Women's Empowerment and Good Governance Through - amarc

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Best Experiences for an Action Research Process 58 Chapter 10: Women Governance and Community Media: Challenges for Women’s Governance in Community Radio By Oumy Cantome Sarr (33) The issue of women’s governance in community radio should no longer be taken lightly. It is a pressing demand, because women confront developmental issues on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this is not well understood in Senegalese community radio stations, where women’s issues are slow to acquire gender-sensitive content and vision. And yet women are numerous in community radio, though only two women direct radio stations; the great majority of them prefer positions hosting music programs. It is as if all of the debate stirred up by the feminist movement and civil society were not their priority. For, in their remarks and programs, the image of women in media still remains negative. Currently, the feminist movement in Senegal has begun a debate on parity in decision-making positions, focusing on local entities. It is there, moreover, where community radio stations must mobilize in order to influence communities. For this to happen, however, they must better understand and respond to these issues. Radio stations also are important decision-making entities that can help women appropriate, learn about and exercise power. This also assumes that these women be well-informed and participate in the debates and reflections both at the national and local levels.
59 Best Experiences for an Action Research Process For our part, we have our own strategy, investing our energy in all activities linked to our editorial line. Furthermore, our activism is such that we are involved in much reflection and participate in many radio and television debates on both public and private networks. This gives a different quality to our image and contributes to educating the public. The proog of this is the animated debate on the very day of the vote on the parity legislation, as well as, in other opportunities, in favour ofreinforcing the arguments in defence of parity despite the existence of an organized religious lobby are proof of this. Another three-day internal reflection allowing Manooré FM’s writing staff to share their thoughts on the issues of parity. It is common knowledge that in May 2008, Senegal will elect rural, municipal and regional councillors, and there must be an equal number of women and men. We have therefore just launched a campaign on “Women, Citizenship and Governance” to better accompany these local elections. Radio will be a forum for political party leaders, their activists, civil society and women’s organizations, in order that women participate fully in the decision-making bodies. These will also be powerful moments in which the life stories of politically active women will be recounted. The role of women in political meetings and parties will be revisited and analyzed using a gender perspective. In this same vein, Radio Manooré FM just finished a reflection on “Women’s Rights and Communication” in which issues related to citizenship and to governance were taken into account. For five days, Manooré mobilized urban and rural community radio stations to raise this question and to look at how a woman from a community radio station can bring her grist to the mill. The challenges are still enormous for women parity with men. They can be summarized as the strengthening of women’s capacities in community media, of their commitment as activists to the feminist cause, on a better knowledge of women’s environment and on emerging current issues, and also as a strategic positioning of community radio in public action through citizen control. We consider that the major issues of women’s governance of community media continue to be women’s lack of communication and leadership skills, and these are key to changing mentali-
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Women's Empowerment and Good Governance Through - amarc

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