First
Ever Community Initiated Radios
The UNESCO/UUNDP Media Development Project is these days expecting
proposals for support to community radio stations in Mozambique.
With an initial project plan to support the establishment and
strengthening of no less than ten Community Radio Stations,
UNESCO decided to tackle this component as two distinct phases
A first phase including three communities selected by the
project based on selection criteria, including: a distinct need
for communication; a certain level of infrastructure and of
’civil society’ activity and hereby a basis for sustainability;
a variety among the communities to ensure different experiences
to be extracted; one in the north, one in the centre and one in
the south of the country. These phase one stations are presently
under establishment in Cuamba, Chimoio and Homoine.
A second phase including up to seven communities. These
communities are to be selected basedonapplications received in
the Media Project by 12 o’clock noon February 15, 2000. The
project expects to receive applications from communities lacking
communication channels; demonstrating independent community
anchorage of initiative and aims to strengthen local
informationand democracy.
Taking
the Temperature of Civil Society in Mozambique
It will be highly interesting to see, from where the
successful applications come: will they represent groups with
keen development communication interests? Women’s interests?
Cooperative and rural development interests? When on Tuesday
February 15 the Media Project takes stock of all the Community
Radio applications received, we will know more. At the same time
e will have in our hands an expression of the state of the civil
society in Mozambique. It will be very exciting to see where in
the country which civil forces are striving to ensure a
communication channel.
By definition, the emergence of a community radio has in most
parts of the world been closely linked to strong people’s or
grass-root movements using the radio as a tool to reach their
community. All ‘community stations’ in Mozambique, however, have
been started by external forces: by the ICS, by religious
groups, by UN agencies or by development NGOs to reinforce their
general development aims. For all of these groups – and the
communities - this has been a very sense-making and often
appropriate way of effectively reaching many people at once.
While it has been reinforcing to see the strength and
commitment with which the three UNESCO selected communities of
Phase I are working to establish the strong community basis for
their future community radio station, the Phase II-applications
will reflect Civil Society movements requesting on their own a
community voice.
Turning the successful Phase II applications into reality
will for the first time in Mozambique mean that communities are
getting together and on their own force start a community
radio!!!
When the selection board will get together after February 15
to review the proposals received, it will be important to look
for exactly the above mentioned locally generated power. This is
the very first opportunity in the country to grant a voice to
such groups. We – and the democratic development - will not want
to miss out here!
Access is a key to Independence in the media, is a key to ensuring
Participation and Local Ownership and is hereby a key to
strengthening Democracy and Governance.
Access
– equipment for independent press
The initial steps to start up Communication Centres for the
Independent Press in Beira, Chimoio and Tete were taken during a
mission carried out by the Chief Adviser to the three towns in
November, signing contracts with the initial coordination groups
and placing initial equipment in each location.
Communication Centre Circulars are ensuring a regular flow of information
initially to the centres, but hopefully soon between the
centres.
A monitoring mission in December demonstrated commitment and activity to
get the groups registered as associations and preparation of
initial business plans.
This initial phase of establishment of the communication centres will be
turned permanent during the month of March based on business
plans developed by each of the centres.
Access
– to Community Communication
During the period mentioned the three ’phase I’ community radio
stations have developed their activities in terms of community
mobilisation, becoming recognized as legal associations and
preparing the initial action plans.
At the same time the project has widely advertised a call of application
for phase II, which is described in more details in the front
page editorial.
Access – to Community Radio Training
When we talk of Community Radio we in principle talk about Radio
produced by persons who are not radio professionals. As such
training becomes of core importance. To bridge the distance
between the UNESCO Media Project and the disper-sed Phase I
communities of Cuamba, Chimoio and Homoine, the project has
contracted a consultant to play the role of
’Process Coach’ for each community. The coaches will prepare
formal and informal training, be sparring partners for
management and in general facilitate the work of the radio
groups.
To prepare these coaches, a one week ’Training-of-Coaches’ workshop was
organised, visiting two very different community stations to see
the Mozambican reality at the same time as working with the
Project
Management Team on the UNESCO project’s concepts for Community
Radio development. The workshop ended up with a detailed draft
training plan for the three communities to be implemented by the
coaches.
Access
– to Management Training
After return from the ’Training-of-Coaches’ workshop, the
coaches joined 16 Community Radio workers from a vast variety of
stations from all over the country.
The two-week training course in Maputo focused on ’How to Start
a Community Radio’ and included qualified introductions to all
the many areas that need to be dealt with by management. The
areas included hands-on experience with the difference between
the choice of analogue and digital recording equipment.
Access
– to Newsprint & Paper Support
The written independent press received access to a UNESCO ’Paper
Support Fund’ during the month of January. Based in initial
in-depth consultations and discussions in a national
consultative meeting in September 1999, plans were initially
developed and a point system elaborated and presented by the
accounting firm Ernst & Young.
The 24 independent print media (half in Maputo, half outside)
falling within the given criteria as such every 25. of a month
will have access to ask the UNESCO Media project pay their bills
as long as they have still funds left in their part of the total
of USD 200.000.
Phase
II of The Project Under Preparation
Based in a positive Norwegian Mid-Term Review of the Project,
recommended initial preparations of proposals for a possible
Phase II of the project have begun. Phase I expires June 30,
2001. A Phase II would secure consolidation of activities
started during phase I and include new activities. A decision on
this will not be taken for another 9-12 months.
After an initial series of consultations with the core stakeholders of
the project: Government, UNDP, the donors, the independent media
and others, a draft project document will be elaborated for
further thorough scrutiny