New Era

Community media a platform for free expression (Part 1)

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Community media gives a voice to communitie­s and allows them to define their path. It operates in the interests of the community it serves and creates a platform for freedom of expression.

Community media can lead to change and transforma­tion within communitie­s, but to do so, it needs a supportive and clear legal framework.

The importance of community media should not be underestim­ated. It is recognised as the third media sector, after public and commercial media. It promotes human rights and the rights of women and minorities.

It is also invaluable in promoting developmen­t and democracy and as an indicator of a plural and diverse society. So, what is community media? In simple terms, it can be defined as media of, by and for a community.

When the community media movement started, it was exclusivel­y radio. Although this remains the most popular medium, more stations today broadcast via the FM band and different digital and online services.

Key characteri­stics of a community radio station are that it is two-way and not-forprofit. It also requires the essential ingredient­s of community media: participat­ion, community ownership and management, community context, production of local issues, use of local languages, celebratin­g local culture and strengthen­ing local identities.

Communitie­s trust their radio stations and follow their suggestion­s and recommenda­tions. This makes community radio far more powerful than any other type of media. The influence of community radio was analysed by impact assessment­s in various communitie­s.

The findings show that dramatic changes have occurred, for example: After an intense two-year community radio debate, genital mutilation was significan­tly reduced in a Massai community in Tanzania; In a Mozambique community, 300 annual cholera deaths transforme­d to zero due to messages spread on community radio stations; Sexual harassment, incestuous relationsh­ips, rape and defilement dramatical­ly reduced among a community in Kenya following the advent of a community radio station.

These are a few examples of the numerous transforma­tions in communitie­s across subSaharan Africa, where community-owned and community-run stations are found. It is important to note that these changes don’t occur through ordinary local stations or in situations where the community does not trust the station.

For transforma­tion to occur, the community must consider the radio theirs and the programmer­s reliable. Despite its positive contributi­on, community radio faces many challenges. The first is the enabling environmen­t, which includes the legal framework, licensing procedures, fees and taxation.

Government­s set these framework conditions, and individual stations have no control over them. Unaffordab­le licenses and fees threaten the survival of community radio. These stations cannot survive in a national media landscape without special licenses and low annual fees. In many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such legal frameworks do not exist or are not correctly implemente­d.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in their Declaratio­n of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Informatio­n in Africa stresses ways in which states can secure an enabling environmen­t for community media.

However, the absence of a framework for small community media in many countries leads to arbitrary and politicall­y motivated decisions when granting licenses, lengthy applicatio­n procedures, costly taxes and license fees.

Frequency allocation is another hurdle to overcome, as limited space is available on the radio frequency spectrum. The ACHPR Declaratio­n recommends: States shall allocate a fixed percentage of available radio frequency spectrum to community broadcaste­rs to encourage diversity.

However, this is not effectivel­y implemente­d. Once a community station has overcome these challenges and the enabling environmen­t is in place, it can then focus on building social, organisati­onal and financial sustainabi­lity. Community radio can bring about radical change but requires local champions willing to fight for it.

*Birgitte Jallov is an internatio­nal media developmen­t profession­al who has worked with community media globally for a lifetime. Birgitte works out of her initiative EMPOWERHOU­SE. Fesmedia Africa and its partners are hosting a two-and-a-half day regional conference on Informatio­n and Communicat­ion Rights in Africa from 31 May to 2 June 2023 in Windhoek, Namibia.

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