With the assistance of FAO and UNDP, the Government of Mali has
established a national centre specialised in the production of
audiovisual materials - "Centre
de Services de Production Audiovisuelle"
(CESPA). It is currently growing in importance as one of the country's
strategies to create learning opportunities in rural and semi-urban
areas.
The CESPA's prime aim
is to reach disadvantaged rural communities who have little or
no access to conventional forms of education (eg.shepherds, river
fishermen or subsistence farmers). The project started with the
recognition that new forms of learning, which were of relevance
and immediate value, had to be created to bring educational opportunities
to remote and rural populations. CESPA's
philosophy, therefore, is to encourage people to take part in
their own development programmes, responding to their specific
needs. Its method for this is to use appropriate methodologies,
namely training with audiovisual materials, to work with learners
wherever they might be.
CESPA's mode of operation
is relatively straightforward - trainers or animators, grounded
in the use of video and other media, travel to rural areas where
they inform, train and assist communities through multimedia on
matters of hygiene, income-generation, agriculture, literacy,
etc. The villagers, once they have gone through this training,
are more apt to face their daily problems but, more importantly,
can themselves become trainers and agents of change to inform
and raise awareness in other rural areas.
Initially a pilot project (1988 to 1993), the CESPA has become
an autonomous national body, which is mostly self-financed by
providing training services, advice in communication and audiovisual
technology, the sale of materials and technical support in installing
audiovisual units. Further training programmes of relevance to
ministerial departments, such as education and healthcare, are
currently being developed as a means of generating funds.
The CESPA operates from the capital, Bamako, where the production
of training materials is based. The centre is nearly self-sufficient
financially and technically. It houses six video editing suites
with three cutting and montage units, two recording studios and
a training room for workshops and other sessions. A permanent
staff of producers, trainers and administrators manage the whole.
Plans are currently going ahead for the construction of a library
for the stocking of audiovisual material. Since its foundation,
the CESPA has collected over a thousand audio cassettes covering
regional and local music, rural experiences, legends and traditional
knowledge. It has also produced up to 500 video cassettes covering
various aspects of training: awareness raising and learning (literacy
and numeracy).
The CESPA works on the basis of "training
contracts" with village
communities, associations, NGOs, individuals and co-operatives.
A village may request training or a government body such as the
"Banque Nationale de
Developpement Agricole"
(National Agricultural Bank, BNDA) may sub-contract the CESPA
to work in a given village or area. Once the animators are in
the villages, they work with their various materials (video machines,
cassette players and charts) in informal sessions and communal
activities. These sessions are purposely informal to recreate
a reflection of village ties and social relationships within a
learning experience.
The animators' material
is contained in a single box which can be easily transported from
community to community. Particular subjects such as health, environmental
or educational issues may interest one village more than another,
so animators have to be prepared to adapt and respond directly
to learners' questions
and needs. The skills imparted by the animators generally come
in a so-called "learning
package" as they range
from farming techniques, income generation to problem-solving
skills. The villagers are free, however, to choose which training
aspect most interests them according to their local needs.
To further their work and make sure they reach the most disadvantaged,
the animators use national institutional structures to identify
vulnerable populations. Knowing which areas are unserved by the
conventional educational system, for example, is a great help
to the CESPA organisers. Outlets owned by the Chamber of Agriculture
and other governmental bodies often serve as meeting places to
hold training sessions, so co-ordination between all national
bodies is key.
The CESPA works on three fronts - creating appropriate audiovisual
material, training animators and imparting skills to disadvantaged
communities. As the rural trainers or animators are the main energy
behind the CESPA, their development is of the utmost importance.
It is they who have to go out into the field, confront very localised
problems, overcome obstacles and assess a community's
learning ability. To be able to work with a population, for example,
in the building of a well or the purification of water, the trainers
have to be aware of community dynamics, technological pitfalls
and the various ways of communicating with learners of different
educational backgrounds (multichannel learning, inter-generational
learning and motivation).
The training of animators is a rigorous process. For each session,
the number of participants varies from 3 to 15 people. Sessions
can last anything from a week to 56 working days and take place
in workshops. In all, there are 10 modules, each with a specific
theme and content. In every module, the aim is to allow the trainee
to conceptualise and assimilate communication skills as a means
for effectively supporting the development and self-reliance of
disadvantaged communities. Each module or theme can be taken separately
or in conjunction with another. Some modules, such as script writing,
are more popular with individuals and sectors outside adult learning
or rural development. Themes 9 and 10 aim to qualify a trainer
in managing rural development issues. The ten different modules
are as follows:
Theme 1: Communication for development (5 working days)
During this first session, the animator becomes familiar with
the concept of using communication skills, particularly in conjunction
with information and communication technologies, as a means of
engaging people in dialogue and enhancing their capacities to
analyse situations. The impact of communication in the solving
of problems and the implementation of strategies is discussed.
Theme 2: Training through audiovisual media for development (5 working days)
During this session the aim is to identify and discuss the pedagogical
effectiveness of different audiovisual media in adult learning.
Initiation to the appropriate use of these media begins in this
session.
Theme 3: Writing of scripts and technical editing (6 working days)
Acquiring the skills to write an account for a video documentary
or reportage is the aim of this session. Over the course of the
work, the scripts are steered towards practical content and the
inclusion of specific educational messages. Notions of communication
and information are by now well-assimilated.
Theme 4: Taking camera shots and sound, constructing a sequence of images (10 working days)
Initiation to the correct use of video cameras, the framing of
images and the recording of sound. Choice and selection of relevant
situations. Creating a logical and meaningful sequence of pictures
in view of a montage.
Theme 5: Making of a film (20 working days)
Creating a video project from scratch, from the writing of a script,
to shooting and carrying out production/post production work.
Theme 6: Video montage techniques (10 working days)
Initiation to the correct and proper use of an editing machine.
Practice in the use of various editing and montage techniques
is carried out with tests and creative use of film.
Theme 7: Audio-visual pedagogy : creation and making of documentaries for training (65 working days)
Development of the concept of communication for development. Initiation
to how video can be used to train. Understanding the governing
principles of adult learning and what adults might look for in
a training video. Understanding the basic notions of technology
(electricity, machine work etc.). Making a specific training video.
Designing a training session with video. Carrying out a mock or
test training session.
Theme 8: Shot taking techniques in photography (5 working days)
Initiation to the theory of photography and its usage and techniques.
Theme 9: Videos for training purposes, use of material and pedagogical approach (10 working days)
Initiation to an adapted use of video machinery and material.
Management of rural training sessions according to specific themes
- hygiene, income-generation, farming, adult education.
Theme 10: Dialogue and exchange between people, managing a group session (10 working days)
Developing skills in learners that are conducive to group and
rural development action. Sharing opinions, communicating and
working towards a common goal in a group situation.
After nine years of existence, it can be said that the CESPA has
had a strong impact in rural areas. A survey team, under the guidance
of the UNDP, visited most regions reached by the programme and
found that many populations managed to maintain the levels of
knowledge they had learnt through their training sessions with
animators. Hygiene levels, for example, were seen to be greater
than before the programme and cases of diarrhoea and food poisoning
visibly diminished after the CESPA had been through a community.
Many communities had gone about protecting wells, boring new water
holes and making sure that food was kept away from sources of
contamination. Those regions where the programme failed to have
a strong impact were, more often than not, in areas where training
videos could not be used and workshops could not be carried out
in the specific local language. This was the case in areas such
as the Mopti region. In other language regions, learners, despite
linguistic differences, said how much they had appreciated the
training sessions even though they had had difficulties in understanding.
The areas where response was generally good were either in Bambara
areas (the working language) or in areas where the populations'
educational level was relatively high. Rural communities already
well-versed in training or in watching videos were particularly
responsive. In most communities, people expressed the desire to
master the technologies themselves and create their own learning
materials.
Training sessions have had to be modified as the CESPA develops.
For example, in some villages people felt that they needed further
training or longer sessions. Video spots and film literacy programmes
have had to be cut or worded in such a way as to be logical, forceful
and understandable to people with little conventional education
backgrounds. Other difficulties such as passing educational messages,
lack of interest or boredom have also been tackled by making sure
films and training sessions speak about locally-relevant issues.
Training sessions that addressed everyday problems, such as diarrhoea,
bad drinking water etc., are of direct relevance to learners and
it is these that have had the most impact.
The learners themselves have been and continue to be demanding
in what they expect from the training sessions. Often, through
village authorities or a local NGO, they contact the CESPA requesting
further information on a subject or a training session to complement
previous information. In return, the CESPA requests that villages
select their learners prior to training sessions so that those
with the greatest capacity and willingness to assimilate and disseminate
new knowledge attend.
As for the sustainability of the new knowledge learnt by the villagers,
it is obvious that those who are able to keep up with the techniques
imparted, through booklets or guides, are the most apt to put
their training into practice. Communities who have little opportunity
to practice or revise their knowledge generally need further briefings
to become fully functional in their new skills. The CESPA booklets
or guides which accompany the training sessions are particularly
important in this respect as they permit continued learning, group
discussion and become reference points for work. Follow-up in
areas visited by the CESPA is increasingly becoming a concern
for the programme as it would permit a stronger knowledge retention
rate.
CESPA's training development
is currently growing to extend to the development of animators
from other countries of the continent: Burkina Faso, Burundi,
Mauritania, Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal. Use of technology has
a long way to go in the region before it becomes common usage
but it is beginning to raise questions, stimulate minds and rural
development. The aim for the CESPA, today, is to continue finding
further and expand better-suited communication technologies which
are less costly such as audio cassettes, photographs, pictorial
language boards and slides. This means listening carefully to
learners, developing and adapting materials, and understanding
the ways information and communication technologies can and do
influence local development.
Contact Information:
M. Cheickna Diarra
CESPA
Fax: 223 22 11 09
Tel: 223 22 09 32