Local & community broadcasting and new ICTs
In an article in the online publication Wajibu, Grace Githaiga, Executive Director of EcoNews Africa and Vice-President of AMARC, argues that “the Internet has a better chance to succeed as a tool for development and participation if it is linked to existing communication and information experiences.”
Continue reading ‘Community radio & ICTs: Can the poor benefit?’
Michael Roberts of Bellanet and Partha Pratim Sarkar of Bytes For All wrote a paper about the potential of podcasting for development in 2005. The authors note that podcasts are not only for listening to on MP3 players or computers, but can also be used as a way of networking programming to be broadcast on local and community radio stations.
by Bruce Girard
In Mali broadcasters search the internet to find answers to listeners’ questions, translate them to local languages, and encourage discussion and learning around issues of public interest. Without the internet Mali’s rural radio stations used a handful of old books and last week’s newspaper as main sources of information, but with access and training they are able to find information on the internet and help discover solutions to community problems. They are only able to do this because visionary policies and programmes enabled community radio and provided them with internet access and training.
In his chapter in The One to Watch Alfonso Gumucio details five essential considerations for any communication for development and social change project – community ownership, local content, appropriate technology, language and culture, convergence and networking.
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