🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi this message was sent to me by a new member of devmedia. I'm
forwarding it here, 'cause I think this is where it was supposed to go in
the first place.

Kent

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Kent Wakely                                    Internet: kwakely@uoguelph.ca
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 18 May 1994 10:55:12 +0200 (SAST)
From: Mr Attlia Alpman - PG <ALPMAN@mtb.und.ac.za>
To: listserv@uoguelph.ca
Cc: kwakely@uoguelph.ca
Subject: Re: SUBSCRIBE DEVMEDIA ATI ALPMAN

Dear You    (how do you address a listserv?),
thanx a million for your amazingly efficient and friendly response.
there's a few of us here reading you now, gathered stupendously
around our first marvellous encounter with the information age. I
(ati) am (as are the others) a student at the university of natal in
south africa. i first heard of AMARC thru Justine (akman-i think),
who visited us some time ago - if anyone meets her: say Hi. Like most
others I was struck by a) the fact that AMARC actually exists and b)
that your sets of principles were very similar to our Anti-Apartheid
paradigm as community-based-organisations and development NGOs.

i must admit that i'm more interested in video and television in
development, which is why i'd like to ask a few more questions -
Please excuse my ignorance, but we are still a bit overwhelmed.
>How could i obtain more information on what subjects or projects both
Videazimut and Development Support Communication are and have been
engaged with.
>I'm writing my Honours thesis on (and want to plunge my career into)
the possibility of establishing local TV (preferably With radio!)
that seeks to optimize participation and has a strong "developmental"
agenda. For some strange reason, i seem to think that technology is
becoming increasingly affordable and the monopolistic conviction of
our south african "public" brodcaster is probably the main obstacle
in the way of greater plurality in the broadcasting.
The media environment does have immense potential for change right
now as Apartheid structure (and culture) is allegedly being broken
down - this is probably the best time for lobbying and concrete
feasibility studies. Further, some post-liberation policy-makers
are very sympathetic to both participatory research and
communications development, which should make the lobbying all that
much easier.
There are already several local groups engaged in community,
development and educational video and TV [ i had been involved in
community newspapers and have done AIDS (intervention) research with
participatory video]. What we do not have is a model of affordable,
sustainable and replicable low or minimum budget broadcasting that
could just as easily be placed in an African rural or peri-urban
environment. Most foreign or settler critics frequently ridicule the
notion of TV and Video in "Africa proper", but my own experience
somehow tells me differently - that why my crusade-ish tone.

I'd like any information on my quest and will grant anyone the
warmest hugs in cyberspace once e-mail goes 4D.

thanx again,ati