"The 1970s were a decade of huge change for women in Colombia, from the legalisation of divorce to increased access to education, labour market participation and contraception. This article examines how the Catholic non-governmental organisation Acción Cultural Popular (Popular Cultural Action, ACP ... O) responded to women’s changing roles and political protagonism through its radio station “Radio Sutatenza.”Through close attention to recordings and programme scripts of the 1979 radio series Curso La Familia , it analyses the construction and performance of gender on the radio and draws attention to Catholicism’s continued influence over Colombian society in the latter twentieth century." (Abstract) more

"Founded in 1947 by a Catholic priest, Acción Cultural Popular (ACPO) was a pioneer in radio education. Offering a radio station (Radio Sutatenza), study manuals, and a newspaper, ACPO provided basic education and encouraged campesinos to seek personal development and to “vivir mejor”--to live ... better. From 1947 to 1994, it attracted over four million subscribers and became a model in 13 Latin American countries. In this article I show how ACPO's approach to rural development and communication style evolved between 1960 and 1980. As a consequence of technological, economic, and cultural developments, Radio Sutatenza, a station with a more or less captive audience of illiterate peasants, changed as it was forced to respond to rural Colombians’ shifting aspirations and competition from commercial radio. While the organization's founding principles remained constant throughout this period, its articulation of what it meant to “live better” changed over time, reflecting the struggles of a religious organization to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world. While ACPO saw itself as the bearer of modernity, it was often confronted by independent processes of change already occurring in rural communities." (Abstract) more