"In Nigeria, as in many other countries, limited numbers of extension agents (one to 4,000 farmers) make it impossible to reach all farmers by interpersonal means. For this reason, radio and, more recently, television have been used by agricultural organizations to disseminate relevant agricultural
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information to larger numbers of farm families at minimal cost and to areas hitherto not accessible to extension agents on a regular basis. While prior studies have confirmed that these radio programs have large audiences, there has been less attention to the perceptions farmers hold about the specific benefits these programs provide. The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of two long-running Nigerian agricultural programs, one for radio and the second for TV, as perceived by 198 randomly selected farmers in Oyo State of southwest Nigeria. Results indicate a very positive assessment of both specific program components and the value of the two programs for improving agricultural production across 12 perceptual dimensions." (Abstract)
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"Not long after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a memo from the American Press Institute went out to US news editors and reporters, advising them on the “correct” way to utilize photographs in crisis reporting. In part the directive said, “our backs are to
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the podium and our cameras are focused on the faces of the crowd” (Lower 2001). This was curious, for among photojournalists the idea of using images to draw from and upon the public rather than to depict the events being witnessed was antithetical to what good journalism is supposed to do." (Abstract)
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"The use of folk arts in rural development clearly has limitations as to the role that it can play in changing people’s behavior, but it is an effective tool for communication in most cases. The greatest strength of this type of informal education lies in its ability to capture the audience’s at
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tention through entertaining spectacles and to convey new ideas and information to people. In addition, the Bhats’ social position plays an important role in the education process, as they are a marginal community that has provided social commentary through performance arts for centuries. Thus by employing them, NGOs and government agencies appropriate the benefits of their ritual discursive authority. Also, these organizations are aided by the inversions of the social order that occur during shows because the folk artists are able to command the attention of large audiences and thus disseminate their messages among diverse groups of people. In addition, the kathputli tradition of North India is steeped in mythology and symbolism, and these traits give the puppets themselves special ideological status as metonyms and liminars. In turn, these attributes allow the puppets to exist in a realm that is different from that of live actors, and thus they can communicate more effectively as they are exempt from many of the rules and biases that are linked to human behavior. Despite the numerous benefits of using folk arts in development programs, follow-up sessions and more extensive education for villagers and performers are needed to change behaviors regarding complex issues. These performances are quite successful at conveying information, but people are unlikely to incorporate into their lives new ideas regarding issues like folk medicines." (Conclusion, page 63)
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"Although it relies heavily on reliable information and long distance communication, the humanitarian community has never taken the lead in developing technologies that are particularly suited to its needs. Over the last decades it has greatly profited, however, from technological innovations in tel
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ecommunications and information technology. Besides, a number of applications has been developed that are particularly aimed at the humanitarian community. In particular static products that don’t need to be frequently updated, such as maps, training materials et cetera, have been widely disseminated: the development of this kind of products has become an important aspect of disaster preparedness. Recommendation: Under the heading of disaster preparedness humanitarian organisations should continue to develop information products that can easily be used under a variety of field conditions. Donors, including ECHO, should (continue to) provide funding for such projects. The sharing of these IT tools should be encouraged: as a matter of fact, a culture of sharing information and IT among humanitarian organisations should be promoted." (Executive summary, page 3)
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"The aim of this article is to introduce and analyze the case of the South Africa media NGO ‘Soul City – Institute of Health and Development Communication’ in order to discuss how an entertainment-education based communication strategy can contribute to a participatory development process. Fir
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stly, I introduce the history and development of Soul City. Secondly, I provide a brief historical overview of the developments within entertainment-education in relation to the general discussions of communication for development. Finally I present Soul City’s communication strategy, the edutainment model, and analyze how Soul City contributes to the further development of entertainment-education strategies in both theory and practice. As so often seen before, practice comes prior to theory, and I thus argue that what Soul City is de facto doing is anticipating the theoretical advancement I wish to argue for referent entertainment-education (EE). The point I argue is that Soul City represents a third pathway in a field which traditionally has been divided between two major schools of thought: the diffusion of innovation-oriented theories and methodologies on one hand and the participatory theories and methodologies on the other. A new paradigm within communication and development is emerging." (Abstract)
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"Ce qui suit, c’est un fascinant catalogue de cinquante expériences qui permirent à des résidents de communautés pauvres de par le monde de prendre le contrôle de leur histoire, et de commencer à changer les circonstances de leur pauvreté, de leur discrimination, de leur exclusion. Alfonso
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Gumucio a passé presque un an à rechercher et interroger des sources pour ce travail, et s’est impliqué dans chacune des phases de la conception. La « voix d’Alfonso » résonne dans toute cette oeuvre qui est un hommage à ce qui fait de lui le communicateur par excellence : il a l’âme du poète et du réalisateur de talent qu’il est, combinée à un sens inébranlable de la justice et de l’équité. Après le chapitre introductif sur le rôle que joue la communication participative dans le changement social et son évolution, vous pourrez lire cinquante exemples qui illustrent le pouvoir que donnent l’action et la prise de décision communautaires. La plupart d’entre eux relatent de radios communautaires. Nous espérons que vous ne trouverez pas cela fastidieux, mais nos recherches et conversations nous ont conduits à conclure que la radio communautaire représente l’un des meilleurs moyens d’atteindre les communautés exclues ou marginalisées, et ce de manière ciblée et utile." (Préface de Denise Gray-Felder, page 1-2)
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"The purpose of this handbook is to offer a practical guide to good professional practice in the design, development and delivery of audio materials - radio, audio cassettes and audio-vision - for distance and open learning. The handbook is intended for all those who are involved in the design, deve
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lopment, production and use of audio materials in distance education and open learning. It will be of particular interest to teaching staff and radio/audio producers who are using - or planning to use - audio as part of their courses. However, the handbook will also be of interest and value to others who are involved in or affected by the use of audio in distance and open learning - for instance, policy makers and planners, managers and administrators, those working on related media (e.g. print, TV and video), face-to-face tutors and facilitators." (Introduction)
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"Harnessed to its full potential, basic e-mail and Internet facilities can serve as a powerful tool in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. In South-East Asia, UNAIDS has coordinated an infoDev project, a global grant programme funded and managed by the World Bank to promote innovative projects on the use of
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information technologies with a special emphasis on the needs of the poor in developing countries." (Back cover)
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"This is a book about an inter-continental community theatre project. It is an attempt to gain a better understanding of this increasingly popular cultural practice that operates on the cutting edge between performing arts and sociocultural intervention. The main emphasis in this book, and in the ac
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companying video, has been placed on the diverse mechanics and inspirations of community theatre as an artistic process that always evolves under very particular local sociocultural conditions. Through written word and moving image, this package thus documents, contextualizes, and theorizes the methods that were used to create six community performances in distinct locations around the world in the course of 1997. Both in the video and in the book I have opted to tell these six tales as relatively independent narratives. I recommend watching the appropriate video segments before reading each book chapter, which provides the background about (community) theatre in each particular region, the facilitators, the organizations they work in, the evolution of their method, and a more technically oriented case study of the distinctive approach they used to create one specific community theatre performance in 1997." (Introduction, page 1)
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