RE-THINK (to RE-ACT)! Perspectives from Mozambican Community

Multimedia Centres

Sara VanniniIPID Symposium 2011

Lugano, CH

What is my purpose here?

• Speak about RE-ACT

• Discuss about what I want to do for my PhD

• Ask for your feedbacks

RE-ACT: What it is about

Investigating Social Representations of

CMCs in Mozambique to find possible

misalignments in their conceptualizations.

Rega, 2010

RE-ACT: What it is about

Misalignments previously identified:

1) between the founding organization and the community;

2) between the founding organization and the local staff.

RE-ACT: What it is about

Misalignments previously identified:

1) between the founding organization and the community;

2) between the founding organization and the local staff.

SUSTAINABILITY FACTOR

Social Representations: HOW?

Sample selection:

10 CMCs (out of 34), chosen by crossing factors as location, ownership, year of foundation and variety of services offered.

Social Representations: HOW?

• Field Visits (Observation)• Semi-structured Interviews• Photo-elicitation

•

Social Representations: HOW?

• Field Visits (Observation)• Semi-structured Interviews

• Identity: structure, history, goals, models...

• People (Staff & Visitors)

• Experience in the CMC

• Services (offered, used, wished)

• Context (community, media access)

Social Representations: HOW?

• Field Visits (Observation)• Semi-structured Interviews• Photo-elicitation

• What they liked at most

• What could be improved

• What the CMC represented for them

•

Social Representations: HOW?

• 241 Interviews (110:50:49 hours)• 361 Photos

What is my purpose here?

• Speak about RE-ACT

• Discuss about what I want to do for my PhD

• Ask for your feedbacks

RE-THINK: what do they think?

• Content Analysis of the Interviews

• Grounded Theory?

• others?

• Photo-Elicitation Analysis

• Content Analysis?

• Photo Semiotic?

RE-THINK: what do they think?

• Content Analysis of the Interviews

• Grounded Theory?

• others?

• Photo-Elicitation Analysis

• Content Analysis?

• Photo Semiotic?

RE-THINK: what do they think?

• Content Analysis of the Interviews

• Grounded Theory?

• others?

• Photo-Elicitation Analysis

• Content Analysis?

• Photo Semiotic?

RE-THINK: First Impressions

Interviews:

Not many inter-group, rather significant intra-group misalignments.

RE-THINK: First Impressions1):

The idea was to install a Community Radio and a Telecentre together to take advantage of the synergies between the two components.

The project wanted to proof that it was possible to create a venue (in the rural areas) where everyone could access information, even of the world out there.

RE-THINK: First Impressions2):

It was a new experience at that time, it was not only to bring the radio, but also the telecentre, put them together to see how it worked. The idea was to give Community Radios some ways to sustain themselves, and this peculiarity of telecentres came out. And also, we thought about making the information arrive to the communities.

RE-THINK: First Impressions

Interviews:

Not many inter-group, but rather intra-group misalignments.

RE-THINK: First Impressions

Photos on representations:

- emblems

- tree

- tools

- community

... a plant we cannot let shrivel: we have to water it to make it grow and make the garden beauty. So the centre gives beauty to the community and to our district. It’s a reference point for us.

Carla, Chókwè

... a toolbox: it guarantees that the centre is working. Mainteinance is my life and the life of the telecentre, because the knowledge I have regarding this toolbox, I can use it here, but my knowledge... wherever I go, it comes with me, it won’t be the same one but the toolbox is here, in my head. This means that bread is also here, here is where my bread is.

Rosário, Chiure

I went up there to photograph the community: This is to be able to explain to myself that I am here to serve the community.

Ivete, Morrumbene

RE-THINK: First Impressions

Photos on representations:

- plant

- tools

- community

- emblems

What else I would like to do

More in-depth linguistic analysis on some parts of the interviews.

• highlight similarities and discrepancies;

• investigate the possible repetition of “learned patterns”.

Questions!

• Content Analysis:

• Recommended Methods?

• Photo-Elicitation Analysis:

• Content Analysis + Photo Semiotic... what else

• In-depth linguistic analysis:

• Theories? Methods?

THANK YOU! Perspectives from Mozambican Community

Multimedia Centres

Sara Vanninisara.vannini@usi.chwww.newmine.org