Community based media for the promotion of citizen information

The project “Community based media for the promotion of citizen information” was launched in 2011 by the e-joussour web portal, FMAS and co-financed by the European Union. Essentially, the project seeks to develop community based media in Morocco and throughout the wider Maghreb and Middle East region. The project itself is structured around two main trajectories.

• “Diagnosis and advocacy”: this is the first component aiming to study the legislative framework concerning community based media, it equally seeks to collect recommendation made by civil society. This will take place in sight of developing an advocacy service to reform the communication sector, in order to guarantee such values as, freedom of opinion, pluralism, respect for ethics, deontology and the openness of the media field for community based radio. The latter of the values is to be considered within the context of the Arab Spring in favor of establishing democracy and respect for human rights.
• “Electronic media”: this will reinforce the technical and ethical capacities of civil society actors, as well as promote and facilitate community based media and broadcast alternative, relevant and accessible information. This will tale place through the implementation of a training program and a conference with key national and international actors.

Together these two components will be used as a source of proposals and meet the needs and requirements of associations and social movements.

Regional Discussion Groups

As part of this project, e-joussour web portal has organised discussion groups with civil society actors for the establishment of a community based media in Morocco. From April to October 2011, a series of six regional seminars in six cities across the country (Rabat, Zagora, Tetouan, Nador, Eljadida, Laayoune) were organised. Thus, around 500 civil society activists, journalists and researchers in the field of media gathered for a analysis of the media landscape and discuss the strategy of advocacy needed in order to reform the communications sector, so that it guarantees the emancipation of the audiovisual landscape for community based media and in particular radio broadcasting.

Conference on “Community based radios” for the promotion of citizen information Marrakech 5-8 December 2011

Continuing from the regional seminars, e-joussour is organising on the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th December 2011 a conference in Marrakech. This will be in collaboration with the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) and will be backed by the International Media Support (IMS).

The purpose of this conference, supervised by international experts is twofold:
 

• On the one hand, the objective is to establish an advocacy strategy in light of the clarifications that will be made by international experts;
• On the other hand, the objective is to provide technical support for the establishment, management and facilitation of community based radio and civil society in Morocco.

Equally it will be an opportunity to:
 

• Present a summary of the six regional meetings “Spotlight on the establishment of community based media in Morocco", organised for the benefit of civil society from all regions of Morocco;
•  Present results of the study “Analysis of the legal framework governing the landscape of Moroccan media,” the memorandum, the Bill and specifications for community based radio;
• Outline the concept of the web radio, “joussour” which aims to be a participatory spokesman for Moroccan civil society, and that will support the advocacy campaign.

The closing of this meeting will mark the official launch of the web radio, “joussour”, as well as dissemination of the study and the inauguration of the advocacy campaign for the adoption of a legislative framework guaranteeing the existence of community based radio in Morocco.

Find more information in our special folder:
http://www.e-joussour.net/fr/node/9516