How to enhance the freedom of expression in a dictatorially governed country? How to motivate governments and telecom enterprises into opening up rural areas to the Internet? Which steps should be taken to give a voice to critical investigating journalists in Mozambique without putting their lives at risk?
These problems are all connected with the issues of freedom of expression and universal access to information. MISA has developed the Advocacy Toolkit in order to encourage journalists, human rights activists, lawyers and others to stand up for their rights and campaign and lobby together.
"You can’t get all that done on your own," as MISA director Luckson Chipare stresses in his introduction: "Change does not happen without action and it is we, the citizens of the region, who have the power to break down the barriers that impede freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, freedom of dissemination, freedom of information and the right to access and use of media, information and communication technology."
Transparent
The Advocacy Toolkit is a cheerfully designed, transparent box - the size of a briefcase. Apparently a playful reference to the official world of attaché-cases holding the Bills that curb the media. The case contains, among other things, an exercise book for participants and a trainers’ manual.
In order to ensure maximum circulation MISA has put the educational material on a CD-ROM, which contains the various declarations that have been adopted internationally in support of the freedom of expression as well as other background documentation.
In addition, the case contains audio-visual campaign material, such as a cassette tape, posters and stickers. With the help of the CD-ROM, examples of this material in English as well as Portuguese and Kiswahili can be downloaded.
Underlying law
The students are offered an explanation of the concept of ‘advocacy’. The authors make it quite clear that not everything can be called advocacy. When, for instance, MISA uses its Legal Defence Fund to buy the freedom of detained journalists, it renders a service; it is only when it stages a campaign aimed at changing the underlying law that makes it possible for journalists to be detained without fair trial, that one can actually speak of advocacy.
Pictures and stories of successful media campaigns show that citizens can make their influence felt. A picture from Zimbabwe shows how citizens, armed with banners, took to the streets in great numbers in 2002 in order to cry out against the registering of journalists.
Cynics may put forward that there was no point to these actions in Zimbabwe, judged by the increasing numbers of journalists that have been detained and the prevalence of compulsory registration. Yet it remains important to motivate social movements into standing up for their rights, in order to prevent fear and resignation from taking the upper hand.
Sometimes one should opt for other lobby techniques, the compilers say, dependent upon one’s objectives, the social context and the opportunities at hand. For example, silent diplomacy, supported by thorough research reports, can be effective as well, as is illustrated by a case from Zambia.
Gender checklist
Of course, the gender perspective hasn’t escaped notice in the toolkit. By means of special assignments the necessity to review the gender aspect of media is pointed out to the students. A ‘gender checklist’ helps them to look critically at the media and improve the representation of women in the media in southern Africa.
After this more theoretical part the students set to practical work, developing a campaign model, preparing press releases, or mapping the major adversaries and potential partners. However, the latter aspect is paid rather little attention to. In countries with underdeveloped democratic institutions, the presence of networks in civil society is essential, as is the mobilisation of a vocal critical mass.
Unfortunately relatively little attention is being paid to methods aimed at establishing a lobby network and motivating social movements into collective campaigning. In contrast, a great deal of attention is being paid to the design of large-scale campaigns, illustrated in the material by a lot of practical examples.
Every media organisation in southern Africa, or rather in other regions as well, should have its own copy of the Advocacy Toolkit. Let us hope the box will travel on to other African countries in order to strengthen the much-needed lobby for media and democracy there as well.
To order:
The box can be ordered at: MISA RS, 21 Johann Albrecht Street, Private Bag 13386, Windhoek, Namibia. Advokit@misa.org
Yvonne Heselmans is a project officer working for NiZA’s Media Programme, and specialising in advocacy issues. Yvonne@niza.nl
