Browsing Student Essays / Communication for development by Issue Date

The success of Amah - Communicating AIDS prevention through entertain...
Widmark, Annica : Malmö högskola/Konst, kultur, kommunikation, K3 (2002)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

Media against AIDS
Hansson Gossé, Kerstin : Malmö högskola/Konst, kultur, kommunikation, K3 (2002)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:

Tanzania is one of the countries in the world with the highest rates of HIV-infection. Since there is no cure, not even life prolonging drugs available for Tanzanians, HIV-prevention must focus on making people change behaviour; that is practice safer sex. This study explores how Tanzanian media workers approach the issues of HIV/AIDS and sexuality. I have gathered information from interviews with media workers at radio, television and daily papers. The result shows that mass media frequently report about the epidemic and media workers think that they have an impact. However, this study shows that there are several crucial flaws in the HIV-information conveyed by Tanzanian mainstream media. For instance, I argue that mass media are too distanced from their audience. The information about AIDS derives mostly from political statements, workshops and statistics. It is very rare that media institutions approach “the man in the street” and ask him about his opinion about this topic that by all means concerns all Tanzanians. Also, there seems to be very little reflection among media workers how the information is perceived on grass root levels. Most of them take for granted that their audience understand the media messages. I would not be too so sure. There is a widespread habit of adjusting language until it becomes politically correct. Many words that I believe would be helpful when reporting about HIV/AIDS and sexuality are taboo. There are few visions how mass media can be used to transform traditional values and for instance speak more open about sexuality. The youth magazine Femina represents a different approach to sexual reproductive health communication in Tanzania. The magazine uses straight talk about sexuality and has become increasingly popular among young people. Femina has been a reference point during my interviews with media workers. They approve of the somewhat bold magazine as long as the information do not fall into the hands of people that will be offended or harmed by the message, primarily children and old people. I argue that linguistic taboos are one of the big obstacles for a successful HIV-communication in Tanzania. How can mass media empower people, especially youths, to negotiate safer sex if the words related to sexuality are forbidden or too vague to be fully understood? Official Swahili has a limited vocabulary related to sexuality and slang words used by young people have difficulties to find their way into the media houses. In this aspect I believe that Femina has an important task to do. In their contacts with young people they can identify new words related to sexuality. By putting them on print, the magazine has a chance to gradually make them accepted and consequently enrich Swahili in a field where the vocabulary is lacking behind the devastating HIV-epidemic.

finalfinal[1].pdf (1.083Mb)

Walking the tightrope – can storysharing play a part in reconciliation?
Johansson, Sara : Malmö högskola/Konst, kultur, kommunikation, K3 (2005)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:

This thesis asks whether sharing personal experiences with people from the other side of a conflict contribute to reconciliation. The reconciliatory work of four multinational women´s organizations in Bosnia-Hercegovina are examined in the light of contact theory and thinking on narrative, looking specifically at the possibilities of talking and the obstacles of a post-conflict society. Taking Trudy Govier´s writing as a starting point reconciliation is defined as a renewal of trust through forgiveness that makes long-term co-operation possible. Contact theory offers alternative circumstances where the process of reconciliation can start. Thinking on narrative brings light on the act of talking and listening and how that can influence the circumstances and the actors. 15 semi-structured interviews were held with women in Bosnia-Hercegovina. Seven of them were organizers, eight of them participants. The questions were formulated and the transcribed interviews were analyzed with the help of five themes: talking, change, co-operation, trust, future and reconciliation. This thesis comes to the conclusion that reconciliation has to be seen as both an individual and a societal issue. It is a personal experience, but it cannot be separated from the society the person lives in. Talking can bring two people from different sides of a conflict together but the future and possibilities of their relationship is tightly bound to events in their community, the views of people around them and the general atmosphere of their surrounding environment. The concept of reconciliation is full of contradictions that reflect the complexities in a post-conflict society. The contradictions are both practical and emotional, lived and felt. In all its’ contradictions, reconciliation is about bridging gaps. After a war there is a gap between people who have lost faith in each other. There is also a gap between the past and the present, a gap left by all that was lost in the conflict. There is a gap between the individual and the society that betrayed her by ceasing to be a society and becoming chaos. All these gaps have to be traversed. A story told in earnest and listened to in the same spirit binds a tightrope over the gap for storyteller and listener. But there is a whole lot else besides that influencing the success of the tightrope walkers.

ComDevuppsats.pdf.pdf (205.0Kb)

Diffusion of innovations : reforestation in Haiti
Bellanca, Raffaella : Malmö högskola/Konst, kultur, kommunikation, K3 (2007)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:

Development discourse emerged from the implicit assumption that the technological achievements and societal organizations of western civilization represent successes of humankind in inhabiting the planet, and should therefore be promoted among other cultures. The ecological threats of this time suggest the contrary, forcing us to reconsider the positiveness of over exploitations of natural resources and to recognize the paradox of the economical growth model. A new urgent meaning for development is that of rediscussing what characterizes an ideal society and enabling the transformation toward sustainability and justice. Among the many challenges that the planet is facing deforestation well represents the reach of the problems since it affects humans at several levels: from the smallest scale of family economy with the products they can directly offer; to the national size through the effect they have on the environmental conditions of countries; and to the global level for the influence over the planet’s climate. In this era of tremendous transformations, demanding the reduction of consumptions for developed countries and appropriate planning of future consumption for developing ones, communication plays a central role. Exchange of information without preferential directions and between different levels (global-local, local-local) is at the base of this process. This study analyses the communication dynamics of a reforestation campaign in Haiti operated by the NGO AMURT. Assuming that the idea of planting trees rather then cutting them can be seen as an innovation, I adopted as a theoretical framework the findings of “Diffusion of Innovation” research. In particular I used the field work to critically assess some of the diffusion model’s findings, especially concerning the characterization of early adopters which I perceived as pro-innovation biased. An analysis of the NGO communication strategy according to diffusion of innovation parameters revealed several positive points, such as the use of homophile change agents, the adaptation of messages to the audience and the characterization of the meaning of the innovation from a receiver’s perspective. Nevertheless, the most important reasons for the success of the program rather seemed to sit in the NGO approach: the relationship of trust, the stability of its presence in the area and the intimate contact and cooperation with the local social structures.

RaffaellaBellancaCOMDEVThesisV2.pdf (1.983Mb)

Unanswered Questions and Empty Spaces: The Challenge of Communicating...
Hanafin, Niamh : Malmö högskola/Konst, kultur, kommunikation, K3 (2007)	STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:

Twenty-eight years after the fall of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, many Cambodians are still unclear about what really took place during the 1975-1979 regime, during which an estimated 1.7 million people died. Cambodia still suffers economically, socially and psychologically from the legacy of the Khmer Rouge and the years of war before and since. This has also impacted on the next generation of young Cambodians, who are reportedly poorly informed and sceptical about the Khmer Rouge. This research explores the root causes of the apparent disinterest and lack of knowledge among Cambodia’s youth. It also examines the potential role that radio can play in supporting and contextualising survivors’ testimonies and educating young people about their recent history. This is achieved by studying a phone-in radio series entitled Ka Pit (The Truth), which aims to educate young people about the Khmer Rouge regime. The overall supposition of this study is that real and meaningful reconciliation requires documenting, memorialising and communicating past violence and conflict, a process which has been slow to occur in Cambodia. The research methodology consisted of focus group discussions with young Cambodians, and a comparative survey of listeners and non-listeners of Ka Pit. The field research reveals that 91.7% of survey respondents lost relatives during the Khmer Rouge regime. However, only 8.5% of survey respondents claimed to be very aware of the KR while 87.5% know a little. 91.7% of respondents learned about the Khmer Rouge from their parents and relatives. In general, young people know about the day-to-day hardships suffered during the regime but do not understand the wider geopolitical, ideological and historical context of the Khmer Rouge. While urban educated youths can educate themselves by accessing other sources such as books, memorials, Internet, magazines and videos, rural young people rely almost exclusively on survivors’ testimony and the mass media as sources of information about the Khmer Rouge. Family stories play a crucial and primary role in informing young people about the Khmer Rouge. However, they also contain inherent limitations and provide neither adequate proof that such a horrific regime existed nor sufficient explanation for why it happened. On the other hand, radio is still a popular pastime and an important source of information for young people in Cambodia. It is a versatile medium that can be listened to throughout the day. 87% of respondents listen to the radio sometimes or often and 41.7% learned about the Khmer Rouge through radio. Young people enjoy Ka Pit and find it extremely informative and interesting. They feel that the information in the programme is trustworthy and can contribute to their understanding of the Khmer Rouge time. The impact of Ka Pit to date has been very impressive, given it has only been on the air for a short time. 90.9% of respondents believed that the programme can have a positive impact on society, most notably that young people will understand their history and that a similar regime would be prevented from taking power in Cambodia. Listeners of Ka Pit were consistently better informed that non-listeners about conditions during the Khmer Rouge regime. Furthermore, listeners of Ka Pit are far more likely to discuss the Khmer Rouge than non-listeners.

Project Nhanafin.pdf (1.419Mb)

Intercultural Communication for Development : An exploratory study of...
Taketani, Keisuke : Malmö högskola/Konst, kultur, kommunikation, K3 (2008)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:

The purpose of the study is to (1)analyze the level of intercultural sensitivity of United Nations Volunteer (UNV) volunteers in terms of interpersonal communication in a multicultural working environment; (2) explore how UNV volunteers interact and communicate in a multicultural environment at community level by developing a cognitive structure to understand differences in culture and; (3) identify the level of intercultural sensitivity of the UNV volunteers. This study is intended to make a contribution to the research on Communication for Development from the perspective of Intercultural Communication, particularly by using the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) as a framework to analyze the Intercultural experiences of a number of UNV volunteers. The qualitative survey was conducted with selected UNV volunteers including national, international and former UNV volunteers from February 15, 2008 for 4 weeks. A total of 48 UNV volunteers from 26 countries, serving in 24 countries, participated in the survey. The methodology of content analysis was applied to analyze their intercultural sensitivity and communication skills. The results show that UNV volunteers experience a wide range of intercultural situations, including: language and relativity of experience, non-verbal behaviour, communication styles, monochronic and polychronic time, values and assumptions. Whereas some UNV volunteers seem to be at the ethnocentric stage, the majority of respondents are at the ethnorelative stages, which include the acceptance and adaptation stages of DMIS. In order to improve cultural sensitivity, intercultural trainings are provided to selected UNV volunteers at headquarters in Bonn. This study points to the need for the UNV programme to design and implement structured training in intercultural sensitivity for all UNV volunteers. These trainings should not be given only at Headquarters, but in every Country Office or Support Unit as part of a mainstreamed procedure for both national and international UNV volunteers. Building the capacity of intercultural communication and intercultural sensitivity of UNV volunteers will lead to optimal outcomes in their work through improved communication with colleagues, counterparts and local partners. Intercultural sensitivity is a critical aspect of communication for development. Intercultural sensitivity creates the two-way communication systems that allow communities to speak out, and by finding their voice, communities begin to realize ownership of the development agenda enshrined in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

ComDev KT Final.pdf (440.6Kb)

Content Analysis on Coverage of European Union and European Union Mem...
Orhin Gyau, Isabella : Malmö högskola/Kultur och samhälle (2009)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:

The issue of the image of African countries in European media is an age-long one which has resurfaced in recent times. Eyebrows have been raised over the image of African countries in Europe and other Western Media which is always touted to be negative. The question about how the EU is reported in the African media has however been relegated to the background. This study therefore used content analysis to unearth how the EU and its member countries are reported in the African Media particularly in the Daily Graphic, a leading Daily Newspaper in Ghana in two separate years of 1998 and 2008 and whether what is reported reflects colonial ties between EU member countries and their former colonies in Africa. The study which used both quantitative and qualitative methods of research also sought to investigate the power relations between African media and their European counterpart, the sources of the stories were examined to find out whether they are stories written by European media or in-depth analysis of issues written by Ghanaian or African reporters. Special emphasis was placed on issues around trade and aid between Africa and the European Union which comes across as the key issues. The years 1998 and 2008 were selected because it has a ten year interval in which one can assess whether coverage of EU related issues in the paper has improved over the last ten years especially as the EU has grown in membership and scope, deepening its process of integration and acquiring new responsibilities in the world. Findings of the study indicated a strong tie between some EU member countries and their former colonies, (i.e United Kingdom and Ghana).The study also found out that The Daily Graphic simply borrows stories from EU sources and reproduce them with very little or no analysis, comments, or criticisms, of the issues raised that may have implications for the country or Africa’s growth in terms of aid and trade issues. This is a pointer to the fact that European media has been setting the agenda and the Daily Graphic simply follows. The study further revealed the unequal power relations between the EU and for that matter Africa which also reflects in media relations whereby as a result of poor salaries, logistical support and appropriate technology, newspapers in Africa, such as the Daily Graphic are unable to send reporters to the EU headquarters in Brussels to report issues from the African point of view and as such reproduce what has already been reported in the European media by European reporters and sent down through wire services. Again from the study, it is evident that the Daily Graphic does not report regularly on issues on EU- Africa trade and aid. In 1998, aid related issues involving the EU and Africa were only six percent while that of 2008 was 11 percent. Trade related issues involving the EU and Africa recorded nine percent in both years. Also reporters lack of interest in analysis of the issues in feature articles was reflected in 97 percent of news stories in 1998 as against three percent of feature articles in the same year while 2008 recorded a woefully two percent of feature articles as against a whopping 98 percent of news stories. One of the issues that emerged as a surprise was the fact that contrary to expectations, EU related stories not connected to Africa received more coverage than what connects Africa to Europe. This may be an indication that African media gate-keepers are not selecting stories based on the interest of the country or continent but rather still serving their colonial masters under a new colonial empire facilitated by the EU. Theories underpinning colonialism such as Edward Said’s Orientalism, modernization, media and society theories have helped to discuss some of the issues under focus.

ig-pw_rev 2.pdf (4.255Mb)

Conservation 2.0: Leveraging social media for fundraising in Kenya – ...
Mwambui, Elizabeth : Malmö högskola/Kultur och samhälle (2010)	2-year master STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:

Social media - Blogs, social networks (Facebook), micro-blogging (Twitter), You Tube, Flickr, Maps, and Mashups (combinations) - has changed the way we work and communicate. Social media are experiencing explosive growth rates and new prominence, not only in the lives of individuals but as tools in democratic processes and social change (Clark 2009, Gilmor 2004). Social media have been used for democratic campaigns in the US (Obama ), reporting natural disasters (Haiti , Tsunami ), responding to conflict and democratic crises (Kenya , Iran , Burma ) emergency fundraising (Haiti ) and others. Activists, NGOs and those in the development field are also using social media for social change. They offer a multiplicity of channels, easier and cheaper creation of content, and allow local and global linkages for those in this field. An innovative example of how social media are being used for fundraising is WildlifeDirect, a group of conservation blogs. Started in 2004, it provides an opportunity to secure funds for wildlife conservation through online giving, while at the same time providing a forum for like-minded people to discuss wildlife conservation. Limited funding for conservation contributes, alongside poaching, severe climatic conditions, and reduction of the conservation area, to declines in wildlife and habitats. Kenya has a natural resource-based economy, and its people depend on the environment for basic needs. Conservation of these resources and funding to carry it out is a key concern for Government, NGOs and Communities. WildlifeDirect has collaborated with organizations to help boost conservation funds by providing a platform through which people can support conservation. My involvement with WildlifeDirect begun about three years ago when I started using this platform to blog and attempt to fundraise for the organization I worked for - the Kenya Forests Working Group (part of the East African Wildlife Society). I am still today part of WildlifeDirect community, currently blogging at savingparadise.wildlifedirect.org for my current employer, although our blog is not used actively for fundraising. Through my involvement I witnessed firsthand how this media was being utilised for publicity and fundraising. I also became aware of the challenges intrinsic in the choice of blogs for fundraising. At the same time through my studies at Malmo on New Media and Development, and particularly our exploration of Social media, I became aware of just how powerful Social media can be for social change. My study’s principal purpose therefore is to explore the benefits of social media, while looking at its challenges. It places this effort within the context of conservation funding and improvements in the ICTs environment in Kenya. A limited number of research and theories shape this emerging and rapidly shifting media. Because the social/new media field keeps evolving, it is difficult to find a theoretical framework for its analysis. (Hassan and Thomas (eds) 2006:xviii). The study has therefore assumed that the media landscape has changed and attempted not to take an old versus new stance whose discourse found in most literature has been critiqued (by authors such as Holmes 2005). Instead, the dialectical view advanced by Fuchs is considered. In his seminal work, Internet and Society, Fuchs (2008) notes that the research field of ICT&S (Information and Communication Technologies and Society) deals with two interconnected aspects – society and technology. Fuchs posits that the relation of the two is inherently dynamic; the two are mutually connected and have constructive effects onto each other. Fuchs avoids the technological determinist view that sees technology as the driving force of society or the social shaping approaches, which consider technology as being invented, designed, changed, and used by humans and influenced by an overall societal context. Fuchs concludes that neither is appropriate because both have deterministic understandings of technology and society. On the one hand, ICTs are embedded into social systems and overall society; social forces and relations shape them. On the other hand, ICTs enable and constrain human social action. This relationship is an endless dynamical evolving loop (2008:345). Within the development field, there has been an equal application of optimism – (ICTs as freeing and democratising) and pessimism (ICTs as isolationist and elitists). A middle ground has however begun to emerge, one that sees the potential of ICTs while acknowledging their shortcomings. Case studies of how ICTs influence societies and how societies are shaping ICTs are also beginning to emerge (e.g Ushahidi and Mpesa in Kenya). The study is limited to Kenya although WildlifeDirect has blogs from the rest of Africa, Latin America and Asia. The following broad questions were asked: 1. What impact has social media had on fundraising for conservation? 2. Can it be an alternative to traditional sources or help in diversification of sources of funding? 3. Can it address the sustainability question? 4. What attracts donations – species, language, relationships, transparency, location? 5. To what extent are the blogs affecting policies, publics and mainstream media? 6. What offline communication practices are bloggers engaged in, if any? 7. Is social media replacing traditional media? Are they used together? 8. What are the inherent power positions in peer to peer giving? and 9. An exploration of the technology – its freedoms and limitations, the state and media regulations, and who governs new media. The study found that WildlifeDirect is an innovative platform. It has appropriated a relatively new technology for its use. It has had relative success in fundraising, has provided a voice for conservationists, and has served as alternative media bringing news about species and conservation areas from people working directly in the field. It is used to advocate for important issues affecting wildlife conservation. Success in fundraising has not been across the board, bringing the issue of return on investment of using the technology to the fore. Connectivity is still a challenge in rural areas even with the introduction of the fibre optics cable and so is transacting with Africa. Even then, bloggers acknowledge the role the blogs play for their publicity and raising profiles. The study is divided into an introduction (conceptual framework); existing research; theories and methodology; analysis of findings; emerging picture (interpretation of data); discussion of results vis a vis theories; and a conclusion based on other new media/ICTS theories, followed by references and appendices.

EWMwambui_ComDev08_Edited.pdf (1.084Mb)

English abstract:	This thesis studies the work of two organisations working to prevent child sex tourism, Ecpat in Sweden and Resposta in Brazil. Issues dealt with cover how the organisations campaign and what messages they choose to focus upon. I have also looked closer at the Code of Conduct, a tool used by both organisations to make the tourism industry committed to the prevention of child sex tourism. I have further analysed advertisement material from Swedish travel agencies and made a quick exposé over the Brazil tourism advertisements since the 1960s.
Swedish abstract:	Essa tese estuda os trabalhos de duas organisações que atuam na prevenção do turismo sexual de crianças e adolescentes, Ecpat na Suécia e Resposta no Brasil. Os tópicos estudados referem-se a como essas entidades organizam suas campanhas e quais as mensagens que elas enfocam. Também estuda-se o Código de Conduta/The Code of Conduct, um instrumento usado pelas duas organizações no intuito de facilitar a indústria do turismo a se comprometer na prevenção do turismo sexual de crianças e adolescentes. Desse modo, analiza-se os materiais de propaganda das agências suecas de viajem bem como faz-se um estudo geral sobre a propaganda brasileira de turismo desde a década de 1960.

Browsing Student Essays / Communication for development by Issue Date

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Indigenous, yes: participatory documentary-making revisited (an Argen...
Enghel, Florencia : Malmö högskola/Konst, kultur, kommunikation, K3 (2005)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

Cultural Identity in Urban Beijing - Cycle of Change - Life and Devel...
Ladwig, Enno : Malmö högskola/Kultur och samhälle (2007)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

Using Personal Digital Assistants to Improve Healthcare Delivery in U...
Kirunda, Kakaire Ayub : Malmö högskola/Kultur och samhälle (2010)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

Empowering Tanzanian Youth - Engaging Communities: An experiment in p...
Yarde, Rosalind (2010)	2-year master STUDENT ESSAY