Lessons for localising development

Do community radio stations cover development issues? Is there a real link between the participation and social mobilisation effects associated with community radio and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)?

In 2004, AMARC Africa, PANOS Southern Africa and Pronatura-Chiapas in Mexico commissioned a study on the development content of community radio services. The study covered 13 stations in South Africa, Zambia, Mali, Senegal, Guatemala, Southern Mexico and Panama.

The research pointed out gaps in perception between technocratic development planners and local communities. The research methodology used a quantitative process to measure the number of hours the stations dedicated to various development themes, and focus groups to explore how different stakeholders respond to this content.

Findings from the quantitative research suggested a number of gaps in development content aired by the stations. For instance, 'environment' themes received an average of less than two hours of programming per month in some African stations, while none of the Central American stations had specific programmes on food security. Furthermore, none of the stations had ever carried out a comprehensive needs assessment and the use of development experts was uneven.

A different story emerged from the focus group discussions, however:

• All the focus groups in each region said using local languages increased their understanding of programme messages. This makes radio particularly efficient, considering that radio sets are seven times more common than television sets in Africa and that some countries, such as Zambia have 73 local dialects.
• Radio stations do integrate development topics, according to community experiences. Seven of the ten stations studied in Africa mention 'development' in their mission statements, which suggests that they do deal with such issues but not in a sector-specific way: for instance, farming programmes are as likely to cover maternal health or girl child education, although the station has no plans for 'gender' programmes.
• Community Radio is seen as a good example of democracy within media structures. Its very presence was universally considered to be a means of expressing rights. Content analysis also showed that 'democracy' receives the largest thematic coverage per month in all countries.

Community media can play a significant role in facilitating community and national ownership of development agendas. Firstly, it registers the extent and experience of poverty in a community's own words. Through community radio's familiarity with the local articulation of rights and demands, it also enforces accountability among stakeholders. For Guatemalan audiences, the station was seen to have enabled a process of empowerment.

Policy implications arising from this research are:

• Local interventions are often integrated and community radio can illustrate how investment in one sector can often lead to results in another.
• This can be particularly important for those tracking progress on achieving development goals, as the investment might be taking place somewhere else, for instance, maternal health improvements through more investment in road infrastructure rather than clinics.
• While donor assistance has generally increased over the last three years, it is unclear whether this includes ICTs and if funding for ICT emphasises media that reaches the poorest people. Donors should consider community radio as an important tool for development planning in all sectors and for delivering services.

Nick Ishmael Perkins
AMARC Regional Office Africa
Suite 22
Private Bag X42
Braamfontein
Johannesburg 2017
South Africa
T +27 11 403 7913/7962
F +27 11 403 751
impact@amarcafrica.org

Sustainable Development Content/Themes for Community Radio Stations in Africa and Central America AMARC-Africa, May 2004
http://africa.amarc.org/files/M4SDStudyMay04l.pdf

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