edition-dw-akademie-in-the-service-of-the-public-functions-and-transformation-of-media-in-developing-countries-pdf

Part III Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador: Three Examples From Latin American Community MediaBolivia, Colombia, Ecuador: Three Examples From Latin American Community MediaPublic broadcasting has not played an important role in the last three decades in Latin America. Therefore, this chapter focusseson the social contribution of independent non-profit community radios, usually organized by civil society. Three stations areanalyzed: Radio Pio XII in Bolivia is historically one of the first community media outlets. Vokaribe, in Colombia, shows the innovativeside of community radio today when used in an urban context and with a focus on youth culture. Finally, as a rather newprivate radio station with a community orientation, the case of Radio Intag in Ecuador gives insight into the challenges facingcommunity radio when it takes a stance defending the local environment against extractive megaprojects. Community radiocan make a very significant contribution to pluralism in media, to empowerment of local communities, the construction of multipleidentities, the sense of local belonging, and the defense of human rights, especially the right to freedom of expression andaccess to information. Although often under pressure, it compensates for profound gaps in the mainstream media landscape,where state media so rarely fulfill a public service function, and where the concentration of media leads to a unified and simplifiedimage of social reality and even discrimination.Media development organizations need a more strategic and comprehensive approach for community radio, embracing thelegal and political framework, the strengthening of national and international networks for radio communities, the facilitationof knowledge management processes, and the support for selected community communication projects. However, in spiteof the fact that community radio stations fulfill important public functions of social integration and the building of a publicsphere, they can and should not be a substitute for public service media.Public service broadcasting has not played an important rolein the last three decades in Latin America. Therefore, thischapter focusses on the social contribution of communityradio, as independent non-profit broadcast media, usuallyorganized by civil society. We begin with an introduction toLatin America as a region, will have a look at the media landscapeand describe then briefly the rise of community radio inthe Latin American region. Based on three concrete examplesof community radio stations in Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador,we analyze different aspects related to the public servicefunctions of these stations and the contributions of mediadevelopment partners. The chapter concludes with some reflectionson how to enhance the potential of community radiowhich often turns out to be an underestimated and evendespised bottom-up democracy promoter.Latin America – A Brief OverviewLatin America refers generally to 21 countries of the Americaswhere Spanish or Portuguese as well as indigenous languagesare official languages. The population of this sub-region is estimatedat more than 500 million inhabitants and its surfacearea comprises approximately 20 million km 2 . UN organizationsand development agencies generally divide Latin Americainto South America (e.g., Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador), MiddleAmerica (including Mexico) and the Caribbean countries(Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Puerto Rico). In the lastdecade the middle class in the region has grown by 50 percent,and extreme poverty diminished significantly, according to aWorld Bank survey. 1 Latin America is now becoming a middleclassregion, but historical challenges related to social inequity,violence, and lack of good governance persist.Latin America is (still) not a politically and economically integratedregion comparable to the European Union or the USA.A country like Brazil, an industrial power and airline manufacturercannot be easily compared with smaller countries likeNicaragua or Honduras. However, social scientists still findthe concept of Latin America useful, based on the fact that theregion shares strong social and cultural traditions and institutions.When analyzing the media sector there are importantreasons to maintain a regional perspective: There are manysimilarities in terms of the role of the private media, the emergenceof community radio, the expansion of regional mediaenterprises, and patterns of cultural consumption, includingpopular music and soap operas. 2For the community radio stations in Bolivia, Ecuador,and Colombia we are going to analyze, it is useful to takeinto account three aspects, which are also valid for the entireregion: cultural diversity, economic dynamism, and increasingself-confidence.Cultural diversity refers first of all to the indigenous peoplesin the region, who are descendants of the original inhabitantsof the Americas and were colonized and subjugated by theSpanish and Portuguese. Nowadays, there are still more than40 million people living who identify themselves as a memberof one of the 600 indigenous peoples or nations of the continent.3 Indigenous people are important political players inthe region, especially in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guatemala,and they are recognized, along with transnational organizations,within the UN system. However, in spite of someachievements in political representation and legal reforms,extreme poverty in Latin America still has the face of indigenouswomen and children. 41Ferreira 2013, 1.2Merayo 2007.3IWGIA.4Hall & Patrinos 2012, 344.Edition DW Akademie In the Service of the Public 231