Do community radio stations achieve the levels of representation and community engagement that they claim? This article describes the experience of the Hamro Lumbini (‘Our Lumbini’) series in Nepal, developed in response to differing local views on the development of the Buddhanagar World Heritage Site (WHS). The programme received positive feedback for its inclusion of local voices and the opportunity it provided to comment on and shape future local development. It was criticised for not providing enough content in local language and has struggled with financial sustainability. The government needs to provide a more sustainable enabling framework for community radio.
The right to freedom of expression is enshrined in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and has been echoed since the 1970s in the debate on communication for development: people should be able to tell their story, discuss and shape their future in genuine dialogue with government and other actors. Community radio is often identified as a part of ‘citizen’ media; unlike mainstream media it is committed to community involvement at all levels of policy and practice.
Nepal has experienced a remarkable expansion of radio since the granting of the first license in 1997. Radios were relied upon to warn of Maoist violence and threat to livelihoods, particularly given low literacy rates. Media supported the peace agreement and have continued to support elections, peace processes and the development of a new constitution. However, radio stations have come under attack for airing views opposing the regime, and there are chronic shortages of electricity and resources. Community radio operates under the same policy framework as commercial stations, meaning that they need a sustainable revenue stream to survive.
The Lumbini Information and Communication Co-operative launched the not-for-profit Radio Lumbini in 2000. In 2004 a UNESCO-funded Community Multimedia Centre (CMC) was added and in 2005 a second telecentre at the WHS at Buddhanagar. The expansion of the WHS was generating different opinions amongst the local population, giving rise to the content of the Hamro Lumbini programmes:
- Hamro Lumbini was put together by volunteers, local people and producers to discuss how the WHS was affecting them; 29 episodes were aired incorporating local reporting, community voices and expert interviews
- Local people were recorded in their village and after the programme aired there was the opportunity for comment and further discussion
- Feedback indicated that people valued the opportunity to identify issues for broadcast, to hear their own voices and to feel involved in decisions regarding local development
- The programme achieved social inclusion by ensuring that all religions were included, as well as the voices of women, farmers, lower caste people and other marginalised groups.
Broadcasters have the potential to act as social mediators between the audience and those who hold political and economic power. However, they need to overcome significant challenges, such as those of outside influence and politics. In the case of Hamro Lumbini:
- The programme failed to win sponsorship and was replaced with non-local content that was able to provide the station with financial inducements to air; the station relies on such inducements to survive
- The government-funded Lumbini Development Trust agreed to fund a further series, but this may compromise the programme’s community focus, content and structure
- The programme was praised for including Bhojpuri language voices within programmes, but was criticised for not making available the entire programme in Bhojpuri; in Nepal the question of language is vital to inclusion.
