Articles

Participatory Content Creation: Voice, Communication and Development

Jo Tacchi, Jerry Watkins and Kosala Keerthirathne

Development in Practice, Volume 19, No. 4 & 5, pages 573-584, 2009

This article uses the example of a mobile mixed media platform – a converted three-wheeled auto-rickshaw – in Sri Lanka in order to explore whether and how content-creation activities can enable marginalised communities to have a voice. It draws upon research into participatory content-creation activities conducted in 15 locations across India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The main findings are: the need to pay attention to context when thinking about what might be locally appropriate, relevant, and beneficial in terms of participatory content creation; the benefits that can be gained from creatively reaching out to and engaging marginalised groups and encouraging a diversity of voices; the usefulness of locally produced content for generating local debate around local issues; and the benefits of encouraging participation at all stages of content creation, so that content is locally meaningful and might lead to positive social change.

Action research practices and media for development

Jo Tacchi, Marcus Foth and Gregory Hearn

International Journal of Education and Development Using Information and Communication Technology, 5(2), 2009

This article uses the example of a mobile mixed media platform – a converted three-wheeled auto-rickshaw – in Sri Lanka in order to explore whether and how content-creation activities can enable marginalised communities to have a voice. It draws upon research into participatory content-creation activities conducted in 15 locations across India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The main findings are: the need to pay attention to context when thinking about what might be locally appropriate, relevant, and beneficial in terms of participatory content creation; the benefits that can be gained from creatively reaching out to and engaging marginalised groups and encouraging a diversity of voices; the usefulness of locally produced content for generating local debate around local issues; and the benefits of encouraging participation at all stages of content creation, so that content is locally meaningful and might lead to positive social change.

Voice and Poverty

Jo Tacchi

Media Development, 2008/1

There are at least two areas of work that can be considered to be attempting to bring issues of ‘voice’ to the fore in international development and development communications. On the one hand there is now an established body of work on participatory approaches to understanding poverty, which is concerned to let those who experience poverty tell those who do not what this experience is like, rather than have external ‘experts’ assess it from afar. On the other hand, in the fields of development communication and ICT for development there is growing attention being paid to the local production of content. The first is about the need to listen to the voices of the poor in order to both understand and tackle poverty. The second is concerned wi th promoting a diversity of voices through media and communications.

More than Books: A Study of Women’s Participation in Community Libraries in Rural Nepal

Kirsty Martin and Sita Adhikari

Journal of International Women's Studies, 9(3), 241-255. 2008

In Nepal there are clear gender roles and accompanying expectations about male and female behavior in social spaces. Based on these expectations and traditions there are key obstacles to local women’s opportunities to be active participants in social life. The creation of two community libraries in village Nepal in 1999 and 2001 has created opportunities for women’s involvement in community-based activities and programs. Through their involvement in library activities, women gain access to education, information and communication and the opportunity to learn about financial matters. This paper explores the impact that women’s involvement in the library has on their overall community participation. It also explores the potential of the library as a vehicle for important ‘grass-roots’ social change.

Poverty and Digital Inclusion: Preliminary Findings of Finding a Voice

Andrew Skuse, Joann Fildes, Jo Tacchi, Kirsty Martin, Emma Baulch

Delhi. UNESCO. October 2007

This paper presents preliminary findings from a multi-sited qualitative study of poverty and information and communication technologies (ICTs) in India, Indonesia Sri Lanka and Nepal. It draws upon data gathered by 12 ethnographic action researchers working across 15 community ICT initiatives. These local, 'embedded researchers' are part of a larger international project called Finding a Voice: Making Technological Change Socially Effective and Culturally Empowering, which includes UNESCO (South Asia) and UNDP (Indonesia), in partnership with Queensland University of Technology, the University of Adelaide and Australian Research Council, along with numerous local and regional organisations.

Finding the Local Community in Community Media: Some Stories from Nepal

Kirsty Martin, Deepak Koirala, Rupa Pandey, Sita Adhikari, Govinda Prasad Acharya and Kiran MS

Delhi. UNESCO. October 2007

This paper presents preliminary findings from a multi-sited qualitative study of poverty and information and communication technologies (ICTs) in India, Indonesia Sri Lanka and Nepal. It draws upon data gathered by 12 ethnographic action researchers working across 15 community ICT initiatives. These local, 'embedded researchers' are part of a larger international project called Finding a Voice: Making Technological Change Socially Effective and Culturally Empowering, which includes UNESCO (South Asia) and UNDP (Indonesia), in partnership with Queensland University of Technology, the University of Adelaide and Australian Research Council, along with numerous local and regional organisations.

Participatory Research and Creative Engagement with ICTs

Jo Tacchi and Jerry Watkins

This presentation reports preliminary findings from the Finding a Voice project, an ethnographic investigation into the development and consequences of participatory content creation programs in underserved communities in India, Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The project explores how information and communication technology can be used to enable both civic and cultural participation, and creative engagement within such communities. The research is informed by Ethnographic Action Research and Participatory Design methodologies, as well as observation of local communicative ecologies.