By Thomas Tufte, Roskilde University Presentation given at seminar: ‘Media and Citizen Engagement – experiences from Kenya and Tanzania’ Nairobi, 7-8 May 2014

Today’s presentation Youth, communication and citizenship: conceptual reflections Introducing civil society driven media platforms The case of Femina Political context Strategy, identity and mode of operation Navigating colonial and post-colonial discourses of awareness-raising and modernity Conclusions

Enacting citizenship Social Movements and Insurgent Politics ‘in a world marked by the rise of mass self- communication, social movements and insurgent politics have a the chance to enter the public space from multiple sources. By using both horizontal communication networks and mainstream media to convey their images and messages, they increase their chances of enacting social and political change – even if they start from a subordinate position in institutional power, financial resources, or symbolic legitimacy’ (Castells )

Disjunctions of Citizenship - the ménage of exclusion ‘the state is today unable, and/or unwilling, to promise its subjects existential security (‘freedom from fear’, as Franklin D. Roosevelt famously phrased it) (Bauman 2010: 65)’. When the state acts in this way, the individual citizen is left to his own, unable to obtain existential security, that is unable to obtain and retain ‘a legitimate and dignified place in human society and avoiding the ménage of exclusion’ (Bauman).

Human Security Human security as freedom from fear describes a condition of existence in which human dignity is realized, embracing not only physical safety but going beyond that to include meaningful participation in the life of the community, control over one’s life and so forth (…)Thus, while material sufficiency lies at the core of human security, in addition the concept encompasses non-material dimensions to form a qualitative whole. In other words, human security embraces the whole gamut of rights, civil and political, economic and social, and cultural (Thomas 2007: )

Assumption: Human (In)Security this concept helps us understand: The subjective position from which many marginalized people speak and act Conditions of existence fundamental for agency and communiction The social reality citizens live in, and the socio- physic situation this reality produces Helps produce a parameter for the quality and scope of civil society driven media and communication initiatives

Civil society driven media platforms - the new darling of development communication - Normative (ideological - peoples’ organizations, prevalent in the 70s and 80s) - Issue-Driven (fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa in the 90s – now focus is on new issues) - Networking (Transnational Advocacy Networks – ie the Global Justice Movement in the 00s) - Crowdsourcing, mobilizing and aggregation initiatives – re-invigorating local/national/global governance and accountability processes

Communication for Social Change and the proliferation of edutainment strategies Significant experiences growing out of years of HIV/AIDS communication Soul City (1992) ADRA (1991/2003) Straight Talk Foundation (1993) N’weti, Pakachere, Scenarios from Africa… … and Femina

Key research questions What civil society sphere does Femina seek to construct in its attempt to provide space and opportunity for civic engagement of Tanzanian youth? How does Femina navigate between it’s identities as an NGO, a social movement and a conglomerate of media channels? How does it define and related to its contituency ‘Tanzanian youth’? How does Femina as a civil society media platform contribute to young Tanzanian’s civic engagement?

Methodology 12 weeks of fieldwork over 6 visits between Participatory observation in office, seminars, clubs Interviews FGDs with youth from secondary schools

Political culture in Tanzania - looking back REDET Study 1994: 72% of the respondents did not discuss political issues 80% expressed their fear in scrutinizing government officials and their actions 70% still depended on the government to solve their day- to-day problems’ (Killian 2008). Since then: democratic development, media development, civil society development. In this context, Femina evolved from 1999 and onwards.

Citizen Engagement in 2011? Aisha: When I grow up, I want to be a member of parliament, to be a minister! Why do you like politics? Aisha: I like it because most of the politicians are corrupt, so I might eliminate it. Joyce: We believe them in a very few percent…maybe 20% (Mwanza, March 2011)

Femina today… Organizing and mobilizing for public sphere engagement: ‘It was early morning…. (p.1)

Femina Media Outlets Fema Tv talk shows Radio drama 600+ Femina clubs Interactive website Facebook group(s) Partnership with organisations Distribution through approx schools

FEMA FEMA. A glossy magazine, 64 pages, copies published 4 x a year Targets youth aged especially secondary school students in every region of the country

Femina HIP: A youth-oriented communication initiative ‘On entering Femina HIP’s top floor headquarters…’ (p.6)

Popular culture and participation in content production Street language Youth ‘icons’ on the cover (music, sports, politics) National representation (covering regions) Community outreach in story development, foto novels, national events, club input E-feedback and dialogue (Sms’s, mails, fb, twitter) Youth advisory board Cultures of entrepreneurship and farming

NGO, media vehicle or social movement? Following the elections…(p. 8-9)

Who is Femina engaging? The ‘Femina Family’ Readers Listeners Viewers Club members Partners Who then, can Femina claim to represent when speaking to opinion formers and descision makers, as in the case of the Constitutional Reform process?

Building supportive environments and telling real-life stories Combination prevention: sexual health and life skills, citizen engagement and economic empowerment = ‘a gender empowerment and rights-based approach’ P. 12…

Conclusion: opportunities Systematic listening in order to develop themes. Factoring in the contexts youth live in Build trust and empathy – a key principle. Are reasonably participatory Establish long-term institutional collabs (schools) Develop ‘discursive spaces’ Promote further establishment at local level of such spaces Achieve high degree of popularity, readership and viewership. Thus, achieving reach, and political clout. Long-term commitment/beyond campagning

Conclusion: opportunities Go beyond behaviour change communication….enging in dialogue, participatory practices, a ‘liberating’ pedagogy, advocacy and social action Process-oriented more that results-focused

Conclusion: challenges Constructing strategies that: Enable human security to evolve…Femina works mainly with the immaterial dimensions, although not exclusively Enhance citizenship using mass communication and ‘mass self-communication’: achieving voice and representation Push the boundaries of critical debate and citizen engagement Influencing policies

Media, Empowerment and Social Change – issues for discussion How do strategic communicators handle issues of fear, insecurity and negotiation of identity? How far can civil society organizations move in articulating citizen engagement. Bottom-up >< Top- down processes. The balance between tools and issues, and between communication, organizing and mobilization for social change.