IS RADIO THE MOST EFFECTIVE “WEAPON” FOR DEVELOPMENT

COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS? THE CASE STUDY OF DZIMWE

COMMUNITY RADIO IN MALAWI
Introduction
No matter how much money an organisation may spend to hire the best
trained producers of posters and broadcast programmes, no matter how much
foreign exchange it may spend to import expensive equipment and trainers, the
organisation that excludes the audience from the message design is doomed to
being merely an “information distribution”. It will have no capability to reach
an identity of meaning with the audience. (Mody, 1991.p50-51)
This essay examines the claim that radio is the most effective “weapon” for those
planning development communication campaigns. Granted that radio is a powerful
communication tool, the essay argues that it is only the planned and systematic use of
it that can contribute to effective development communication. If the assumption of
radio’s all powerfulness in development was without question, most underdeveloped
countries and their rural communities would all have developed by this time, given
their increase in radio outlets, both public and commercial. This essay will therefore
examine this argument by answering some of these questions: What makes a
successful development communication campaign? Is it radio or is it an effective
communication process? What would make radio an effective tool? What are the
barriers/challenges and opportunities for using radio as a tool for development?
Essentially, to what extent is radio an effective development campaign tool? Most
answers to these questions will be drawn from a Malawian case study of Dzimwe
community radio launched in 1998 to address the development needs of rural women
of Nankumba area in Mangochi district. The potential of this radio and its relative
“success” story has been captured by several international institutions and scholars
alike (Unesco - Malawi, 1998; Panos Institute, 1998; Catherine de Gale,
2000).Reference to other radios will be made mainly to demonstrate the
contradictions and parallels between various types of models and usage. To begin
with, the essay will briefly establish the basis of such sweeping assumptions by
tracing the early theoretical assumptions that presupposed undisputed role of the mass
media (radio) in effecting change.

Radio and development

Radio in itself is infact a very powerful tool for communication. It can be used for
both bad and good. The very fact that it reaches a massive audience, be they illiterate
or physically inaccessible, makes it indeed powerful for informing, educating and
mobilising people. But what type of information, education and mobilisation? Haven’t
we heard of how radio is used in Sub Saharan Africa (Bourgault, 1995) for example?
Governments have used radio for their own propaganda purposes. According to
Bourgault’s study, most radios serve state and political purposes in a top down
fashion while the majority’s access and control over such opportunities is denied. This
includes the mushrooming of commercial FM’s. The very fact that ruling elites are
reluctant to release control in favour of majority voice, confirms what radio can do.
That would mean transferring power to the masses! The case of Rwandan Radio RTV
Mille Collines’ promotion of hate, conflict and genocide in the 80/90’s illustrates
what bad use of radio can bring in society (Laurey, 1998).
However, the concern of this essay is to define the use and place of radio in
development. These examples only demonstrate how some media organisations
(radio) empower the state and elites. On the other hand, the poor majority are being
disempowered by the very communication tools which would have, in the first
instance, been to their advantage. For example, it is very easy for radio to appeal to
rural people through say newscast “to work hard in agriculture,” while at the same
time the very radio cannot broadcast the response from the majority that they are not
able to be good farmers because leaders are corrupt or misuse resources meant for
them.
The assumption of the power of radio in development is as old as development
communication approaches themselves. Early approaches that propagated use of radio
in national/community development followed the same “trickle down effect” models
that dominated the broader development paradigms then. The one way approaches for
change and development. The uni-directional information provision propagated by
scholars like Wilbur Schramm (1964) has not managed to bring about desired
behavioural change. Several scholars (Mody, 1991; Yadava, 1993) have underscored
the need for equity and participation in development communication between and
among various sections of audiences. And in the case of Nankumba, the issue of
inequity and lack of active women participation in development necessitated a
strategy of using community radio to address some of these problems. One of the
unfortunate results of these early theories is the tendency to regard the audience as
passive recipients of information and hence misleading. It is against this premise that
a case study of Dzimwe Women’s Community radio in Malawi will be introduced.

Case Study: Dzimwe Women’s Community Radio

About Nankumba, the target audience

Nankumba is a densely populated rural community; about 60 km from the
administrative district of Mangochi.More than 70% of the population are women
hence most families are female headed. Although women are in majority, culturally
and religiously, (Muslim area) they are dominated by men. Although Nankumba is in
the vicinity of lakeside hotels and holiday resorts, substantially, the locals do not
benefit much. As a tourist resort, several foreigners do visit the area and some are on
record as cohabiting with local girls and women. The resorts also provide venue for
regular national and international seminars, workshops and meetings. Men are said to
like going to these workshop resorts not only for official business but also for pleasure
with the allegedly easy going women of area. There is a popular saying in the area,
“Okawona nyanja anakaona ndi mvuu yomwe!”(Literally in English: One who went
to see the lake, also saw a hippopotamus!) In effect, it says in Nankumba area, its not
only tourism and workshops that tick, but these other “extras” as well. Apart from
this, the area is a good fishing zone attracting fishmongers and buyers from other
adjoining districts. One of the major problems is that women who are in majority are
not engaged in substantial productive ventures that could empower them as
individuals, family and community members to develop themselves and their
communities. The only development extension workers in the area are not even
enough to cover more than 20 villages. According to a survey by the Media Women
Association (Unesco-Malawi, 1998), most of the women have no access and control
over information that could contribute to uplifting their status.
Findings of a survey
  More than 70% of the population and especially women are illiterate. Even a
large population of young girls do not go to school.
 Low income earnings
 High incidences of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/Aids
 Erosion of positive cultural values
 High gender imbalance, status of women low
 Environmental degradation: the nearby forest cover is depleting so too
overfishing.
 High incidences of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea due to unhygienic
practices like defaecating and bathing in the lake and drinking from the same
water.
Given the above findings against the backdrop of high illiteracy rate, particulary
among women, the need for a communication medium that cuts across illiteracy
barriers was imminent. Hence the Media Women Association of Malawi (Mamwa)
launched Dzimwe Community Radio funded by UNESCO to spearhead a
development communication campaign. The major communication objectives
include: transmission of messages on fertility and overpopulation, civic education on
gender and development, preservation of cultural identity, environmental
preservation, education on health and HIV/Aids, promotion of girls’ education and to
contribute to the economic emancipation of women. Women are the primary target
audience while men, extension workers, fishmongers and the general public are
secondary audiences.
Impact
In its second year of its launch and use, the Ministry of Information, a National Policy
Committee member on the establishment of community radios in the country,
conducted a random interview to assess the impact of the radio development
campaigns (Ministry of Information, 2000). Of the more than 40 men interviewed,
more than half stated that their attitudes towards women had changed due to radio
talks and drama. As for reproductive health issues, including STD problems, at least
75% of those interviewed, both men and women, stated that the campaign assisted
them to seek modern family planning methods, practice safer sex and “consider
seriously” going for HIV tests. One village headman said : “It is very much easier for
my Area Development Committee to mobilise people for self help apart from advising
my subjects to take women as equals in the day to day decisions affecting our area…”
Officials at the environmental offices of the Lake Malawi National Park stated that
there is now good co-operation with community members as regards proper use of
forest and fish resources. One villager added: “the fact that it’s our fellow villagers
talking and advising us on how to observe fishing regulations, makes the programmes
very credible…” In the words of project coordinator Patricia Chipungu Thodi
(Laurey-Panos, 1998), the radio has opened up women to get involved in issues of
their empowerment and those of the community at large. Under the banner, “You
educate women, you educate the whole nation,” the centre has also become a centre of
education and learning. Several women’s organisations visit the radio station to learn
how they can also be considered for such radios in other districts. Most development
agencies are invited for interviews and panel discussions on how they can assist the
area. “The fact that it can connect the area to people and institutions that matter, is
another factor we feel proud of,” Chipungu Thodi told an evaluation team.

What makes Dzimwe Community radio an effective weapon?

The case study of Dzimwe community radio highlights the fact that radio’s
effectiveness in development, is not automatic. What could be drawn from this study
is the whole process of designing a successful development communication campaign
in which case radio is only a means to an end. The community’s participation in
audience research, message design, pre-testing, production, monitoring and evaluation
and actual management of the station strengthens the potential of Dzimwe radio. The
very fact that there is a local steering committee headed by the traditional chief of the
area has contributed to its progress. It is this committee of community representatives
and grassroot extension workers that coordinate the day to day schedules. For
example, a group of 15 women and 5 men volunteers is involved in research of
programme content and formats and actual production.

For the community of Nankumba the problem was not necessarily lack of radio.Infact
the area has a very clear Short Wave and FM reception from the national broadcaster,
Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC).They even pick signals from Mozambican
radio across the border. This is to say, if radio was all powerful, why is it that for all
these years since the 60’s when the MBC was launched; women of Nankumba were
still not fully integrated into the development process? Bella Mody (1991) while
critiquing Daniel Lerner’s,1958 version of the western media use for mass media for
modernisation and Wilbur Schramms, 1964 all powerful idealisation of the role of
mass media in development asks, “Do increases in channel availability lead to
increases in incomes, literacy…?”(p.22) or better still, as Fr Francis Lucas (1999) puts
it, “access to media is (only) access to information. But access to the power of media
is access to life” It is against such conceptions that mass media (radio) are scaled. In
other words the extent to which they influencing change or in the language of the
UNDP, human development. Fr. Francis, like many other scholars, argues that
community radio is for and of the people. People should feel: the medium is being
used for their welfare, they are not mere receivers of information, the medium is
within their reach and at their disposal and that there is support beyond sound. In
other words, power rests with the community to decide what they want with their
radio at any given moment. Perhaps one striking observation by Fr. Lucas, which is
often told of communication campaigns, is that it is not enough, say, to advise farmers
to apply fertilizer when they can’t even afford 5kg of the chemical. However, for the
women of Nankumba their programmes have had some positive results from some
nearby NGOs who have helped them to form cooperatives where they are being given
loans.Infact it has not only become a radio but a development Community Based
Organisation (CBO).
A comparison with the national broadcaster draws a number of parallels. Like a
number of studies, scholary opinion and actual project experiences in radio for
development have indicated (Malawi-Unesco, 1998; Mody, 1991) active
participation of the target audiences in the planning, designing and implementation of
development communication messages and campaigns is of prime importance than
the channel itself.
While the national radio does have rural development targeted programmes, these are
mainly initiated and produced by the professionals. Situations have arisen when these
programmes have failed to be aired on their scheduled time possibly due to
unforeseen “national priorities” like broadcasts of sponsored football matches and
presidential speeches. Granted that they are targeted, but the targets are not defined
geographically nor do they control the content as editorial decision rests with the
professionals. For Dzimwe community radio the very fact that the programmes reflect
their felt needs and every day lifestyles, and that they are actually in control of
production, is a complete departure from the conventional models of broadcasting.
Infact as Mercado (1992), argues in his definition of development communication,
radio campaigns should be,

a process of providing the disadvantaged the opportunities to realise and

improve their knowledge, attitudes and skills to utilise, sustain and improve
their productivity of available resources within their environment in order to
improve the quality of their life and the society where they belong.”(p14).

This is reflected in what goes on at Nankumba. “When they hear their fellow villagers
advising against unhygienic practices like not using bathe shelters and latrines, they
easily relate this and feel obliged to change,” Mamwa observes.
Challenges
Be that as it is, that Dzimwe radio started with pomp and ceremony, there is an uphill
task of sustaining the radio.Coordinator, Chipungu (Laurey-Panos, 1998) complained
of lack of internet facilities including the issue of donor fatigue. It should also be
mentioned here that during one of the projects sensitisation meeting with members of
the Mangochi District Development Committee, some senior politicians sought
clarification from UNESCO, “what assurance was there, that the radio will not be
used for political purposes?” Whatever that meant, the guess that the radio might
challenge powers that be, may not be far from the truth. In another example, the very
fact that at that time the MAMWA,was perceived to be anti-government, contributed
to some dilly dallying in issuing a licence(Malawi-Unesco,1998).These, plus audience
related factors should give food for thought to those planning any choice of any
development communication mode of what it means to choose any of them. That is
why Bella Mody (1991) is imploring on development communication facilitators to
take into account, “sustained physical access to the message, socio-cultural
sensitivity, political compatibitility, economic compatibility and psychological
appropriateness”.p53

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