Community Development Journal Advance Access published online on September 19, 2007
Community Development Journal, doi:10.1093/cdj/bsm036
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Community media: local is focal
Address for correspondence: Abhivyakti Media for Development, 31 A, Anandvali, Gangapur road, Nashik 422 013, India. email: abhivyakti{at}sancharnet.in, sakhanitin{at}gmail.com
Given the limited nature of global media with its emphasis on ‘infotainment’ driven by commerce, it has very little role in community development. We see the alarming and growing impact of the global media on the socio-cultural life of different communities in India. The rampaging growth of centralized distribution systems has not only undermined local expressions but is also loudly proclaiming its sole legitimacy and relevance. Where does that leave the diverse forms of local media that abound in our cultural landscape? Abhivyakti Media for Development, a Nashik-based Indian development communication organization, believes that local media forms have a vital role in shaping community life and its development. Abhivyakti has initiated a programme in the Maharashtra state of India that seeks to identify those who are already using some media forms in order to support them to participate in a loose informal network. This network mobilizes their creative energies to focus on the local and, in doing so, brings a host of diverse realities into public awareness and generates alternative nodal centres to distribute these voices and images. The programme is already shaping different possibilities and allowing them to emerge as viable alternatives for community empowerment.