This document discusses participatory communication and its potential as a new paradigm for development communication. It addresses issues around changing discourses on communication and development, beyond modernization and dependency approaches. Variants of participatory communication are examined, including politics of self-representation, indigenous media practices, and whether community media can be considered a "public good". Examples of participatory media like Augusto Boal's "Theatre of the Oppressed" and indigenous Zapatista media centers in Chiapas, Mexico are provided. Conditions for participatory communication like autonomy and freedom from pressures are noted.

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Participatory
Communication
New paradigm for development
communication?

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House-keeping
 Film Critique
 Screening
Major Project
Forum and wiki
Next two weeks
Media and Development panel at
International Development conference at
UTSC (Feb.4th)

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Issues
 Changing discourse on communication and
development
 Beyond Modernization and Dependency
From North-South to Multidimensionality
Diffusion versus participatory communication
 Variants of Participatory Communication
 Politics of Self-Representation
 Self-determination and indigenous media practices
 Community Media as a “public good”?

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Questions
Does Participatory Development
Communication (PDC) create
dialogue and empowerment?
What are the impact of “buzz words”
and development polices?
 Social Media, a “paradigm shift,
rather its old/existing models using
new forms of technology” ? (Brina)

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‘ensure media pluralism, diversity of content,
and the representation of a society’s different
groups and interests . . . encourage open
dialogue and transparency of administration at
local level and offer a voice to the voiceless’
From a UNESCO mission statement

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Hierarchic and elitist view
of communication
Who (says) What
(to) Whom (in) What
Channel (with) What
Effect
 One way flow

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Models of Communication
Two Step
Flow Model

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Participatory
Communication
 Cultural identity
and
Multidimensionality
 Beyond Centre-
Periphery

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Two approaches to
Participatory
Communication

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Critical and Dialogical Pedagogy
 Pedagogy of the Oppressed
 Learning as active process of
cultural identity and self-
determination
 Poverty and subjugation must
be solved by collective actions
 Multiple meaning of
participations

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Examples of Participatory Media
Augusto Boal (1931-2009)
“Theatre of the Oppressed”
 theatre for 'humanising humanity’
 theatre as means of knowledge and
transformation of the interior reality in the
social and relational field
 spectators become 'spect-actors’
 'the theatre is all of us’
 Forum Theatre, Legislative Theatre,
Journalists' Theatre, Theatre of the Factory,
Theatre of the Office

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Augusto_Boal_nyc5.jpg

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“community media add to the social and
cultural dimensions of development by
providing channels for participation,
social and political empowerment, and
the exercise of citizen rights, as they work
for community building by transforming
individual experiences in a shared vision
of (a better) reality.”
(Milan 2009:599)

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Community Media
Access and participation
 structural change in power
relationships
 Communication as a human right
 “Cognitive justice”
 With rights come responsibilities

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Indigenous media and self-
determination
“Declaring development is a
performative act” (Salazar
2009)

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Media
representation
and Ideological
Construction

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Critical making of indigenous media
From Salazar (2009)

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Conditions
 Free for the public to participate
 Appropriate design framework
 Autonomy and free from
economic and political pressure

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http://www.chiapasmediaproject.org/cmp/zapatista-regional-media-centers-
audiovisuales-caracoles

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Media as Public Good