Rethinking development communication

Abstract

PrefaceDevelopment Communication has been a topic of concern for us atnAMIC almost since our founding. Our first seminar on communicationnand change was organized 15 years ago. That seminar was followed bynmany other regional and sub-regional conferences and seminars, monographs,noccasional papers and journal articles.While practically all developing countries have come to accept communicationnas an instrument of policy and as an integral part of developmentnplanning, the experience of the past 25 years has prompted seriousnquestions about the validity of the concept.Despite the investment of much time and scarce resources in communicationntechnology, the benefits seem shortlived and illusory andnthe beneficiaries are often not the intended or the deserving. One Asiannscholar has concluded that 'the present process of development . . . has qunderdevelopedq a majority of individuals and groups especially innThird World nations'.The disillusionment in Africa is even greater. 'The post-war II period,' says an African scholar, 'saw the world in an optimistic mood about thenprospects for the economic take-off of new and developing nations. Thenmedia were also seen as important stimulants in the expected developmentnprogrammes . . . In a majority of the developing countries, however,ndevelopment falls short of projections in spite of the handsome investmentnin modern media . . . the best that could be said was that some kindsnof communication went with some kinds of development in some social situations.' He concluded that 'as an area of academic scholarship, developmentncommunication has seen its best years and is now a deadn(or at least a dying) field'.AMIC's decision to hold a Consultation on Development Communicationnresulted from discussions with the World Association for ChristiannCommunication (WACC), London. They played an active role in givingnshape to the programme and we benefited from their deep insights andnexperience.The WACC has, in recent years, been an active and supportive partnernin AMIC's efforts to further the cause of communication in Asia. Wenwere glad to be joined at the Consultation by the Rev. Carlos Valle,nWACC's General Secretary. His presence, he said, was an expression ofnWACC's concern for a more just, liberated and peaceful world and fornsolidarity with all those who werenworking in the field of communicationntrying to achieve the same goals.n n n n