AFRO-NETS> The Drum Beat - 37 - Something Different

[Warren Feek <wfeek@coastnet.com>]

The Drum Beat - 37 - Something Different
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The email and web network from THE COMMUNICATION INITIATIVE partner-
ship -The Rockefeller Foundation, UNICEF, USAID, CHANGE, WHO, BBC 
World Service, CIDA, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communica-
tion Programs, The European Union, Soul City, The Panos Institute, 
UNAIDS. Information, ideas, linkages and dialogue on communication, 
development and change.

Web Site: 
http://www.comminit.com 
Director: Warren Feek 
mailto:wfeek@coastnet.com

MESSAGES SHOULD NOT [repeat] NOT BE A CENTRAL COMPONENT OF 
DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES AND PROGRAMMES [see below] 

And now for something completely different! At The Communication Ini-
tiative we get a lot of information and insights from people in the 
communication, change and international development fields. This is 
obviously an exciting time to be in this field. There are lots of 
creative and effective initiatives happening. And there are some key 
challenges to be faced. 

For many in the world life is getting worse, not better. Poverty lev-
els are increasing. Maternal mortality rates have not changed in 15 
years. The environment is in deeper trouble. Wealth gaps are widen-
ing. In many countries HIV/AIDS is not only dramatically affecting 
individual people and their communities but is well on the way to de-
molishing health systems, productivity rates, educational provision 
and past gains in child and infant mortality and girls education - to 
name but a few. There are massive and growing inequities in access to 
information. Women and children remain second class citizens. We 
could all expand this list. Despite large investments of time and 
money by all concerned, there are some deep and difficult problems. 

In response the development agenda has been changing. There is now an 
increasing focus on gender, sustainability, rights, participation, 
equity and other goals and principles for which there is no "immuni-
sation", "oral rehydration solution", "cocktail of drugs" or other 
product based intervention. To advance these requires good communica-
tion: no communication; no progress in the norms, policies, 'voices', 
behaviours and relationships, which are crucial. 

At the same time communication patterns are changing rapidly. Not 
only the obvious ones related to new technologies and mass media but 
also the more subtle and perhaps more powerful shifts in community 
and interpersonal communication - such as the impact of urbanisation 
on traditional leadership patterns and styles. 

In light of this dynamic, which many of you face every day, The Com-
munication Initiative would like to support the reflections of your-
self and your colleagues on some key aspects of communication, change 
and development. We would like to help you assess the implications 
for your work. 

Let's call it "RHYTHM TIME" - a set of starter or prompt questions 
and ideas to initiate critical reflection and analysis of the commu-
nication strategies and activities of your organisation. Our primary 
interest is in supporting you to assess and make appropriate changes 
to your communication efforts. If you are also willing to share your 
views and opinions with the wider communication, change and develop-
ment community, that would be great. Below, we have suggested ways to 
do that. 

This initiative also responds to feedback we receive about 'The Com-
munication Initiative' and it's products - Media Beat, Drum Beat, the 
strategic thinking in support of the Partner organisations and the 
web site. These can be summarised as: 

[a] Really important stuff; great contacts and information; very
    helpful; experiences of colleagues in other parts of the world are
    vital; excellent - thanks; and 

[b] Wish I had more time to look at them properly; digest the infor-
    mation; make the links with colleagues doing interesting work;
    discuss the implications for improving the impact of our efforts;
    but we are just so busy. 

Through RHYTHM TIME we want to encourage you to TREAT YOURSELF. Take 
some time from your very busy days. There is no time like the pre-
sent. And it is the beginning of a new year, decade, century and mil-
lennium.

We will present five "RHYTHM TIMES" over the next 5 weeks as supple-
ments to The Drum Beat. They will also feature on the home page of 
the web site:
http://www.comminit.com

We hope that this is helpful and look forward to your engagement and 
review. 

Best wishes - Warren Feek

PS - for those without easy access to the WEB please let us know what 
interests you and we will e-mail material as attachments. 

*********************************************************************

RHYTHM TIME ONE - Jan 17, 2000

1. For Discussion: MESSAGES?

A quick silent poll - please put up your hand if you like being told 
what to do? Does anyone have their hand up? I suspect not. This is a 
question that I often ask in the course of 'speeches' on communica-
tion and change. On the rare occasion that someone does put up their 
hand, those that know that person are reduced to laughter! If we, as 
development and communication people, do not like being told what to 
do and get defensive when we are told what to do, why do we spend so 
much of our professional time telling people what to do - use a con-
dom, be faithful, use family planning, do not smoke tobacco, protect 
this, change that, stop A, begin B, etc. etc. etc. Why do we assume 
that, no matter how creative and inspiring is the context for the 
communication of the message, the best way to get action on an issue 
is to tell people what to do - when our own gut instincts tell us 
that this is not helpful? Or maybe not - perhaps people need to be 
given the clear direction explicit in a message? What do you think? 
How does your view affect your work? WF

In addition to your personal reflection and team discussions we are 
interested in sharing your views and opinions with others. Please use 
the comments facility in the web site:
http://www.comminit.com/comments.html

or
mailto:wfeek@coastnet.com
if you do not have web access. We will compile the comments and opin-
ions and share with the network. Thanks.

2. The C.I. Poll: EVALUATION

Please complete the following straw poll by voting on the web site 
[URLs follow each question]. As well as hopefully being useful to 
discussions in your organisation we are interested in gauging overall 
opinion. Please send comments by using the comments facility in the 
web site:
http://www.comminit.com/comments.html
or
mailto:wfeek@coastnet.com
if you do not have web access. We will compile these comments and 
share them. 

Q. Is it possible to measure the long-term impact of a communication 
intervention on a development issue? 

Yes - No - Not sure 

To vote:
http://www.comminit.com/bin/survey.cgi

Alternatively, if you do not have web access just e-mail your answer 
and comments - see above. 


3. On-the-ground Experience: ENTERTAINMENT

Can we suggest that you take a look at the following communication 
programme descriptions on the web site. Is there anything from their 
approach that can assist the positive development of your work? 

a. Soul City [South Africa] 
http://www.comminit.com/power_point/programme_descriptions_may_15/sld066.htm 

b. YATV [Asia]
http://www.comminit.com/power_point/pds_12-28-98/sld019.htm 

c. PARI [Colombia] 
http://www.comminit.com/power_point/programme_descriptions_may_15/sld056.htm

For a broader range of entertainment communication programmes use the 
SEARCH facility:
http://www.comminit.com/search.html 

Click on the elements of interest to you and, hopefully, a number of 
interesting programmes will appear. Please send us your programme de-
scriptions for adding to this database. 

4. Peer Communication and Support

If you could select someone at a distance, within a different country 
or even continent, with whom to communicate about the work you are 
undertaking, what experiences would you want that person to have? 
Where in the world? [e.g. Perhaps someone in Latin American is inter-
ested in an African perspective and experience.] Working on which is-
sues? [e.g. Perhaps someone working on health is interested in the 
perspective of someone working on environmental issues.] With a focus 
on which communication styles? [e.g. Entertainment, News and Informa-
tion, Community Communication, Interpersonal, Awards, ??] Working in 
which organisational setting? [National NGO, International NGO, Bi-
lateral, Foundation, UN, Private Sector, etc.] Are you interested in 
an outside consultant? With what skills and knowledge? 

Please e-mail <wfeek@coastnet.com> with your preferences and we will 
try to link you with someone in the network who meets your criteria 
and interests. 

Also, please send us your one paragraph issue for discussion and/or 
poll questions. We will find a way to communicate them. 

Thanks.

Warren Feek 
Director 
The Communication Initiative 
Tel: +1-250-658-6372 
Fax: +1-250-658-1728
mailto:wfeek@coastnet.com 
http://www.comminit.com 


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