• What shapes our views of the South? • Can we make a difference? Different types of information • Fundraising-information • South/partner-information • Organisation-informasjon • Global Education (North/South- information) POWERRELATIONS & REALATION Global Education is
Education that opens people’s eyes
and minds to the realities of the globalised world and awakens them to bring about a world of greater justice, and Human Rights for all. TheMaastricht Global Education Declaration (2002) Main target for Global Education • Changing minds to change the world “Despite producing fear of the big catastrophe, one should enhance the ability to be active even against the backround of fundamental doubts” Norway is our project country.
HELP ME!!!! I’m not
developed
Foto: Flickr: zetson (CC)
Why? • Aims: Norway contributes to global sustainable development • From promoting Aid to a more holistic North / South perspective. • The problems and challenges in the South are closely related to the issues and challenges in the North (powerrelations). • More than aid: environment, trade, developing country debt, global power relations • Important: North / South dialogue, and that awareness on conveying the views and perspectives from the South. Problem Objective
1. Perceptions of the South 1. Change ”TV-Aksjonen”
2. Academic unfreedom – 2. Membership in SAR 3. Saharawi students suffer 3. Stop Norwegian trade 4. War in Kongo - 4. Norwegian weapon control 5. Debt troubles in the 5. Delete Norwegian debt South 6. Stop the ETFA free trade 6. Students are oppressed agreement in columbia • Different levels of engagement • Alternatives the enables activity "There is no reason to try to understand these people. These dirty, ignorant people give birth to too many children. They will not work, they have no discipline. They destroy everyone chance they get. Every time they get some money in their hands, they use everything for drinking and foolish use. The help we give them, only give them more oppurtunity to be lazy and produce even more children. " English industrial worker about the Norwegians in the 1880s. Who shapes our perceptions of the South?
• Media: The ”Ks”
war, cathastropy, conflict and celebrities • Fundraising: Africa are starving - send money • Tourism: Safari, white beaches, exotic local communities Passive victims and Norwegian helpers UN failed, norwegian aid failed, only the celebrities can save the world now • "When I watch TV and see those poor, starving kids all over the world, I can´t help but cry. I mean, I´d love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff."
Mariah Carey The world is dissapearing
• Globalization does not provide broader coverage
• Fewer foreign correspondents – more news-bureaus • Coverage is conflict driven Safari i Africa Botswana, Kenya, South Africa & Tanzania - Safari holiday! www.AfrikaSafari.no
Poor children in Africa
needs your help! Become a “SOS- Fadder” now www.sos-barnebyer.no The aid organizations' presentations of the South
• Before 1945: exoticism, racial theories
and the primitive "other" • 60th century: liberation from colonial and developing optimism: Helping others to get it like us. • 70th century: System Criticism and solidarity. • 80s: does it work? • 90's, to today: Commercialization and Branding BRANDING • More marketing and information professionals • Added value • From crying to smiling children • Saving the world is a matter of charity, not politics. (many work with politics, but they dont promote it) Again: Passive victims and Norwegian/western helpers • Compassion fatigue information work tips
• Show people who act and do
something with their own situation • Let people talk for themself • South perspectives, a requirement for real and equal dialogue between North and South • Introduce people as individuals, not just representative of a group: full name, age • Talk about power relationships, not only "help" from North to South • show that people are positioned: Partners are not "neutral expert sources” • Information is a disipline • Show respect • Give people alternatives for action • Wake commitment: It works! Evaluated information work from Norad- recipients: • Effective • Focus on policies and conflictlines gives positive results • Aid-information overshadows critical Global education • critical but not self-critical. • Partners = "Voices from the South" that confirms the organisations own excellence • Strong aid-competanse, but not information expression is oldfashioned. Be careful-poster Ethical guidelines for North/South-information in Norway
• Words and images are
powerful weapons, don’t misuse them! Groups: • What category(s) is this information? • Give examples of at least one good and one critical remark? • How would you define the objective of this information? • Who is the actors in the text and how are they presented? • Is the information activating? How could it be activating?