Community Communication at CENCA
In Peru, 80% of the traditional media are in the hands of a single media group. As a result, the news broadcast on TV channels is often identical to what can be read in main newspapers or on these media’s social networks. There are only a handful of alternative medias, on the internet. This monopoly makes the access to diversified information difficult and prevents a plural vision of reality. Therefore, it is crucial to disseminate useful information to the most vulnerable populations and make their voices heard.
The team of community communicators from the heights of José Carlos Mariategui (JCM) in San de Lurigancho, Lima, Peru, was born from the initiative of the area’s residents to express and disseminate their concerns, their indignation, but also their feelings, dreams, expectations and solutions proposals to the problems that affect them. The team co-produces with the inhabitants,contents and supports of communication such as videos, participatory photographs, frescoes and community netbooks.1
(Source : Popular notebook “ Photographing San Juan de Lurigancho ”, co-produced by CENCA’s community team.)
The team of community communicators, in collaboration with the CENCA Urban Developpement Institute, produced its first participatory video in 2017 about daily risks affecting neighborhoods. This production was the starting point for continuing community communication practices, enabling inhabitants to use audiovisual tools for community purposes, while stimulating their self-esteem through their need’s expression.
However, a number of obstacles stand in the way of these practices’ development :
- The digital divide : many people in Peru do not have access to the internet, which prevent them from accessing alternative sources of information
- Gender-based violence, which is very prevalent in José Carlos Mariategui’s neighborhoods (for example, a woman accompanied by CENCA whose husband did not want her to appear in a participatory video).
- A sense of helplessness and mistrust towards the state and the media among the residents of these neighborhoods, which limits their participation in such activities.
However, the community communicators in the heights of Jose Carlos Mariategui remain undeterred and determined to pursue their struggle for cities of hope, where community communication plays a key role.
One example is the popular book/booklet produced by the team, which reflects the interest of local residents in the dissemination and enhancement of the archaeological, tourist and cultural sites of San Juan de Lurigancho, in Lima, Peru.
A community communication tool : the People’s Notebook
The popular notebook is a community communication tool that enables participants to create and distribute their own texts, images and photographs on various topics interesting them.
Initially, technical training sessions are organized on audiovisual subjects (types of shots, camera angles, etc..). These trainings are complemented by themes that resonate with the participants, such as expressing their indignations about issues that affect them or highlighting their neighborhood or district.
Next, a photography session is organized on the site of interest.With the team of community communicators. Finally, all the materials (texts and potos) is compiled in a booklet in order to be edited and printed.
This is essentially a collaborative effort between community communicators. CENCA acts as a facilitator and support throughout the participatory process, but it is the residents who are the real protagonists.
Here are two examples of notebooks co-produced by community communicators :
Notebook “Photographing San Juan de Lurigancho”.
Notebook “Visit to the José Carlos Mariátegui House Museum”.
A photo exhibition
The exhibition showcases the photographs taken by residents during the Cahiers Populaires creative sessions. It was staged at a public event to mark CENCA’s anniversary. The members of the communication team had high expectations about this exhibition, as it enabled them to show the images, they had created themselves in front of an audience made up of family members, neighbours, colleagues from other organizations and so on.
Photos taken by residents displayed at the photo exhibition
These community communication activities contribute to the empowerment process of the participants : they enable them to develop new skills and acquire technical knowledge. These community communication tools offer participants the opportunity to make their voices heard on issues that concern them, to convey messages that are important to them, and to produce materials that can be shared with their families, local residents and beyond. In this sense, they are empowering tools that allow participants to see themselves as agents of change. During these often-lengthly participatory processes, CENCA’s role is to train, mobilize and motivate participants throughout the process.
El video participativo
