National Community Video Summit 2016:

'Capturing Local Voices and Strengthening Democracy for Development'

Mainstream media has its own struggle and difficulties in catering all the segments in a country. As a result of this global reality, we have excluded communities, voiceless, unheard and underrepresented in Sri Lanka. Therefore, Sri Lanka needs a strong community video journalism as an alternative form of media that could cater this excluded segment, said Mass Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilaka.

He was speaking at the first National Community Video Summit, held last Sunday at the Sri Lanka Foundation, under the theme 'Capturing Local Voices and Strengthening Democracy for Development'.

Partnership

The summit was organised by Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum (SDJF) to mark its three successful community video training programs implemented in partnership with Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, Prathiba Media Network, Matara, and American Cultural Centre, Kandy.

The summit brought together more than 200 independent video journalists including experts from mainstream media, development agencies, civil society organisations and academia to discuss the potentiality of Community video as a media to keep citizens informed, shape their perspectives, facilitate people participation in democratisation, and help the citizen's to play an active role in fostering wider justice and accountability.

Nicole A. Chulick, Counsellor, Press, Cultural and Educational Affairs, Embassy of United States for Sri Lanka and Maldives and High Commissioner of Canada in Sri Lanka Shelly Whiting also took part in the event.

Minister Karunathilake noted that community video journalism as an alternative form of people's media is produced by the community and for the community. It is used globally to promote conflict resolution, free expression, social and behavioral change, local knowledge, critical thinking, democratisation and rural development.

Community video has the potential in bringing local stories on right-based concerns such as rights of women, children and migrants. It also helps the community members to reach out to policy makers. It allows people to participate in media production. In community video journalism, people are the writers, editors, and producers.

In a traditional media context, the audience is treated as customers, and consumers. But within community video journalism the audience is treated as stakeholders and active contributors. This kind of journalism increases the media literacy of the civil society as well, he said.

Session

The panellist expressed the need of community video journalism to have recognised by the policy. In chairing a session on community video - making it a media for people, Dr. Pradeep Weerasinghe noted 'Community Media, particularly community video journalism needs a welcoming environment in Sri Lanka, and the Sri Lankan government is committed to create such an environment. Speaking further he added that mainstream media must not be seen as the only avenue to disseminate the video's produced by community video journalists while it's an ideal for the mainstream media to have a lot allocated for community voices.

Chaminda Karunarathne, Director, News, Swarnavahini noted that community video journalists should be informed understanding the role of a journalist in a context where the community he or she lives in crisis. He also emphasized issues around women, youth, children, and migrants can also be addressed using community video.

Nicole A. Chulick, indicated that summit sounds a milestone in the field of video journalism to promote people voice in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Raguram from the University of Jaffna raised a perspective that giving or talking employment opportunities should be taken as a final destination of community video journalism. Community video journalism is something that should survive in the community as an integral part of it. It should come up in a time of need.

Reality

Prof. W. A. D. P. Wanigasundera, Chairperson of SDJF noted that the commercialisation, globalisation and politicisation are threats for many mainstream media. And this is a global reality and not an issue specific to Sri Lanka alone. Within such a context we also need a media that could represent all segments of the community regardless of their diversity, and not treat people as just recipients, particularly women and children as not just victims.

Such a media should also vividly capture the positives of the community and culture, build a united identity respecting diversity, and make people's voice louder.

As a part of the summit Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum launched Sri Lanka's first community video newswebsite www.ivoice.lk, and made it to the audience that community media is not just the voice of the voiceless. There is no voicelessness but desperate silence.