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Community
views on communication in Zimbabwe
Kathy
Bond-Stewart
Extracted from
Report on International conference
on media support strategies for Zimbabwe
November 30, 2005
http://www.i-m-s.dk/Media/PDF/Zimbabwe
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Introduction Impoverished
communities – those seldom reached by mainstream media - are passionately
concerned about communication. In recent years, as the crisis in Zimbabwe
intensified, the Africa Community Publishing and Development (ACPD) carried
out two research projects on community concepts, experiences, challenges
and strategies of communication. These were published in the books Regenerating:
Towards a new strategy of community education and media and Follow the
river and you will reach the sea: Community views on communication.
In addition, the concepts of "constructive" and "destructive"
forms of communication were analysed in the booklet Peace–building and
a chapter on communication in the book No fruits without roots: community
views on local governance. Furthermore, this paper draws on 20 years’
experience of community publishing - to be published in a forthcoming
book Even the smallest bird can sing from the tallest tree – as
well as on recent experiences of improving the way citizens and local
leaders relate and communicate in a local governance process - to be described
in a forthcoming manual Belonging.
Research on community
views on communication
The first research project - done with Civic Education Network (CIVNET)
and the Africa Book Development Trust (ABDT) and published as Regenerating
- was a national survey of over 5000 social groups, carried out by 8 community
based research teams. The research covered 50 out of 58 rural districts
in all 8 provinces of Zimbabwe, as well as high-density areas in Harare,
Bulawayo and small provincial towns. The process was nicknamed "the
Social Capital research" because it investigated the ways in which
people meet, communicate and provide mutual support in their neighbourhoods.
The research was carried out in a violent atmosphere with a shoestring
budget using the social resources of trusted community based research
teams.
The survey covered
information about the groups (their purpose, composition and frequency
of meetings); their access to media, learning needs, language preference
and interest in forming study circles1, as well as their achievements,
concerns, suggestions and hopes. We discovered that every neighbourhood,
whether urban or rural, has social groups that meet weekly without external
assistance to improve their lives. A typical group would be organised
to provide economic benefits for its members. It would have between 11
and 20 members, mainly women, aged between 21 and 50. The research found
that the group’s main access to media would be radio and postal services,
while its main information needs related to economic survival; family
wellbeing, children’s rights and care, development studies and organising
skills. They are also interested in different ways of organising society,
peace building, laws and local governance. The group would enjoy written
materials in basic English, but would want some materials in their own
language, and they would be motivated to form a study circle.
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