Resources

This special issue of PLA Notes reflects on Popular Communications, drawing on a workshop held at the Institute of Development Studies in May 2000. The workshop drew together a wide range of international development and community practitioners who use innovative popular communications media in their work. At the workshop, the idea emerged of a 'Well of Inspiration', a collection of stories from experience from the workshop participants which could be shared amongst them and with other popular communications practitioners and activists. This issue thus brings together a range of stories - a first draught from the 'Well' - from places as diverse as Colombia, Tanzania, Burundi, UK, Cambodia, India, Vietnam and Brazil. The stories are about using different media for democratic transformation. But they are also about each person's own learning process, and the obstacles and triumphs along the way. The 'Well' is in itself a process of practising popular communications and building solidarity.

This story tells of an innovative literacy programme carried out in the Pacific Coast of Colombia. In contrast to traditional literacy campaigns, which Afro-Caribbean and indigenous people could not identify with, due to the alien nature of the material used that they could not relate to, this project started with local people printing images of objects, places and situations that were part of their communities' life. By researching and creating their own literacy training materials, the people were able to reaffirm their cultural identity, and restore the legitimacy of their communities' stories, folklore and traditions. Concurrently, the TalkWrite Foundation was set up to fundraise and spread the work to new communities. The project created conditions for printed materials to be designed, produced and circulated throughout the region, while strengthening ancestral cultures of the peoples of the Pacific. The work expanded to include local publishing centres furnished with equipment, literacy materials and radio broadcasts.

The author narrates a personal journey to participation, through her work with local fisher communities in Tanzania, who were trying to stop dynamite and other illegal fishing methods. The use of video as a medium of communication empowered local villagers, giving them a means to forward their claims directly to those in authority. She describes the experience of lobbying the government at the national level, and how she stepped outside her role of NGO worker to accompany the villagers she had been working with to confront the Prime Minister. This act drew on an awareness that a facilitator is not neutral, and that commitment must be personal and political, not just that of professional duty. However, along the way, her journey has been fraught with personal risks as they confronted powerful local elites and opposed vested interests. She reflects on the need to change attitude and behaviour in institutions, and to put our own interests last, for participation and peoples' empowerment to go beyond rhetoric.

Brighton and Hove Rocks was a project undertaken by the Scarman Trust in the cities of Brighton and Hove in the UK. It was a way for local people to be involved in setting priorities for government-provided health services. The story describes the innovative means by which this was achieved, involving a centralised interactive event. 10 workshops with about 20 people in each were held, looking at the root social causes of ill-health in Brighton and Hove, which community initiatives would have an impact, and what policy measures would have a positive impact. A roving video camera and computers were made available for people to have their say. Legislative theatre proved to be a powerful means to reflect people's realities and their experiences. The audience was asked to think about solutions in response to the performance, which generated brilliant ideas. Some significant gains and lessons learnt from the process are also discussed.

This article focuses on a pre-election voters' awareness campaign carried out by the Participatory Research Institute of Asia (PRIA) and 'Unnati' in Rajasthan, India. A change in the constitution reserves seats in local government bodies (Panchayat Raj institutions) for women and minority ethnic groups. However, at times, many of these newly elected representatives are unaware of their duties and responsibilities, such that these are taken over by their spouses or male members of the family. The campaign focused on women and minorities as well as other citizens in general. It aimed to make them aware of their duties and responsibilities, citizens' rights, how to vote and how to choose good leaders. A variety of traditional forms of popular communications was used, such as puppet shows, song, dance, music and processions. These are forms of communication related to folk culture and scripts are based on local dialect and village realities. Video was also used. The author shares his personal experiences in the campaign, the challenges, risks, hopes and aspirations. The different media, street plays, puppet shows, video, posters, pamphlets, song and dance etc. drew on real stories of the people, all helping to provide space for the voices of women and the weaker sections of communities in the process.

This article focuses on work with street children, through the Theatre of the Oppressed in Brazil. It follows the story of a particular theatre group formed for street girls and boys in 1993. For the young people involved in the theatre production, this medium became a way to challenge society's perception of them, and to demand recognition of their worth. In particular, Forum Theatre, theatre with audience participation, is used. The difficulties encountered are described, including occasions of personal awareness and learning.

The tips for trainers section describes a variant of a well-known introductions exercise used as an 'ice-breaker' to introduce participants to each other in workshop settings. The game pairs participants by different language group (e.g. English-French) and once, paired up, gets them to interview their partner as best they can and then present him or her back to the rest of the workshop. The process of pairing up is done by miming proverbs - people with 'miming actions' instructions have to act them out while those with the 'proverbs' have to identify which of the mime matches their proverb. It is a useful exercise in breaking down language barriers and initial feelings of embarrassment between workshop participants who do not all speak the same language.