Newmedia leadership and youth participation in Bangladesh

Jul 30, 2008 | The Opinion

Countrywide 459 blasts in 63 districts within 30 minutes at August 17, 2005 have made a black scene in Bangladesh history. With this terrorism was involved mostly marginalized grassroots youth, are innocent believers and have no clear concept about the modern world, culture, faith and life style. General finding, this incidence is not cause but result. It happened, because Bangladesh could not educate and train these youth generation as universal minded that can encounter fanaticism, hateism and ignorance. The grassroots reality is that majority of rural people don’t have minimum access to basic information; the youth and children are growing without knowing and live high risk of conflicts, HIV and degradation of human values with extreme poverty and insecurity.

“Our aim is to build an ICT-driven nation comprising a knowledge-based society by the year 2006.” was the national commitment given by Bangladesh prime minister in December 11, 2003 shown a vision to nation particularly to youth. But the dateline has been passed; still now the nation is fighting with poverty, corruption and reaching to minimum standard of MDGs. Majority rural poor is not familiar with even newmedia terminology and development mottos. “Education for All”, “Health for All”, “Gender Equality” ” Knowledge Based Information Socitey”, ” Unlocking the Potential” etc development” slogans yet could not overcome the formation level.

But since this decade the situation, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas has been changing tremendously by the emerging of mobile phone technology and unprecedented youth participation as user and entrepreneur. Bangladeshi youth now highly motivated and widely using the mobile phone. Amazing stats 70% mobile phone users are youth whom most favorites are innovative use of cell technology. The most important result is the country now connected and active in communication. However village and town now connected over GPRS and WiFi Internet service provided by the cell phone companies. The young girls are also empowered and have pride to overcome negative forces, dowry, domestic violence, acid attack, gender discrimination etc. Vast numbers of grassroots women particularly young girls are conscious and confidently running business as well. The unprivileged rural mothers now send children school and see vision for quality life.

This positive result happens by the continuous efforts of nationwide large number of NGOs, particularly by the group meeting and micro-credit program of development organizations.

Nowadays in Bangladesh for grassroots development and awareness ICT that is mobile technology is working as action media. The situation could be more active if the multinational telecommunication companies’ Internet connection and device could be accessible in price for rural poor. In this case if the Government can also take community based ICT initiatives as did in 80s’decades’ to promote radio and TV through local government institutions.

History and national challenges

History:

The history of Internet in Bangladesh is young. In April 1994 off-line e-mail system of Bangladesh was operated from Netherlands as “DripTAP” brand and the first ISP was set up in June 1996. The internet technology could not expand as VSAT licensed was blocked by BTTB until 2000.

Within low bandwidth and high price also Internet and mobile telecommunication are getting popularity since 2000. But the access is limited up to certain level in urban areas only. Majority of the rural people don’t have access with this powerful media.

Presently Bangladesh has more than 100 ISPs. Mostly are based in Dhaka and divisional city , but gradually some are spreading to other cities/towns. However all ICT service providers now are focusing predominantly on the city area, not interested to the village, even though 80% population of the country lives in village. All are reluctant with the prejudice that village is not a profitable region, even though there is a business success story of Rural Internet’ program of Grameen Phone. However the country now connected with Global Information System by Submarine Cable connection.

National challenges:

As like as other non-English development nations, in Bangladesh also language forms the biggest barrier to computer and internet literacy. However majority rural peoples still now don’t have access to education, information and citizen rights to democratic participation in development process.

Yet this technology and English language both exist. The local & new global cultural practices are struggling. This is the new media reality in Bangladesh.

Low computer penetration, slow and expensive Internet access, lack of Bangla interface, prohibition to online payment system, cyber security and lack of cyber laws are big challenges of the nation. Within these barriers also, the use of ICT is increasing in the human rights and development arenas of Bangladesh, especially by the youth leaders, journalists and media activists. The global information system is affecting positively towards behavioural change and practices.

The ownership and digital divide

Digital divide between urban and rural, poor and rich is still now sharp in Bangladesh. The Telephone density in cities is 0.5 lines per 100 populations where as the lowest that of the world is 0.05 per 100 people rural Bangladesh. Even though Grameen Phone, Banglalink, Aktel, Warid etc multinational telecommunication companies are providing huge connectivity that exceed four cores but the most users are city dwellers.

It is clear that only the wealthy and city dwellers have wide and open access to this technology. Here, a computer costs more than one year income of a farmer and 6 months of one middle class salary man.

Compare to the percentage of global internet users, Bangladesh is having very few percentage. In total population less than 4% people has access the internet. But the positive things the percentage is now rapidly growing up. In city area most of all educated youth are using internet.

However the ownership of the modern technology should be to the majority people. But in Bangladesh not yet established this motif. Rural people don’t have access, at the same time don’t have basic knowledge about the power of newmedia. Moreover the general peoples are not attracted to this media as there is huge lacking of local content. Majority peoples can not understand the importance and trends of internet.

The situation could change dramatically if Bangladesh could link the internet with the commerce. The main problem is online transaction is prohibition , however don’t have proper security and laws.

In this situation Bangladesh has declared National Policy on ICT with the vision to comprise the knowledge society by the year 2006. In view of this, a country-wide ICT infrastructure will be developed to ensure access to information by every citizen to facilitate empowerment of people and enhance democratic values and norms for sustainable economic development by using the infrastructure for human resources development, governance, e-commerce, banking and public services.

But in this year 2008 also villages do not have sufficient connection with the outside world. Rural residents do not have access to news about the country, government, education, neighboring markets, or even about job opportunities.

Newmedia leadership and national commitments

The most crucial barrier for Bangladesh in newmedia leadership development are the lack of adequate ICT knowledge and strategy both in Government and NGOs level. It comes from the lack of “visions for change” and “expertise of senior citizens” who are policy makers and top of the society. The gap between the national vision and reality is getting increased. This gap can be filled by giving opportunity to youth to be ICT leader and policy makers.

However Bangladesh could prepare the excellent ground as it has huge number of youth who knows functional English and has college or university degrees but is unable to get job in city areas. These jobless youth can play prime role as a social entrepreneurs, local content producers, publishers as well as new media promoter and effective users of digital applications.

It is proved; the future of ICT promotions, entrepreneurship by youth is bright in Bangladesh. Since 2001 the use of ICT tools has been increased dramatically in Dhaka, major districts and divisional cities. In divisional cities almost 10,000 cyber caf has been established, mobile phone users has also increased into 30 times, 70% house has satellite cable connections. Most significant information is 75% mobile phone users and 95% cyber cafs’ owners are young. More than 90% cyber businesses are running successfully by young business men.

According to National Policy, “Bangladesh is committed to provide the Internet facility will be extended to all the district headquarters and subsequently to its adjacent area up to Upzila levels. Internet will be provided to the educational institutions and libraries. To ensure public access to information, Cyber Kiosks will be set up in all Post offices, Union complex and Upzila complex. ” but the situation is not going successful way.

Bangladesh now needs Electronic Government. But only 10% of government ministries and agencies have websites, most of websites don’t update regularly. All Government services, information and public resource documents should have accessible for all citizen; but only a few and limited forms are available.

There is a great potentiality if Bangladesh can make a group of youth leaders and professional with social commitment. The young leaders can start the mission of development centering on “Village Cyber Kiosk” and or agro based ICT entrepreneurship. The initiative already has been started. The Grameen Phone, BRAC, MMC, DNet and some other ICT NGOs are now running successfully “Rural Telecenter”. With the vision to establish nationwide 40000 Telecenters by 2011, “Bangladesh Telecenter Network” has been already established.

On December 6, 2007 the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Government, Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed formally launched Mission 2011 of Bangladesh Telecentre Network (BTN) with the hope to give access to information and knowledge for improving rural poor’s livelihood through the use of modern information and communication technologies. He said ” We need to remove barrier and empower these people by providing them with access to new technologies.”

In this situation, the powerful new media can play most important role to establish Millennium Development Goals and the Knowledge Society by giving the ownership of modern technology and knowledge to the majority. My understanding, the Internet has the sprit of public service. It opens enormous potentiality by exposing the knowledge, information and resources for all. Proper information easily can breakdown all kind boarders and boundaries.

In order to promising newmedia leadership development “University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh ( ULAB)” is giving education on Newmedia, digital production and online journalism. Hope other universities will follow up such time need initiatives.

Newmedia as action media

ICT particularly newmedia has potentiality to serve as a democratising force. It provides public access to information, builds a virtual space for community gathering and grassroots development for repression, propaganda and enforces authoritarian control, particularly for the marginalised community. ICT, specially Internet, used in collaboration with human rights activism, creates virtual alternative tunnels for the free flow of uncensored information within and out of country. Global information systems, Internet as well as ICTs have opened up the golden gate for human rights development in Bangladesh.

The youth entrepreneurship and youth participation can make ICT as action media for human rights and aspects of information society promotion. To establish nationwide Human rights multimedia resource centre’ (can be called InfoCenter or telecenter ) in every village, large number of NGOs network can play an important role.

It is proved that only one responsible website can change the situation dramatically by encouraging, awakening and making people sensitive to participation in development process and or for protecting the violence and human rights abuses. It gives continuous objective education and awareness both to the defenders and offenders. Such type of effective and popular portal or website has not yet been launched in Bangladesh. Hope soon will be appear such type initiative by promising youth leaders.

Because of excessive focus on personal matters and benefits; the extreme individualism, selfishness, corruption, dogmatism, violence (both visible and invisible) are increasing dangerously in Bangladesh. People are becoming separated to separate, divided to divide. This is the time to inform and educate the people about rights and power of participation by grasping the new media opportunities. ICTs, particularly the Internet and multimedia, can play most important role for promotion of human rights and development in Bangladesh.

Youth initiatives and success stories

The most recent national achievement is making database based national voter list with young computer operators. By this initiative the nation has been inspired and had been introduced with compute and modern technology. Again it has been proved if the nation unite, surly Bangladesh will be used the newmedia for its development.

However the youth leading “Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha” (www.shidhulai.org) has received award from Bill & Millenda Gates Foundation however recognized by UN as best practices of “education and education”. Xayanit (www.xayanit.com ) wined GKP Youth and ICT Award, 2005 . The UnnayanTV ( www.unnayantv.com ), Bangladesh first online TV has been final listed by the Stockholm Challenge 2008.

However the youth platform Meghbarta, Drishtipat, Banglarights, Somewherein Blog, UnnayanNews, Uttorshuri, Adhunika is running successfully by youth.

Conclusion:

The nation is now fighting against the poverty, corruption and the degradation of human values, however heartrending to establish human rights and democracy. As the country now has been divided based on information and views. By sharing the proper information Bangladesh can overcoming the misunderstandings, and can find the common vision for national prosperity. Misguided grassroots youth could be saved from militancy, corruption, dogmatism as well as from terrorism.

Majority access to basic information and people’s participation are the precondition for democracy, human rights and development. By establishing rural information center, VISP (village internet service provider) and recruiting the young newmedia leaders and professional Bangladesh easily can improve its capacity. However the nation could be prepared for reaching to millennium targets and last mile solutions by giving the ownership of modern information and technology to majority rural poor. Regarding this, the large number of NGOs network and local government organizations can play the prime role, national scenarios will totally change as was happen in 80s’decades’ by Radio and TV promotion through local government institutions.

Note: This paper was presented in the AMIC Annual Conference 2008, Manila, Philippines.

Published in Helium / One World / USA

Bangladeshi Farmers Adapt to Climate Changes

Jun 10, 2008 | The Opinion

DHAKA, Apr 16 (OneWorld) – Although illiterate Bangladeshi villagers don’t know the climate change lingo, many have shown an awareness of the situation, using local knowledge to innovate and adapt to the natural changes.

Constant fighting with poverty and floods are a common reality of grassroots Bangladesh. Along with development challenges, preparing for and adapting to climate changes has been added to the burden of the rural poor.

The people of Vobodaho and Kashoppur in the Jessore district of southwest Bangladesh are continuously striving to deal with changes to their surroundings. Since 1960, the region’s nature has been affected by aggressive man-made changes, which have led to high salinity levels and arsenic pollution in waterways, and water logging of much of the land.

“Even my forefathers can’t remember flooding on this scale. That’s why we set up home here. If I’d known growing up that there was such a risk of flooding I would never have built a house here.” – Samsur Rahman ShaqBut unusual flooding patterns are now adding tremendous suffering in three parts of the district. Because of water logging, most of the crop land in this rural area is now underwater. Farmers can not cultivate as they normally would.

Samsur Rahman Shaq, one affected farmer, is going forward with incessant efforts. He and his family welcome new farming systems. Dap chas (floating gardens), duck rearing, fishing, and other alternative farming methods are now popular in his area.

Rahman Shaq has become an expert on making floating gardens, and his wife on duck rearing. Rahman Shaq explains his experiences: “In this Chatga village, catastrophic flooding has been happening since 2000. Before, we never faced such serious flood. The first time flood came here, we enjoyed huge catches of fish in flooded water. We never thought the water would be logged here permanently. As the water did not return back, huge water hyacinth started sprouting up in this Kopotakho River.”

Hyacinth covered the whole water surface. Boats could not run and the water became fully useless — even for fishing.

One day the villagers from neighboring Gupalgong showed Rahman Shaq and the others in Chatga how to cultivate on the floating hyacinth dap (bed).

At first we did not believe it was possible. First year we were surprised to see excellent harvesting — particularly different type of vegetables without any pesticide and fertilizer on the floating garden. And the vegetables grown on the dap were tastier than normal vegetables.

“After this experience, floating cultivation becomes popular in this area. Now we don’t have hostility with hyacinth.”

But because Rahman Shaq’s regular crop fields were now all underwater, he didn’t have sufficient income. His wife, Anowara Begam, helped them break through the suffering. She is now rearing ducks confidently with a small investment.

Anowara Begam says: “Our family has been rearing ducks on a large scale since 2003. Samadan NGO (nongovernmental organization) taught us how we could properly rear ducks. They gave us good species of ducklings. Before this flood we had 75 ducks but now [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][we] only have 35. Forty ducks were washed away during the flood. Now my husband doesn’t have specific income, but by the income from duck rearing we are now running well our family.”

The story of Rahman Shaq’s family creates inspiration to the villages and relatives whose cropland have become water land. Before 2000 this family was economically solvent. Over the first three years of flooding they became poor to poorer; even their house and assets were washed away. There was no hope. But the floating garden and duck rearing nowadays increases their confidence for sustainability.

How is the climate changing in this part of Bangladesh? Rahman Shaq answers: “[Over the] last ten years the climate has abruptly changed here. Before, we could not understand the changes, but now [we are] facing so many difficulties, [and] many new diseases also.”

While visiting his water logged land by boat, Rahman Shaq explains the climate changes. “Even my forefathers can’t remember flooding on this scale. That’s why we set up home here. If I’d known growing up that there was such a risk of flooding I would never have built a house here. Now half of the year [there’s] nothing [we] can do — we can not cultivate; but before we did three times per year.

Each year the water level is rising, [and the] duration of water logging also is increasing. In 2000, our homes were flooded for 14 days. In 2003 it was a month. I fear this year the flood waters will stay for six months. It is now expected in [the] near future, we may be flooded for [the] whole year.”

In this way the inhabitants on the bank of the Kopotakho River are living with and adapting to climate change. And they are using local knowledge in other ways to prepare for more disruptions.

To protect from storms like Cyclone Sidr, which killed thousands of Bangladeshis in November, house structures have been reinforced with the help of local NGOs. Within limited abilities, rural dwellers are making preparations and adapting spontaneously to face flooding each year. They try to make their homes as water-tight as possible. They put wood for cooking up in the roof or somewhere dry. They store dried foods to eat during floods.

Rahman Shaq’s desire? “If we could make [a] fish farm in logged water, [that] would be [a] good income source.”

*Shahjahan Siraj is an online journalist and multimedia designer. He is founder of Machizo, a Dhaka-based multimedia and development organization. This article was the winning entry in OneWorld’s Citizen Journalism Awards on the topic: “How developing countries are adapting or preparing to adapt to the impacts of global climate change.” The contest was run in conjunction with the citizen journalism Web site Helium.com.

This article was written for One World and published in the April 16, 2008.

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Culture of unity : The way of new development

Mar 11, 2006 | The Opinion

`For a long time culture was considered an obstacle to development. Art was a luxury, reserved for the elite. And artists were irrelevant when it came to achieving ambitious development objectives. The priorities were limited to water pumps, dams, food, factories and houses. However, the realisation that culture not only plays a role in development, but is even the foundation for it, is slowly beginning to dawn on people. These days, statements such as ‘Culture is about people and their intellectual, emotional and spiritual existence. Support for culture enables people to define their future and to progress’ appear in policy documents.` I agree with this statement of `Power of Culture`.

In culture language is the most powerful elements. It is not just combination of words and or phonetics. It is the history of a community or nation; resultant of thousand years of experiences, glorious lifestyles, and means of communication as well as the expression of a people’s heart, that precedes the civilization. Bangalis have great experiences on language. In 21 February 1952 Bangali youth Barkat, Rafiq, Shafiq made an unprecedented record in world history by sacrificing their lives for their mother tongue. Facing the reality of `Language Movement` the `Culture of Unity` was cultivated in which consequence is today`s Bangladesh. The reality, with the muscle strength and huge global content in colonial English as well as less practices of small and local language, phasing the struggle of existence. Local values, knowledge and practices can not be developing as its needed. Half of the 6,000 or so languages spoken in the world are under threat. Last three centuries thousand languages passed way at a dramatic increasing pace of English-centered modernization, especially in the Americas and Australia . At the present moment, on average 2 indigenous languages per month are disappearing due to improper record of wisdoms alighted in that language. To inspire and protect the local and aboriginal languages as well as survive with self-pride and identity UNESCO has declared February 21st ( Shahid Dibos ) as International Mother Language Day.

Since last decade a big change happened in Bangladeshi culture; peoples view, life style, development approach, knowledge practice, media presentation, even the use of words has been changed abruptly. Multinational`s monopoly, NGO business, leadership thinking, Bangla cinema, bombing, silence youth, media entrepreneurship as well as westernizing are now in headline. People’s participation, philanthropic approach, alternative thinking, civil voice becomes dull. Art, literature, science and philosophy practices become centralized and limited. However crimes, misuse of public money, political conflict become major national problem. Peace seeker individual life also influence dangerously by entertainment media. Negative values `Meism` (extreme selfishness/ individualism) , Nihilism (is a potent and seductive option of young people who are growing up without proper parental love, and or in broken family ) and fundamentalism growing up silently and riskily. Personal peace ( mind body unity ), family prosperity ( husband-wife unity ) and national harmony ( leaders- people disagreement ) are facing questions, although we all are looking freedom, peace, unity and happiness.

This change is far from local values, needs, knowledge and practices are mostly contaminating by misuse of global culture and free flow of information. I believe, by strengthen the practice of `Cultural of Unity` as like as 1952 with unselfish with public mind, the nation can unite; and can initiative a flow of `New Development` with patriotic spirit.