Popular Participation takes more than an open microphone: Reluctance to Participate in Community Radio Production among the Rural Women in Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Advocacy for the establishment of community radio in Africa was driven by many assumptions, one of which was that once the medium of communication was liberally available, community members of all categories would begin to speak truth to power. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which community radio encourages participation in women- centred radio production. Using a focus group discussion approach, the study was conducted with rural women, and interviews were also conducted with producers of women-centred programmes in selected community radio stations. Findings revealed that the discussant embraced the community radios as their own, but many of them were reluctant to be part of radio content production. Findings also revealed that the reluctance to participate is borne out of the fear of making statements on the radio that might offend powerful people, the fear of losing sales as a result of closing shops to honour stations’ invitation as voluntary media producers, and the fear of technology. As a result of this reluctance, producers have continued to depend on the same set of elite women and professionals in the rural community. For community radio to fully ignite participation among women, it will take more than opening the studios to them and operating an open microphone. Social, economic, political, and technological constraints have to be addressed on a much broader scale.