Before the challenge of reconstruction
Angola’s civil society can be characterised as incipient and relatively weak. Angolan NGO’s were born out of an emergency context and they struggle with lack of means and qualified human resources. They experience utter dependence from external financial resources. They are vulnerable to governmental pressures and face therefore a deficient level of articulation between themselves and with international networks. All these factors make it hard to create a civil society’s "agenda" for the country’s future, despite a growing level of awareness within the NGO’s.
State media have until recently monopolised the information market but some independent media, such as radio and weekly newspapers, started being developed. Notwithstanding their precarious financial and human resources, associated with governmental pressures, private media have taken steps towards informative pluralism.
As a tool
The project we initiated is a media project for reconciliation and reconstruction. The aim is to strengthen the role of civil society through the use of the media as a tool for the consolidation and democratic participation of the Angolan civil society in the post-conflict long-term period.
The aim of the mission was to obtain information on the needs and situation of Angolan NGO’s and media and to capacitate them in order to improve mutual relations and strengthening.
"Bringing two strangers together"
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| Seminar participants |
With this purpose a training seminar took place during the week 8-12 September 2003 with NGO’s members and journalists. There were 26 participants in the seminar.
The methodology included a brief theoretical part to provide basic knowledge on fragile States and the international system, but it was eminently practical and participative.
The course was divided in three parts:
- Journalists. On the use of journalistic techniques and types.
Practical exercise: production of an eight-page press supplement on the theme ‘National Reconciliation’ and preparation of a 25 minute radio programme on ‘The Angolan society before the elections’. - NGO’s members. On the importance of adequate information management and use of media to disseminate NGO’s knowledge, actions and agenda.
Practical exercise: elaboration of press notes; preparation of interviews; preparation and simulation of a radio debate on the elections. - Journalists and NGO’s together. Evaluation of both groups’ strengths and weaknesses; present and desirable relationship; improvement and mutual reinforcement.
As a result of the course, several of the participants took part in a live debate on Radio Ecclesia at the end of the last session, with the theme "Angolan Media and Civil Society before the general elections".
A payment relationship
Both groups started with a very negative perception of each other, which was reduced as they began debating and became aware of each other’s limitations. This led to very interesting debates, with a high level of participation and interest.
One of the most positive aspects of the course identified by the participants was the opportunity to develop a dialogue between the two groups, alongside the awareness raising on the importance of co-operation between them for the national reconstruction process.
For example, there hasn’t been a defined strategy of contact between NGO’s and the media from both sides. NGO’s usually conceive contact with the media through a payment relationship – to buy radio time or a page in a weekly. On the other hand, the media see NGO’s merely as providers of services and for this reason they are not considered a priority source of information.
A negative side highlighted was the lack of time for a more profound development of the course’s themes, with particular emphasis on communication techniques and elections debate. For this reason, they unanimously demonstrated a strong interest in the realisation of future courses with participants from both sectors, where members from other civil society organisations or even members from more open political parties can be present.
Background information on failed states theory:
Daniel Thurer, The "Failed State" and International Law(1999). -The_Failed_State_and_International_Law.PDF (199 Kb)
Robert I. Rotberg. 'The New Nature of Nation-State Failure' in: The Washington Quarterly(Summer 2002)85-96. - The_New_Nature_of_Nation-State_Failure.PDF (68 Kb) Mónica Rafael is a researcher at the Peace Studies Group (University of Coimbra, Portugal). monicarafael@hotmail.com
Mabel González Bustelo is a journalist working with the Peace Research Centre (Madrid, Spain). mabelgonzalez@teleline.es
