1. Target Gutahuka: The UN’s Strategic Information Intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Author
-
Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob
- Subjects
disarmament ,Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, Sicherheitspolitik ,Psychological intervention ,Peace and Conflict Research, International Conflicts, Security Policy ,Empathie ,Ethnic conflict ,conflict management ,050109 social psychology ,Rundfunkprogramm ,post-war society ,ddc:070 ,lcsh:Communication. Mass media ,Nachkriegsgesellschaft ,Civic engagement ,Sociology ,Democratization ,Social science ,Political science ,Rundfunk ,Medieninhalte, Aussagenforschung ,dialogue ,Demokratisierung ,Communication ,05 social sciences ,lokale Kommunikation ,Demokratische Republik Kongo ,broadcast program ,Public relations ,lcsh:P87-96 ,Personal development ,ethnischer Konflikt ,Meinungsbildung ,Konfliktregelung ,dialogue entre Congolais ,Hörfunk ,Democratic Republic of the Congo ,Versöhnung ,Politikwissenschaft ,0507 social and economic geography ,UNO ,broadcasting ,Information policy ,Media Politics, Information Politics, Media Law ,demobilisation ,Media Contents, Content Analysis ,050701 cultural studies ,Medienpolitik, Informationspolitik, Medienrecht ,opinion formation ,repatriation ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,empathy ,News media, journalism, publishing ,information policy ,business.industry ,ethnic conflict ,Dialog ,democratization ,Focus group ,radio ,Gutahuka ,reconciliation ,local communication ,ddc:320 ,Publizistische Medien, Journalismus,Verlagswesen ,business ,Informationspolitik ,peace process ,Friedensprozess ,Repatriation - Abstract
This paper examines the nature and impacts of two information intervention radio programmes broadcast on Radio Okapi - the radio service of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A matched randomization technique was used to assign Rwandan Hutus and Congolese autochthons in South Kivu to listen to either of the two programmes within their naturalistic contexts for 13 months. At the end of the treatment, participants’ perceptions of barriers to peace; descriptive and prescriptive interventions; victimhood and villainity; opportunities for personal development and civic engagement; and knowledge of repatriation processes were assessed in 16 focus groups across four contexts. The study concludes that international media intervention programmes that provide robust information and a platform for objective analyses within a multiple narrative and participatory framework can enhance greater engagement with nascent democratic reforms, positive perception of long term opportunities for personal development and empathy with the ethnic Other. (author's abstract)
- Published
- 2016