A communication strategy for development initiatives with special reference to a population development case study in North-Eastern Kwazulu-Natal
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Date
1997
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Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
After the Second World War the West became actively involved in Third World
development, focusing on the diffusion of information and technology, in its plight to
persuade the Third World to adopt Western innovations and to change its behaviour
accordingly. Growth and success were measured in economic terms and infrastructural
development was usually the outcome of development. The communication approach
(development communication or DC) coincides with this paternalistic approach and is
top-down and one-directional. After the failures of this dominant approach became
evident, a number of alternative approaches were proposed, culminating in the new
paradigm, which supported equal status between benefactor and beneficiary, two-way
communication, dialogue, and community participation, and emphasising the value of
beneficiaries and their culture and traditions. In contrast to DC arguments for the mass
media, the new development support communication (DSC) theory supports the small
community media.
The DSC approach may be applied effectively in small scale development efforts, such
as community projects, provided the benefactors are willing to learn from the
community, and do not "negotiate" development from a position of status or power, in
order to identify the community's real needs. It is impractical to apply the DSC
approach on large scale (national provincial, or regional) development projects, due to
high costs and the time needed for of small group discussions.
These reasons often prompt benefactors to choose the option of a communication
campaign as a medium to convey messages. The DC/DSC discourse permeates the
field of communication campaigns, dividing these practical frameworks into
communicator-orientated campaigns (DC), and campaigns that combine aspects of
both the DC and DSC approaches (integrative model). The integrative model inherited
the top-down nature of diffusion of information from the DC approach as well as its
focus on \aige scale projects, the mass media and externally created messages. These
characteristics are then combined with the DSC aspects which are aimed at assisting
beneficiaries to empower themselves by acquiring information, to formulate their
problems, to suggest solutions and to take their own decisions by focusing on their
own needs and interests. This includes aspects such as information sharing on an equal
level, beneficiary participation, and the small media.
The technique of market segmentation, dividing beneficiaries into (relatively)
homogeneous groups, can be applied in large scale and small scale projects. In small
scale projects such groups might already exist within a community, and need only to be
identified. The Population Development Survey indicated that age, more than gender,
should be the guideline for market segmentation in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal.
Younger people tend to enjoy the entertainment provided by roadshows. Edutainment
combines entertainment with education, wfach is culturally not a new concept for these
respondents. The older and more rural the respondents, the more they value
interpersonal communication, but of the mass media, radio is the most popular. In
large scale development projects the study suggests using the mass media in
conjunction with the small media. The mass media are often used to create a general
awareness of the existence of an issue/campaign, and face-to-face situations are
created where the issues, dealt with in the mass media, are discussed in detail.
Description
Submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of
Master of Arts in the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies
at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 1997.
Keywords
Communication Strategy, Development Initiatives, Population Development -- Kwazulu-Natal