Luis Lievano, Coordinator of Multimedios y Medio
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00:04 My name is Luis Lievano, I coordinate the communications workshop called Multimedios y Medio. Here we explore all the issues related to communication. We teach workshop in indigenous communities, radio radio, viedo, and oral narration. Everything related to oral communication as a mode of alternative communication. We have also produced a series of documentaries and a publication about graffiti. However, our main interest is the democratization of the media.
00:43 From this landscape, we have been able in the last 12 years to watch closely the process related to the democratization of communications in different regions in the country, particularly in Bogota. At first glance, what we see today is a very precarious panorama in terms of communications and democracy here in Colombia, and I’m sure in many other parts of the world. But here in Colombia, there have been a number of initiatives already for quite a lot of time, particularly in the area of community radio and television. It has had an interesting development, not the best, not the one we would had liked, but in reality, today in Colombia we can already speak of independent press agencies which have to do with processes of community television.
01:36 There is strong processes of community television in certain regions in the country such as Montes de Maria in the Atlantic Coast. There are also strong experiences of community television in indigenous communities. We have to highlight ACIN (the Association of Indigenous Councils of the North of Cauca). In reality more than ACIN alone, the radio projects of the indigenous communities in Cauca. This does not mean that other communities, for example the indigenous communities in the Santa Marta Sierra Nevada even though don’t have an organizing project such as what we see in Cauca, are developing communication strategies. There are about 5 people from the Arwaco community producing videos. They were trained by different organizations.
02:32 We can say that there is a movement, no too strong, in my view, but extremely important in some of the areas in the country. These are proposing an independent television, in a way opposing what is proposed by the big economic groups, in the country, which are not worth to mention. There are two main economic groups, which are the ones determining what is what we Colombians watch, and how we watch it. They also dictate the reality, which is the reality that the majority of Colombians watch.
03:18 In the case of the radio, radio has its own peculiarity. I believe that radio has grown proportionally in quantity in a more significant way than television. We can talk about a process of community radios, including in some cases whole networks. I mention again the experience of Montes de Maria, which includes radio, television, print media, and school radio stations. This experience has a perspective in which I am particularly interested which is communication as an element of transformation of conflicts. This is in a way the axis of our work here in Multimedios y Medio too, a methodology to understand communication as an element for the transformation of conflicts.
04:08 The experience of Montes de Maria has a lot to do with this. They have their own community television channel, their own network of independent radio stations, and in this moments the experience of Montes de Maria is articulated through other organizations in other networks in the south of the country, in Putumayo, in Caqueta, in Choco, in Narino, and in Valle del Cauca. We could say that this is the experience to show, even though it has had its own highs and lows. But to be more objective, I would say that 70% of the community radio in the country has been infiltrated either by religious groups, or by any or the armed groups, whether from the left of the right, and also by local politicians, the political class in the regions.
05:14 I’m very critical in regards to this, and I believe that community radio, in a large percentage, is not complying with the community objective with which it was born. This means that community radio stations in different regions in the country are somehow repeating the same consumerist scheme, the same cultural fashions, and the same points of view of the mass media, and the big radio networks. This is lamentable, but we should not be pessimists. There are some projects geared to raising the quality of the programming.
06:00 I believe that community ratio has to make an effort to compete with good programming. The only way to compete with commercial radio and the great economic groups has to be with good content. And good content does not necessarily mean “canned” productions, which is another problem of the community radio stations. Let’s say the main stumbling block of the community radio stations and of the community television channels has been the way in which they get “canned” programming. But independently of this “canned” productions, I think that there must be an effort to increase their quality, to do investigative journalism. But not only investigative journalism, as Jose Lopez Vigil, one of the fathers of community radio in Latin America said, but also a humorous radio, a sexual radio, an attractive radio, a radio that is capable of reflecting especially the great diversity that we are in Colombia. And many times community radio does not accomplish that.
07:15 I think that what we have, not to give you such a pessimist outlook, what we have is a challenge to make a good effort to fill with great content our community radio. It is important to give credit to an institutional effort. We have to say it, even though we also have reservations. The Ministry of Culture is supporting in a way a great effort for networking community radio stations. Here we have a big discussion about what is community because as I have said before, many of these radio stations are not really community stations. That’s why we’re talking about civil society radio stations. In this way, the Ministry of Culture is supporting an interesting experiment that implies programming workshops, and training to qualify these radio stations. There are interesting programs that involve environmental themes. The environment is a theme that never appeared in community radio before. They are working a lot with human rights themes.
8:30 I think is very important that they are now giving more participation to the children, and to women in this process. Anyway, we have to highlight this effort of the Ministry of Culture. And since we’re talking about institutions, we would have to look at the role of the Ministry of Communications. In terms of community and civil society radio in the country, there is a great vacuum in the five or six main capital cities in Colombia. Up to this moment we have not been able to legitimate, or rather legalize some frequencies for the radio stations of the big cities. In this way, two years ago, a radio collective here in Bogota suit the State and the Ministry of Communications, and the good news is that 15 days ago they pronounced a decree, of at least there was a pronunciation by the Ministry of Communications accepting the suit. It seems that in there will be a public licitacion for the community radios of the five capital cities of the country.
9:55 All this sounds really pretty, but we have to remain alert because what we understand is that the big economic groups know about this, and will try to get in there, to “fish out in mixed waters”. But anyhow, this is an interesting landscape. In regards to the community radio stations that are going start in Bogota, there will be four new frequencies. The challenge that us, the independent media makers, the community radio collectives, the ones that still remain, because there was a time where there were 10 to 12 radio collectives in Bogota. Of those, only 3 remain.
10:51 It is important to note that at this moment, we are designing a strategy to deal with the licitacion, to be able to compete not only with a budget and economic resources, but more than any thing with a solid programming proposal.
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00:00 (Broken signal) He talks about the fact that the Mayor of the City, Lucho Garzon has not supported these efforts, contrary what was expected.
00:29 All these efforts, this map that I have tried to draw, let’s say that communication is inserted in a wider landscape that has to do with the theme of censorship, and of the fundamental human rights. Under this perspective we have to say that we live in a climate of hegemony, not only fad by the big economic groups, the monopolies that determine communications as well, but also by the state hegemony. This state hegemony is expressed by the total censorship of any diverse expression be it by an indigenous community, a black community, a gay community or any organized community in any region in the country. Fortunately and contradictory, the assassinations of regional and community journalists has declined in the last two or three years.
01:50 But in any case, the reality of these communication efforts of the indigenous communities, or the black communities in the case of the indigenous communities, which I think is an exemplifying experience, one sees how during their protests during the indigenous councils, communications becomes quite important. I had the opportunity to be very close to this during ten months developing workshops. Communities such as the Paeces, and the Guambianos understand that communication is a very important component. I believe that if the is an organized community in this country that understands the importance of communication in their Life Project is the communities in Cauca.
02:58 I think that they have this very clear, not only as a protection mechanism. They go to the marches, the great marches they’ve organized, take their cameras, and tape a great deal of things. But beyond the cameras, it is a whole strategy that has nothing to do with radio or video. There is a whole communication strategy that includes also oral communication, what we call the living newspapers, and the “mensajeria”. Their organizing projects are communication projects. And I say this again, if any one in the country sees the importance of having a communications strategy in a development project, in a democratic project, is the community in Cauca.
03:50 And I say this again, in an authoritarian culture such as that of the Uribe government, which is already going to his second administration, this government is absolutely authoritarian, it is known as the government of the heavy hand. This was a slogan in his campaign. As a result, any opposition congressperson, any university leader that questions his government is accused of subversion, of terrorism, as if happened recently at the Javeriana and Andes universities. These two are not even state universities, these are places where the children of the privileged class of this country study. This is very telling.
04:50 There were a series of talks with Uribe at the Javeriana University, which is a Jesuit university, and at the University of the Andes. Uribe thought that because it was at these two universities, his audience was going to be quiet, and everyone was going to agree with him. What happened was that there was a huge discussion, and the president, against what everyone thought, ended up calling terrorists, incendiary, and subversive the young people that were simply asking him why people could not express their opinions in this country. It is an authoritarian regime that expresses itself no only against the independent media, no only declaring all the community radio and television in the country illegal, but also accusing any person of terrorism and subversion, be it a young Javeriana University student, be it a National University student, be it a woman, an Afro-Colombian, a gay person, a Gypsy, or anyone who opposes him. They all risk getting labeled a terrorist, a subversive, a FARC and a Revolutionary Movement ally.
06:10 The reality of these independent media projects, and the process of democratization of communication is at a crossroads, not only because of the authoritarian and vertical position of President Alvaro Uribe, but also because the conflict exploded. Fortunately at this moment the pot got uncovered sort of speak: the para-militarism and the influence of para-militarism in the social and cultural life of the country. We can’t deny this even if one has a leftist thinking. We can’t deny that the guerrillas have had a lot do in this. The Guerrilla itself has persecuted indigenous leaders, and community leaders. Guerrillas, just as para-militaries, have closed community radio stations, and have threatened journalists in the South of the country. This is why the panorama is very dark.
07:18 Because it is as we have said, the censorship does not come only from the government, but also from the armed groups and even from the economic groups, a little bit camouflaged in the different regions in the country. So in regards to censorship, we can’t say that there is a lot of hope. But in any case, there they are, the organized communities, questioning things, and making of communication a peaceful weapon, not a weapon to inflame the conflict. It is in this that I think many of the communicators in this country are working on, in the understanding that through the media we can propose a different country, and that communication can be a more productive tool than the war.
8:06 This is exactly what war is, the no-communication, the supremacy of one point of view over the points of view of a general interest. And communication can let us do that. And I say this again, communication does not only have to do with having cameras in all the indigenous communities, or to have school radio stations in all the high schools in Bogota. I think that communication is to build a culture, in which we can listen to one another, young people listening to the elders, men learning to listen to women, indigenous people learning to listen to us the mestizos. This is the kind of communication we are working for, an inclusive communication, a communication that includes all the points of view in this great diversity that this country contains.
09:15 Images of Bogota
11:05 If we continue with an analysis of what a diagnosis of communications can be, of the democratization of communications in this country, we should take a look at the landscape nationally and in Latin America. But before talking about the Latin American landscape, I think that there is a very important element that must be strengthened and build. It has to do with what we have called the “social control of the media on the part of the civilian society.” This does not mean that everybody has to have a television and video camera in every single neighborhood, in every single city in every single country in order to have a communication. I wrote an essay where I say: the more media does not guarantee a better communication.
12:03 Let’s say that a good communication, a democratic communication, one that is diverse, and inclusive, does not happen because all of us have the latest technology in radio and television. There is a very important part, and we have here insisted a lot in this, and is the capacity of the common person to be able to form a critical opinion of what he or she sees, or hears, because this is not about having cameras, but about having critical audiences. We want to have parents with their children, and teachers with their students sitting to analyze the television programs critically.
12:50 If we are complaining of that the big media conglomerates are homogenizing the cultural consumption and the points of view, let’s wake up, and let’s become critical people. We have to learn to understand what is what we are really seeing. As we say it here in Colombia, we don’t have to swallow it whole. We have to learn to digest, to learn to read the audio-visual language. This is important especially in a globalized time, today 2007. This is a time where in many households they have computers. We have to learn what is the real capacity of technology, but more than that, to begin to form a critical conscience in all of Latin America, and particularly in Colombia where we have to understand that there are other points of view, that what the mass media is telling us as the great truth, is not like that. This is something I think is very important in the construction of a democratic communication.
14:04 I say this again, a democratic communication is not to give high technology equipment to the communities. It has to do as well with the television and radio audiences, with councils of audiences. We have to say that fortunately here in the country, by law, each television channel must have a TV Audience Advocate. We are trying to get that for radio as well, so that every radio station get a Radio Audience Advocate and every audience member can question and can say these programs are not the ones I want to hear.
14:50 Beyond this, the fact is that there are also other alternatives that are growing, as is the case with Indymedia. Here Indymedia has had a great resonance. I think Indymendia is a model that must be replicated, that is still growing and that it still needs to finish its construction. I personally like the Indymedia model in terms of its production and distribution. As we have talked with Indymedia people here, we dream of having a network of independent Indymedia journalists in Colombia. And people are working around that. I don’t really know at this moment where is at. We should note the case of Aljazeera, which also has an official bureau here in Colombia. It is about this. We have to think about the combination of all forms of communication struggles,
16:20 experiences such as Aljazeera, as Indymedia, as all those independent channels in the United States and in other regions. In Europe and in Spain there is a great movement of independent television and radio. I think they are increasingly necessary in this world in which the great authoritarian voices of Bush, or of our president are the ones primarily heard. Fortunately it seems that the world is understanding that the warring position of these personalities is not the position of the rest of us, of the great majority. That’s why is so important that there are more Aljazeeras, more Indymedias, more Telesur.
I have personally worked with Telesur for the past 10 months. I think it is a very important project, but I think it is insufficient. I think that Telesur remained in paper, but it is not what we are seeing in television at this moment. This is not necessarily bad. I think that Telesur has a State tint and is not so clear how it play in Colombian television, and it continues to have a vertical position. There are themes, for example I had problems, not problems, but there such as homosexuality, which is documentary that I produced for them, it was questioned, I had to edit it out because this is a theme that has no relevance for them. They are only interested in political themes. For my taste, cultural themes are not being developed in their programming.
18:00 This great Latin American cultural richness is not sufficiently told in Telesur. But in any case, I think that Telesur has to grow, and I hope there are more telesures, and I wished we also had a Radiosur, a Latin American radio network. We are dreaming about this, thinking about a network, especially now with the new technologies or digital radio and the internet, and I hope we can build a civil society Latin American, aqnd transcontinental radio project.
18:57 In any case, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to people in Venezuela, and in any case, civil society radio, community radio is rapidly growing in Venezuela with the new Communication’s Law that president Chavez has established lately. Let’s hope that this Communication’s Law permits diversity and that it doesn’t become, which is the fear that many have, not mine, that it may be a proposal that may end up being totalitarian. I don’t think that this will be the case, but I hope that we can participate in its construction. We are even talking of exchanges of civilian radio with Caracas, and our hope is that these new developments in communication as a way of expression could actually happen, especially with this new socio-political map in Latin America. Countries like Bolivia. Bolivia has a wonderful network of indigenous radio. Also in Peru. Colombians have a lot o learn from the indigenous and community radion in Peru. In Ecuador there are important experiences in community and indigenous radio and television.
20:00 I believe that this landscape is right now quite interesting, it’s not too clear, but it is part of that vitality and that reality in Latin America and in Colombia. In the same way that there are great obstacles, there is also people working, and I think that this is where this thing is heading. We have to build networks of independent radio stations. I am going to end this by naming a case of which I am a part, which is a network of university radio stations that is being weaved at the moment, which is yet another model. We’re going to have a series of programs on literature and Latin American books in Colombia. This is a model, which is in its pilot phase, but we think that it could work at a Latin American and transcontinental level. To be able to make Colombian literature visible, Uruguayan literature, Argentine, Chilean, Mexican, to see it in the whole continent, everywhere. Because, when one speaks of literature, and I end with this, the theme of democracy and communications is connected to the theme of books. I think that a Latin America, in a Colombia that is literate, is going to be more democratic and pluralistic. But the cost of books in Latin America is exceedingly high. As Galeano would say, when books are not forbidden by censorship, they are forbidden by their cost. In this way, let’s hope this experience of the university radio contribute to bring the price of books down, and to have many Latin Americans, and many Colombians reading better, and reading more.