions of the population.
How these tools are being used: Successful past media campaigns include UNICEFs Digital Diaries where youths who would not normally have access to the media were given the opportunity to record and broadcast their experiences. In partnership with Radio Diaries the story of a South African teenager living with AIDs (Thembi’s AIDS Diary) was broadcast across the US resulting in a campaign of seminars, forums and blogs. Extracts of the broadcasts can be downloaded from the website.
IRIN the humanitarian and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs continues the campaign of digital activism. Services include IRIN Radio (“IRIN Radio produces high-quality programming in local languages on humanitarian issues, ready for broadcast by local stations. The service also provides hands-on training to journalists, developing their production and reporting skills, allowing local radio to serve communities more effectively”), PlusNews (specialised on HIV/AIDs), IRIN Film & TV and IRIN Photo. Recent content includes NAMIBIA: The Challenge of Stigma, UGANDA: Love, positively, a film that looks at the lives of young adults who have been infected with HIV since birth and A Cleaner Fix (Indonesia) covering drug use with the purpose of educating the population about the risk of sharing needles. IRIN also includes a Hear Our Voices forum dedicated to those people whose voices are not often heard and blogs on humanitarian and development issues. Films and radio broadcasts can be downloaded from the website.
(Picture: IRIN Radio in Angola)
Tags: blogs, forums, radio
Posted in Blogs, Campaigns | 3 Comments »
By Alex Steed [of Make Something Happen] on Jul 24, 2008 | Reply
The idea of “digital elitism” is certainly something that often goes overlooked in many digitally-active communities. I appreciate anyone who brings it up, and I especially appreciate actions that try to maneuver around its adverse effects.
This is even an issue that gets overlooked within similarly minded/positioned communities. Some folks who are interested in populist/working-class issues and taking the fight online are having a hard time articulating to those who are more traditional in their approach how they, too, can take action – There is a disconnected between those who are connected and those who are not. All attempts to bridge this divide are of great interest to me.
By Mary on Jul 28, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Alex.
By Tamara on Jul 29, 2008 | Reply
I agree – although the digital revolution is being seen as a driver for progress and development, a large segment of the world is getting marginalized.
“Many developing countries remain poor largely because they had let the Industrial Revolution pass them by. They can ill afford to miss the information technology revolution – History has shown that technologies, left to their own devices, will only exacerbate existing differences. Information and communication technologies are no exceptionâ€. M. S. Swaminatham (ICT for Poverty Reduction: Myths, Realities and Development Implications)