Communication for Reconciliation and Human Rights
This project is to be implemented in two regions afflicted by a high rate of armed conflict (Eastern Antioquía and Caquetá); this makes them a stake in communication for tolerance and reconciliation. Another point is the need to create and develop free and responsible journalism, and to improve the training of regional and local journalists on the matters of violence. Citizen radios have been installed in areas selected so as to amplify local and regional public audience. Thanks to community radios, there is now a greater recognition of public issues, and public debate has been promoted. In 2000, the Ministry of Culture of Colombia declared that the citizen and community radios were a cultural expression of Colombian nationality. There is a great need to guarantee better ways of informing the public, and this is where community radios can be extremely effective. What this project proposes is a training for the community and citizen radios, in the sub-region of Eastern Antioquía and in two villages in Caquetá, considering the social processes that are taking place in these regions to address two essential elements for the construction of a sustainable peace: the promotion and defence of human rights and the development of reconciliation processes. This training will be organised in two ways: the training of the audiovisual production personnel of the radio stations, addressing the issues of human rights and reconciliation, and the collaboration of social organisations and local communities with the radio stations, so that the issues really come from the communities, and thus respond to their need of information.