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Documentary films about:
Media Development in Mozambique

 When Mozambique was about to move out of the (externally imposed) civil war running from a few years after the 1975 liberation from Portugal and until the peace accord was signed in 1992, the new democratic constitution was already approved in 1990 and the next law to be passed was the 1991 Media Law. At the time one of the most democratic media legislations in Africa. This bold move was a testament to the well-organized journalists, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to usher in a democratic media framework after years of a socialist, one-party, government-controlled media only.
 
Development partners joined hands with the new Mozambican multi-party government in the work to transform the media reality – along with development work in many other sectors of the country. A major UN managed multi-donor project ‘Strengthening Democracy and Governance through Development of the Media in Mozambique’ (UNESCO’s biggest media development project ever at the time) took the lead in the transformation and development of many of the different aspects of turning a socialist media reality democratic, in partnership with numerous other, smaller sectoral and thematic media programmes. EMPOWERHOUSE’s founding director, Birgitte Jallov, was the manager of the project for six years (1998-2004).
 
Due to the uniqueness of the situation, where government, journalists, media houses and their managers, media educators and donors all joined hands in the ‘re-invention’ of the Mozambican media landscape, UNESCO decided – with the partner approval – to document the process not only in reports but also in small thematic documentaries. This series is now digitized and presented chronologically hereunder. Whereas the films were conceived by the project management, they were realised by the Mozambican ‘Ebano Multimédia’. Some of the project’s publications: research reports and manuals, can still be found on the website.
 

Where nothing else is mentioned, the films are presented English versions.

The six documentaries can be found hereunder – they are:
 

Community Waves – Starting Community-owned Radio (60 min

This documentary follows the first important stage of developing the foundation for real community-owned media within the ‘Media Project’: community mobilisation of three first partner communities one from the south, from the centre and the north of the country.

“Community Waves” follows the first two and a half years of mobilising the three communities in question, supporting them in their efforts to set up associations, to draft strategic plans, to train the large groups of volunteers, in both formal and informal programmes, and to acquire physical installations and equipment. Towards the end of the film, the equipment begins to arrive in the quite impatient communities.

This history is also available in this book written by Faruco Sadique.

Listen to the Women – Women in the Media in Mozambique (2002)

In ‘Listen to the Women’ 6 women journalists from Mozambique, through their stories show that in 2003 a woman’s place was still considered to be in the home, and that women working in the media were considered invading men’s turf. Through personal choices and struggles – only one of the 6 women is still in a relationship – the women interviewed share why they find it so important that a woman’s place is also in the media.

‘Listen to the Women!’ A 2003 documentary about women in the media in Mozambique. The film is partly based on the research report: ‘”Let Women have a Say Too. Why are so few women in the media? Why are women’s views not reflected in the media?” Mozambique. 2003. Ruth Ayisi with Birgitte Jallov. (42 Minutes)

The Challenges of Sustainable Growth – the dilemma of small newspapers outside Maputo! (2003)

In 2003 pluralism in the media area was still a luxury, concentrated in the capital, Maputo, where 59 newspapers and magazines could be found against 22 unequally distribute throughout the country’s 10 provinces. But in the northern provinces of Niassa and Nampula,  Faisca and Wampula Fax cover stories not found in national media, and they contributed to increased debate around issues of development and of importance for the consolidation of a young democracy. The documentary shares the reality of the two papers, their successes and challenges – and in this way the ‘Media Project’s’ work to strengthen diversity and a more open, plural and independent media reality – also in the newspaper sector.  (25 min)

The Women’s Community – on Creation of a Women’s Community Radio Network in Mozambique (2004)

This documentary covers the issues women in 2003 were faced with when wanting to engage: many were shy and uncertain about the technical and content aspects; others were not allowed by their husbands to work outside of the house. The vivid discussion during the festival is in the documentary intertwined with an interview by one of the radio women with the UNESCO/UNDP project’s manager, Birgitte Jallov, who was the behind-the-scenes initiator of the women’s festival and in the project’s work with community media.

This Portuguese original of ‘A Women’s Community’ takes you to Mozambique, 2003, where women from the country’s then 42 community radio stations met to share experiences and ways of strengthening women in community media in Mozambique through the creation of a national network. (23 minutes)

Read more about the seminar and about women in community media in Mozambique in April 2003.

FORCOM, Mozambique’s Forum of Community Radio Stations. An Exercise in Democracy (2005)

In 2004, the environment of community-owned community media as platforms for civic dialogue, debate and action in Mozambique, was turning 5 years old and it was time to join the 42 stations in one national movement for strengthened advocacy, capacity building, fundraising and information sharing. The association was called FORCOM: the Forum of Community Media. The four different lead community media facilitators met in Chimoio, in the centre of the country, to agree on an organisational framework, agree on core principles, and to elect the leadership. The four different groupings were made up by the state-run Social Communication Institute (ICS), the Catholic Church, the UNESCO/UNDP media project and other civil society supported initiatives. The documentary presents how the well prepared and in-principle-agreed organisational development process turns dramatic, when the provincial delegates of the ICS, accustomed from pre-peace times to be local leaders, chose to bring forward a position that they would only join, if ICS would be the FORCOM leadership. Have a look to see how it develops! Today (2024) FORCOM remains the coordinator and supporter of the independent stations with close collaboration with the Catholic Church. The ICS-run stations withdrew to remain state-run stations, directing stations to – at least on occasion during earlier elections – expect that the stations cover only FRELIMO candidates and positions. Democracy is beautiful, important – and complicated. (25 min) For a detailed presentation of the whole process before and after the events of this documentary, read more here: “Community Radio and Community Multimedia Centres – a brief history” (2015)

Community Waves – five years later (2006)

The roll out of independent community media started in 1999 supported by the UN system and a series of non government organisations. Along with the state and the Catholic Church, the basis was set for a dynamic development process of citizens’ own communication channels. Platforms, from where communities – and all their communities within the community – could identify and challenge questions of importance in their lives. In this way many communities and individuals moved from being objects decided over by others to subjects setting the agenda of debate on their premises and to achieve their rights. The first ‘Community Waves’ documentary (2001 – also available on this youtube channel) described the intense work to mobilise and engage at first three communities to ensure that the community broadcasters would not simply copy the media ways known from public and commercial media (until the peace and democratic constitution in 1992: state media), but to develop organisations and programming formats reflective of MY community, MY culture, with MY language and MY neighbours and community. This documentary: ‘Community Waves 2006’ presents what happened in four of the communities supported by the UNESCO/UNDP Media Development Project, once on air: Did the communities and their citizens change? Were the dreams and hopes realised? (59 min)

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EMPOWERHOUSE’s Birgitte Jallov has since her academic work on the liberating potential of radio for women: “A counter Image in Sound” (Roskilde University 1982, MA thesis) continued to document her experience and thinking as a ‘reflected practitioner’ in the area of media development, press freedom and communication for development – always with a strong focus on the situation, role and potential of women. Many of her books and articles are included in this overview.

DOCUMENTARY FILMS

Birgitte Jallov, EMPOWERHOUSE, is a story teller with a lot to share. Birgitte has done this in writing and through documentary films. While she did all in her early films from preparation, filming to editing and distribution, Birgitte has in her latest films been the initiator, script writer, fund raiser and producer. Birgitte has served on several film jurys in the area of films for development. The list of her main titles is just a click away.