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In Other Words... the Cultural Dimension of Communication For DOCUMENT RESUME ED 370 145 CS 508 573 AUTHOR Boeren, Ad TITLE In Other Words...The Cultural Dimension of Communication for Development. CESO Paperback No. 19. INSTITUTION Centre for the Study of Education in Developing Countries, The Hague (Netherlands). REPORT NO ISBN-90-6443-140-X PUB DATE 94 NOTE 219p. PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) Information Analyses (070) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Cultural Context; *Culture; *Developing Nations; Developmental Programs; *Development Ccmmunication; Foreign Countries; *Intercultural Communication; Intercultural Programs; *Interpersonal Communication; Mass Media; Mass Media Role; Program Evaluation IDENTIFIERS Educational Media Role ABSTRACT Based on literature research and personal experiences gained in Africa, this book pays attention to the cultural and educational aspects of communication for development in developing countries. The book addresses the many pitfalls of communication and the factors that have an influence on the effectiveness of communication. The first part of the book provides an overview of the changes of development strategies in the last few decades and describes the practice of communication for development in the field. The second part of the book discusses the intricate link between communication and culture and the way it influences the practice of interpersonal and mediated communication. Part three deals with media and their educational potential. The fourth part of the book pays attention to the steps involved in the planning and implementation/production of communication events, programs, and materials. The fourth part of the book pays special attention to the importance of pre-testing, monitoring, and evaluation in this process. A 25-item dictionary of concepts and a bibliography containing about 200 items are attached. (RS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** 04. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office ol Educational Research and improvement "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS EOU ATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY This document has teen reproduced as received frorn the person or organization originating it. kt_a_ _s C Minor changes have Peen made to improve reproduction quatity Points of view or opinions slated in this docu- meet do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." \ nem min MIMI &E g The task of the Centre for the Study of Education in Developing Countries (cEso), as its name implies, is to contribute to the study of the problems involved with education and development in the Third World. cEso also offers consulting services with respect to policy issues, field projects and the evaluation of educational training programmes. A specialized library offers extensive information about education in the Third World. CESO Kortenaerkade 11 P.O. Box 29777 2502 LT DEN HAAG The Netherlands Tel. (070)-4260291 Telegrams NUFFIC Telex 35361 nufic n1 Fax (070)-4260299 Language correction: Corry Donner, Athabasca Communications. C) 1994 Centre for the Study of Education in Developing Countries (cEso), The Hague. The author is responsible for the choice and presentation of the facts contained in this document and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of CESO and do not engage the responsibility of the organization. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except for the quotation of brief passages in criticism. CIP-GEGEVENS KONINKLIJKE BIBLIOTHEEK, DEN HAAG Boeren. Ad In other words... the cultural dimension of communication for development/Ad Boeren The Hague: Centre for the Study of Education in Developing Countries (cEso).(cEso paperback: no. 19) Met lit. opg. ISBN 90-6443-140-X Trefw.: communicatiemedia; Derde Were Id. CS CESO PAPERBACK NO.19 In other words... the cultural dimension of communication for development Ad Bocren 4 Acknowledgements I would like to dedicate this book to my late father, Sjef Boeren and to the late Marina Maspero, communication expert and gifted visual artist, with whom I had the privilege of working together in my first long-term assignment in Africa. Many people can be held responsible for my interest in anthropology and communication. I would like to single out a number of them. Two I would call the 'spiritual fathers' of my studies at Leiden University: Dr. Adrian Ger- brands, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, who impressed upon his students the importance of audiovisual techniques in the study of material culture, and Dr. Dirk Nijland,lecturerinvisualcommunication, who introducedhis students to the theoretical dimensions of visual anthropology and drilled them in skills of audiovisual recording and reporting. The third is the late Hergé, creator of the famous comic strips on the adventures of Tin Tin. These stories unveiled, before the invasion of television, a world of fascinating places and cultures to young readers like me. Then there are a number of scholars who, in particular, have been a source of inspiration. They include Edmund Leach, Paulo Freire, Andreas Fuglesang, Marshall Singer and Arthur Asa Berger. I would like to thank the director of CESO. Prof. dr. Leo Dubbeldam for encouraging the staff of the centre to do research and publish. Finally, I wouldlike express my thankstoLisette van Hu 1st,Jan van Nieuwenhuijsen and Kees Epskamp for their willingness to comment on the draft of the manuscript and for their many useful remarks and suggestions. Contents Introduction 9 I. Development 15 I. Modernization and self-reliance 17 The key to progress and development 17 The alleviation of poverty 19 Problem solving and human development 21 Empowerment and self-management 21 Closing the circle 23 2. In the field and out of touch 25 Extension 26 Expectations 26 In the field 28 Improving the system 31 Out of touch 34 Different training 37 II.Communication and culture 39 3. About meaning 41 Common understanding 42 Information carriers 44 Non-verbal communication 44 Meaning 46 Context 48 The impossible model 51 4. Wishful thinking 53 Source 54 Receiver 57 Content 60 Coding and decoding 60 Objective 62 Medium 63 Format 64 Context 66 Location 68 Timing 72 Duration 73 5 6 Shared backgrounds 74 Summing it up 74 5. The influence of culture 77 Culture is confined to groups 77 Culture constructs reality 78 Patterns of thought are culturally determined 81 The structures of language and discourse 84 The power of values 86 Roles 92 Communication is culture 96 6. Visual perception 97 Cross-cultural studies on perception 98 Major findings 100 A literal view 101 Focus on details 103 Motion 104 Pictorial conventions 105 Drawing styles and picture quality 109 Colour and contrast I 1 1 Sequencing 112 Symbols and abstractions 113 Knowledge 114 Conventions in film 115 Better results 117 III. Media for development 119 7. The media and their educational potential 121 Classifying the media 122 Levels of conventionality in the media 125 Learning objectives 126 Educational potential of media 128 Advantages of a media mix 133 Lessons to keep in mind 135 8. The media in rural, development 137 Television 138 Radio 140 Audio cassettes 145 Film and video 148 Slides and filmstrips 153 6 7 Printed media 154 Traditional and popular media 159 Multi-media campaigns 163 Summing up 166 9. Choosing the right medium 167 Circumstances 167 Utilization 170 Familiarity 171 Costs 172 Choosing the right medium 174 Media and interpersonal communication 175 IV. Planning and evaluation 177 10.Communication planning 179 Determining the topic of communication 180 Determining the target audience 181 Baseline survey an..1 communication objectives 182 Specification of the communication activity 183 Inventory of infrastructure and communication resources 183 Selecting the appropriate communication support and media 184 Development of communication support and materials 184 Pre-testing of the proto-type 185 Production of the instructor's brochure 185 Training the field agents and instructors 185 Mass production and dissemination 187 Ongoing monitoring and evaluation 187 11.Pre-testing, monitoring and evaluation 189 Pre-testing 190 Process evaluation 195 Final evaluation 196 Impact evaluation 197 Concluding remarks 198 Epilogue 199 Dictionary of concepts 205 Bibliography 211 About the author 229 7 Introduction About a decade ago,I gave George May a ride, who, at that time, was a senior agricultural extension officer at the Nhlangano Farmer Training Centre in the South of Swaziland. When we were passing through the main street of Nhlangano he asked permission to lower the window. He had spotted some farmers from the area and wantedtotakethe opportunityto'extend' information to them. I did not have to reduce speed, as he would shout the message to them. So we travelled through the busy street while George May leaned out of the window loudly reminding the farmers that it was time to plant SR52, or something of that order. Later on, when Irecounted this experience to some of his colleagues,I was in for more surprising stories. They depicted George May as a powerful personality with an extraordinary and unique approach to extension. Gifted with an impressive posture and a powerful voice, he used to climb the highest hillin the area which he had picked for a field visit and shouted his extension message in all directions to the farmers working in the fields below. On days when the farmers came to the district town for shopping, he would position himself at the bus station, interrogating 'his' farmers before they entered the departing buses; he would ask them why they left without buying seeds or fertilizer as they had been advised to do (by him), and would send them off immediately to the nearest shop to rectify their 'negligence'. Despite this rather authoritarian approach, he was very much respected by the farmers. Maybe the fact that he was a leading figure in one of the many religious groups in the district was a contributing factor.
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