Different Perspectives on Community Radio Discussed At Colombo Workshop

Report prepared by Dr Kalinga Seneviratne, Head of Research, AMIC with assistance from M.C Rasmin, Media Coordinator of ICTA, Sri Lanka.

Do we need to have a transmitter to broadcast community radio? Can community radio be solely a development tool? Could universities set up community radio and give a voice to the people? These were some of the issues discussed during a one-day workshop conducted by the Singapore based Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) in Colombo on November 21st 2009 in collaboration with the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Development Journalists Forum (SDJF).

This training workshop on ‘Principles of Community Radio’ was conducted by Dr Kalinga Seneviratne, Head of Research at AMIC and a former Australian community radio broadcaster. He was assisted by Dr. W.A.D.P Wanigasundara, Head, Department of Development Communication, Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya and Asoka Dias, AMIC country representative and the Station Director of Sirasa Radio. The official website of the SDJF was launched during the opening session.

This workshop was the first activity of an UNESCO-IPDC funded project in ‘Streamlining Community Radio Capacity Building in Asia’. AMIC will be conducting more community radio training workshops with the assistance of Tambuli Community Radio in India, Indonesia, Laos, Bangladesh and the Philippines in the coming 6 months.

The inaugural workshop in Colombo was attended by 35 community radio activists and practitioners from across the country, including Matara in the south, Ampara in the east, Uva in the hill country and Jaffna in the north. This reflected the fact that there is great enthusiasm shown by Sri Lankan young community radio activists for the establishment of independent community radio in the country.

“Within the contemporary environment of Sri Lanka, we can’t expect genuine and deep support from the mainstream media of Sri Lanka in-terms of social empowerment. Even if we close the mainstream electronic media stations, specially radio channels (in the island) it will make no difference to the life of the rural people. Our mainstream media don't have visionary aims to give a platform to the voiceless community. So, we have to work hard in order to create an alternative community radio culture in Sri Lanka” said Athula Pushpakumara, Head of Media and Communication of the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka, in his introductory speech.

Representatives from UVA Community Radio and Kothmale Community Radio that are functioning under the purview of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) and internet based community radios such as Dambadeniya Community Radio, Ransara Community Radio, Prabavi Community Radio were among those who participated in the workshop. Representatives from universities, media training institutes, NGO's and media institutions also participated in this workshop.

In the morning session, Dr Seneviratne focused on definition, principles and characteristics of community radio, and in the post-lunch session on evaluation, functions and essential features of community radio. There was also discussion on successful community radio model in the world and community participation, funding and sustainability of community radio.

An inter-active round-table style discussion took place in the late afternoon session on how to set up and develop community radio in Sri Lanka, in an environment where the government seems reluctant to provide broadcasting licenses to community radio broadcasters.

Among the views expressed included the argument supported by a number of participants that the existing community radio under the SLBC banner is too rigid and they have failed to understand the social changes among the communicators. Thus there is a generation gap between the policy makers and the community radio activists. In community radio the main emphasis is laid upon cinema and songs. Empowerment of the society is lacking and there is very little contribution from the public. These stations need to be upgraded to work towards increasing the desire for broadcasting among the community they serve.

Most participants objected to FM frequencies being sold to the politicians and private companies, and the government’s lack of clear policy in allocating frequencies for community radio. In fact, the government tends to view free community radio as a challenge to their authority. Thus, the only community radio allowed to function are those which satisfy the government agenda.

Uva community radio facilitator Ajith Epa said: “ In Sri Lanka no community radio was started by the people. It was forced or purposefully started by the government. The intention of the government was not providing a platform to the public to express their voice, but localizing the government development projects”.

Internet radio operators Nelan Dahanayaka and Mahesh from Ransara and Prabavi internet radio said that no accreditation has been provided for the internet based community radio. Also, the acceptance among the government authorities for Internet based community radio is low and their listenership is also very low, only 5000 people listening per day. The models to bring the Internet based contents to the public has not been developed.

There was also discussion about whether it is feasible to create an Internet based community radio network across the island using the Nenasala Centres (community computer and internet centres provided by the government). Sri Lanka has over 650 Nenasala centers of which over 500 posses Internet facilities. Many of these are in rural areas. But there is no proper network and connection among them in order to share the community contents. So these types of centers can be networked or linked via a radio-streaming network.

Dr. Wanigasundara and the lecturers from the University of Kelaniya suggested the possibility of university based community radios, based on models from the Philippines and Australia (as discussed earlier in the workshop by Dr Seneviratne). Now the war is over in the country and terrorism is not a major issue as before, the government can issue the free licenses to universities. Thus, they recommended that this is an ideal time to start university based community radio. However, one lecturer warned that because of strong party politics among students on campuses there is a risk that student movements can dominate university radio for their own propaganda purposes.

Some of the participants, such as the Muslim group described how they have got windows on the SLBC and other radio stations to broadcast programmes produced by them, such as during the Ramadhan fasting month. One participant mentioned that a public service PR system is ‘broadcast’ by the Vauniya Bus station with local advertisement, and this type of model could be used for community radio.

The workshop ended with broader agreement that more such workshops should be held to galvanise community radio practitioners across the country towards collective action to initiate community radio products with or without broadcast licenses. In the latter aspect, the ICT agency may well be a good conduit to explore community radio networking via Internet, but with an interface to the traditional radio broadcasting technology.

A brainstorming with Lucy Hannah, UK.

Lucy Hannah is an audio producer, trainer, and radio drama consultant. She’s led and established sustainable radio/audio projects for the BBC and NGOs in areas of conflict around the world. Her recent projects include radio/audio projects with dramatists in Kabul, southern Sudan, and southern Africa. She was writer-in-residence at HMP Rochester, a young offender’s institute.

Recently, Lucy visited Sri Lanaka and had a brainstorming session with me and my friends on radio drama. She unlighted the conventional mine set on creating, Story lining, writing, producing and directing in to a scientific platform. She motivated us to realize that the radio drama industry in Sri Lnaka has to reconstruct its scope in terms of social development and incorporate modern strategies in terms of identifying its original format and influencing the vulnerable community. Thanks Lucy…..

Internews launches Radio drama, as the voice of the IDPs - 'Sorkkame Entralum', from Monday, on National Service.

Radio drama is a powerful medium of art to empower the vulnerable communities. It acts as a catalyst for social change and contributes to uplift the life standard of communities. People are given the opportunity to witness the realities of their life through radio dramas. Internews Sri Lanka network will broadcast a radio drama for the northern IDPs form today ward.

Sorkkame entralum is scheduled to be broadcast on weekdays on the National Service from 9.45pm as the part of the program called Meendum Valvom again produced by Internews. Each episode of the drama has the duration of eight minutes. The drama has 32 episodes. The story of the drama revolves around eight main characters. The IDPs as well as the Tamil speaking people of the country can listen in it on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from today.

The story of Geeta depicts the struggle of a poor girl who strives to defy her drunkard father’s order to forget her desire to continue her higher education. Uma is another character in the drama which portrays the story of a destitute teacher with an infant and whose husband has been missing due to the war. Sundar is wooing Uma. Raja is a flirt and seeks the love of every beautiful girl in the camp. Ravi had lost his properties and is a drunkard. He is enlightened by his daughter. Ponnamma, grandmother of Geeta, is the captive of the tradition and customs of the society and suspects her grand daughter’s ambition. Vignesh is portrayed as a blind person but endowed with a beautiful voice. He dreams of becoming a celebrity. Sella, an old man, is on a journey to meet his wife after fifteen years of separation. The above characters will enliven the drama by their poignant stories.

The senior artists, such as, Rajeswary Shanmugam, Sandraseharan, R.Yoharajan, Jawahar Fernando, S.Mahindakumar, A.L.Jaffir, Priyadharshani, and Shyalni have played the above characters. Many other artists have taken part in the minor roles. Various new technique and other methods have been used both in script and production of the drama.

Deputy Country Director of Internews Sri Lanka, Ms Manique Mendis maintained that Internews is pleased to contribute to the national programme to resettle the people of the North who have been displaced.

“Internews, which is committed to supporting media as a tool for social development in many parts of the world, has in this instance creatively combined modern international techniques of radio drama, with local themes to facilitate the resettlement process. Through this pioneering radio drama, internally displaced people will be gain knowledge that will equip them to adjust well to the process of resettlement and contribute proactively to national development”, she said
Internews is pleased to invite all of you to listen in the drama and enjoy moments of real life experience of the internally displaced people of northern Sri Lanka.
For further details please contact:
M.C. Rasmin
0773 667530
mrasmin@internews.org

Interview on Nethra TV on Srilankan Community Radio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOmdSx-KxPo

Opportunities and difficulties in Sri Lankan Community radio for empowering the Rural

Introduction
It has been noted that the efforts to establish constructive Community radio stations have almost reached 3 decades.7 Community radio stations have been set up so far , with the first one was inaugurated in 1986.Some of these have vanished on the same speed on which it was started. Some of them are almost at the latter part of their journey. Some of them have converted themselves into an income earning centers.

Hiranthuru kotte ( 1986 ) , Bulthsi-ravaya, Kotmale ( 1991 ), Uva Community radio ( 2003 ), Pirai FM ( 2005 ) ,Dambatheniya Community Radio ( 2007 ), Ran-sara web Community Radio ( 2008 ),Wayamba Community Radio ( 2009 )are some of the Community based radio stations which are in operation now.

Allegation
The people who have initiated these Community Radio services are conflicting with each other regarding the main objectives which are met so far. Therefore, the attention of some foreign intellectuals has been drawn into this issue. The Government has not taken any clear stand in this regard. The people who fund these projects do not understand the real impact of the Community Radio stations. This has raised the question on how the development of the Sri Lankan villagers possible through Community Radio stations?
Common Features

At present there are only 2 web based Community radio stations in operation. One of these, terminates its broadcasting at 6.00PM.This has been the debated point up to now. The other radio station does not have a definite time of broadcasting. Anybody can download the program at any time and listen. The radio stations such as Pirai FM have been converted to a commercial radio. Even the community programs will not be broadcast without any sponsors. Community Radio stations except Uva radio, do not broadcast community development programs at least half of the total broadcast time.

In srilanka, it is observed that, the broadcast time allocated for minorities in Community radio stations are not satisfactory. Many programs show that the producers do not have the potential and determination to produce programs with alternative views & comments.

Challenges
Many Community Radio stations which are initiated go against the basic concepts of the Community radio station. Mahaveli radio station could be quoted as one prime example. Many of these were inaugurated with short term objectives, political and development plans. It is a curse for the Community Radio station to depend solely on Sri Lanka broadcasting corporation for everything. Regional radio stations depend on Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation for purchase of equipments and salary payments.

The Ransara - Web based community radio still producing the program in order to create awareness on government army on their war effort. Also, there are not even a single program is been broadcasted based on Community in Ran – sara Community radio. Most of the youngsters believe that broadcasting is an art which can focus only Local politics, war related news with the mixture of entertainment as sriLankan broadcasting culture become highly politicalised.

Government doesn’t have clear policy in allocating frequencies for the community radios. Hence, the intention of the government is that free community radios may become negative challenge for the existence of the government. Although some community radios function, they obviously function in satisfying the government agenda.

it is important to think, there are no Collective efforts in the past to make awareness on community radio and express the alternative Voices on the rigid policy of the government.

The founder members of the community radios in srilanka such as Thilak Jayawardana, Sunil rodrogo, Ajith jayasingha, Vijeydasa hevage, sunil vijeysinghe are really become frustrated on the continues failure on in empowering the community radio.


Proposals
Identifying the strategies for the sustainability of the Community radio, Stressing the government policy with some collective effort, Listing the failure elements of the Present Community radios and finding out the reasons, Improving people participation, adding at least minimum some units on CR in the media syllabus, Plan full training and research are some proposals to short come this issue.

Immaturity of readership of the rural student in Sri Lanka and the obstacles they face in accessing the global knowledge – Abstract

Immaturity of readership of the rural student in Sri Lanka and the obstacles they face in accessing the global knowledge – Abstract

BY – M C Rasmin, ICTA, 164/24, Kirimandala mavatha, Colombo 05, Sri Lanka. rasmink@icta.lk

Introduction

Reading is the life wire of human thought. It is also the easiest way to gather knowledge¹. Many research articles on how to change man into a new person have been published. There are many indicators of readership not having grown to the required level among the rural folk in Sri Lanka.

It can be said that reading problems and the lack of interest in searching for global knowledge caused by such problems could be stated as a serious obstacle to obtaining knowledge about city and global order. There are many deep-rooted reasons for this situation among rural folk of Sri Lanka. These have so far not been brought to light at top level. The school, house or residence and so on cause lack of the growth of readership among Sri Lankan students.

Indicators of low reading habit

Lack of interest in reading, inability to read, poor global knowledge, wrong hobbies, poor general knowledge, lack of interest in day-to-day affairs can be mentioned as indicators of low reading habit. (For further details: Dorothy J. McGinnis and Dorothy E. Smith, Analyzing and rating reading problems (1982), page 14.

Evaluation of the knowledge level of rural students – some problems

Enthusiasm is a component of knowledge. The basic assumption in research and development plans put in place in Sri Lanka is that the Sri Lankan rural student population has low enthusiasm. But there are differences in enthusiasm between the rural student and the city student of Sri Lanka. While the rural student lacks insight into the outside world it cannot be said that he/ she has no enthusiasm.

The rural students are greatly enthusiastic about agriculture, fisheries, rural commerce, cookery, home gardening, childcare, dairy farming which are related to their lives. At the same time the city students are not even capable of washing and ironing their own clothes while most of them are good at handling computers, TV and modern gadgets. These students come to know about overseas events, sports and so on as when they happen.

Village students clean their toilets. When students of a village school were asked for the names of the US President and the Sri Lankan Prime Minister 90 per cent of them gave wrong answers. They had said that the Ranil Wickremesinghe was the current Sri Lankan Premier while George Bush the US President. When this two-pronged question was put to the city students 95 per cent gave the correct answer². From this it is to be concluded that the environment of rural students is less resourceful than that of city students from the point of view of knowledge about such matters.

Causes of low reading habit

The low reading habit can be looked at from the following three angles

01. School-related causes

02. Home-related causes

03. Environment-related causes

Due to primary education not being properly imparted in rural schools two generations have been kept away from the urge for reading. As a result of teachers with a low level of education and less interest in reading being appointed to serve in these rural schools they encounter much difficulty in whetting the reading interest of their students. Not even one out of 10 schools has teachers qualified in language³. Reading rooms and computer centres are few in number and less efficient⁴. There was an incident where the computer room had been subject to damage by termites due to it being kept closed and not opened. In another school of the same zone the free connectivity made available to the school had not been used even by a single person for two years. The reading and the computer rooms remain closed most of the time. The teachers fear that if students enter these facility centres they will part with some of the equipment therein or cause damage to them. In most schools the resources are scant.

One up-country school has been operating in a hut for four years⁵. The state of the communication equipment too remains similar⁶. The teachers have a false perception about the students and their parents. They label the students derogatorily as dog (orphan / person without caretaker or guardian), buffalo (unintelligent person), tree (useless person), fool (person with no brains). Due to this students have lost interest in studies, reading research etc. (For more reading - Beatrice Avalos, Teaching children of the poor (1986), page 112)

Like the schools the libraries too have many drawbacks. Among these are: dearth of books, lack of books in the relevant language, non-availability of a qualified librarian, lack of orderly and professional library management, lack of contact of library between school and people. Since the teachers serve in the same school for 15 or 20 years like the students the parents too don’t have much esteem for the teachers. The students are distanced from the reading culture as a result of the lack of transport facilities, mal-nutrition, lack of education of parents, lack of proper motivation, people-friendly programmes of national media etc.

Some proposals for increasing the interest in reading - the conclusion

The following can be considered as some of the important proposals:- Integration of the school, village and students with the book-oriented structure; building up students’ talents, leadership, information and communication technology skill etc. with the school as the centre; reviewing the activities of the rural libraries, teacher replacements at reasonable frequency in a manner that the separation (hiatus) of students and parents from teachers will be minimized; while converting ‘Wisdom Outlets’⁷ established in the country into reading centres, ensuring that they are equipped with materials for world knowledge in the mother tongue; launching second language training / teaching properly through the e-society programme⁸; launching a project for raising the reading experience of students under the e-Sri Lanka⁹ initiative; provision of materials under ‘Silpasayura’¹⁰ in the mother tongues; integrating the student community with information and communication; setting up community radio¹¹ facilities where programmes that develop the personality of students; provision of the facility of mobile libraries for students with no libraries in their villages.

Footnotes

01. Agavizhi (Tamil Readership Magazine), Vizhuduhal Publication, Colombo p 32.

02. Field Research conducted at Monaragala ( a Remote village) and Colombo ( urban )

03. Field research conducted at Horowpothana, North central Province

04. Total Government schools in Srilanka are 9790 and Number of permanent libraries available is 4000. Total Privet schools in Srilanka are 87 and Number of permanent libraries available are 68. Total International schools in Srilanka are 87 and Number of permanent libraries available are 87.

05. Thinakkural Weekly, 2^nd week, Upcountry supliment.

06. Television available only 50 percentages of the schools and computer only 10 percentages of schools.

07. Thinakaran Daily, 2009 02 20

08. In srilanka There 650 Tele centers (Nenasala) available and 1000 centers to be placed up. Www. nenasala.lk

09. www.icta.lk

10. www.icta.lk

11. www.shipasayura.org

12. In Sri Lanka there 6 Community Radio channels’ functions without enough deeper conscious of Rural development.