GRASSROOTS COMICS AS ALTERNATIVE MEDIA

Shivajyoti Das Baruah, Dr. Ankuran Dutta

A few Initiatives in 3rd World

Developing Countries• Perennial problems like poverty, illiteracy,

underdevelopment, lack of proper infrastructure, low GDP, a colonial legacy

• Most of them have rich and distinct cultural traits, natural heritage

• Diversities with different linguistic, socio cultural variations

• Developing nations have distinct characteristics and features which require a definite communication approach to reach the grassroots people unlike the developed one

• Communication for development• New World Information and Communication

Order from the late 1960s to the early 1980s• Non Align Movement, defined development as

political struggle, for political, economic and cultural self-determination

• Cultural identity and multidimensionality• Participatory communication, rather than top to

down approach of diffusion model

Communication in Developing Nations

• Communication approach should be bottom to top rather than top to bottom, horizontal flow of information

• UNESCO’s committee on International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems stresses the need of different communication approach and order which befits the existing system of third nations (Many Voices One World, 1980).

Communication in Developing Nations

Overwhelming Media!

• The mainstream media is generally fueled by capitalistic force which is driven by market oriented practices

• In the mad rush of TRPs and circulation figures, mainstream media sometimes neglect issues of the marginalized

• Issues of a community or local problems remain mostly under representative in mainstream media.

• Media access and reach becomes a serious concern due to poverty and lack of proper infrastructure in developing nations.

Need for Alternative Media

• There is a need for a media which can portray local issues of common masses, marginalized community effectively, i.e. Alternative media.

• Alternative media to cover the issues of a particular community which is generally ignored by mainstream media and which is both reachable and accessible by grassroots people.

• Different types of community media such as community radio, community television, community newspaper create a platform for the common people what is absent in mainstream media.

• Of these, community radio has become an important medium for many developing countries

Alternative Media

Comics: the Story in Visuals• Visual medium used to express

ideas via images, often combined with text or visual information, speech balloons, captions, sound effects indicate dialogue, narration or other information

• The genesis of comics is believed to be at a pre-history era as far back as the Lascaux cave paintings.

• Fumetti which uses photographic images presented in comic form

• “Manga" for Japanese comics, "bandes dessinées" for French-language comics

• Comics are stories which are told visually. They become Grassroots Comics when they are made by common man, NGO or community activists about some issues which are relevant to that particular community.

• It is not just for fun or amusement, but with a message to the community and society at large.

Grassroots Comics

Comics

A Social Cause

Grassroots Comics

Grassroots Comics

Grassroots Comics

• Comics are pasted up in all possible locations i.e. village’s meeting place, bus stops, shops, offices, schools, on notice-boards and electricity poles or even on trees.

• These comics are photocopied and distributed to a limited area, which encourage local debate in the society.

• Uncommon aspect: The proximity of source of the commctn and the readers and they are not very far apart

Grassroots Comics

• The medium has instant popularity due to its lucid and local character.

• It holds the potential to emerge as a strong tool of communication.

• Very cost effective, easy to understand• What makes these comics different from

professional material is that ownership of the content as well as the fact that they are made mainly for local distribution. The campaign comics made by artists are not as close to reality as Grassroots Comics are. The local people understand their culture better. So the people are interested in what is produced by their local activists or organizations locally.

Why Grassroots Comics

• Throughout the process of grassroots comics, participants get to know how to write their personalized stories in four panels based on their lives and experiences. So the story becomes an authentic representation of the community.

• This paves the way for the individual to communicate breaking the traditional norms to approach the comics as a medium

• The Grassroots Comics is Comics for a cause, for social change which takes the form of campaign

• Campaigns are participative at every step, especially because the people who prepare the campaign material usually get help from their family, friends and colleagues.

• Issues are addressed with a touch of local culture and local language.

Why Grassroots Comics

Apni Dikri Ro Hak• Apart from comics, the campaign

becomes a combination of different communication mode like road show, street play, songs etc.

• In one such campaigns- Apni Dikri Ro Hak which was against gender bias and female feticide in Rajasthan, India; the campaign was formed at the backdrop of local songs through street play, bike rally

• Whenever the bikes stopped, comics were distributed and pasted on walls.

Step up Against Ragging

Conclusion• The need for alternative media that suits the cultural, socio-

economic set up of third country was always there. • Since the prime objective of communication in these nations

is development, involvement of grassroots level people in the decision making is very important.

• Grassroots Comics provide this platform of participation at grassroots level whereby people can express their thoughts, views, opinion and make a point.

• Grassroots Comics is a flexible medium through which any issue, idea or fact can be expressed.

• This medium is very cost effective and with simple, ordinary logistic support one can tell his or her story to society.

Suggestion• For the NGOs which work for a social cause and want to become

a platform for positive change of a society or a particular community, Grassroots Comics is very strong medium.

• Organization like NRHM can also utilize this medium to bring awareness on health related issues in their BCC approach. Also, with pictures and cartoons the medium becomes a powerful tool of spreading messages even among illiterate people.

• Though the movement has started way back in 1990s, still it has long way to go. Till now it has been working at local level for bringing positive change. But to have a strong impact on policy maker on specific issues in broader horizon, this media has to be reinforced with the help of strong networking and logistic support from NGOs, SHGs etc.

Thank You