Media Impact - Bolivia

An Engine That Could - Bolivia Heros
“I have a strong will to support my community,
I’m very proud to be a radio producer”

January 10, 2010 - At first glance, there is nothing extraordinary about Mrs. Lurdes A. She is a slight woman, not taller than 5 feet. She has the weathered-look of someone who has spent many years in the mountains, tending to her garden and grazing animals. She is a mother and a wife. She has two adolescent sons, a 5 year old and a husband who is an agricultural technician that is working now as a miner.

The first impression people will get of her is as a typical, shy Bolivian housewife, but it all changes when she approaches you. Mrs. Alvarez is also a radio reporter and disc jockey for Radio Agricultura in Quime, Bolivia.

Quime is a small farming and mining community five hours from La Paz by way of a winding two lane, occasionally paved road. The town is typical of many in the high mountains of western Bolivia. Tensions exist between the miners and the farmers in the valley, tension that dates back generations when one group or the other was more privileged. Now both groups struggle, but the tensions continue.

Mrs. A. has been working at the radio station less than a year but already declares her passion for radio “la radio es mi pasión”. She came to radio through a training program conducted 18 months ago by Our Voices partner, Catholic University of Bolivia - SECRAD. SECRAD provided her community with instruction in basic radio production and new reporting techniques. After successfully completing the course, Mrs. Alvarez now broadcasts a popular weekly show on social and gender equality issues.

Her first introduction to the Our Voices program was during the 2-day “National Forum on Community & Independent Media”, which was held in March 2009. During this event she had the opportunity to share her experience and learn from colleagues at AMARC, Radio Deseo and Radio Copacabana, admitting how she felt shy and inexperienced, “estaba tímida y me sentía chiquita”.

In May 2009, Mrs. A. participated in the Media Impact Entertainment-Education Regional Training held in Huajchilla, La Paz. “This training was very interesting for me. I liked the panel discussion because they talked about current and relevant themes. Entertainment-Education in particular is fun. We were able to produce our first radio drama based on real and original stories. It focused on discrimination and human rights, and how women don’t have the same opportunities to demonstrate their capacities, and their participation is not valued. It has been also a good opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and experiences, and for me it was particularly useful to learn from younger radio producers. Sharing with everyone was the best part of the training.” Now she broadcasts the episode she helped produce at her radio station. She liked the methodology, “it is based in reality, on real life stories.”

Mrs. A. has focused on gender and social issues in her radio program in part because she has successfully challenged traditional gender roles in her own family. She explains her family made a democratic decision to support her radio aspirations. The decision meant her now furloughed miner husband and her two adolescent would need to cover her traditional responsibilities while she was at the station, sometimes 3-4 hours a day. When asked, “how did you manage this?” She displays her broad smile, with gold-filled teeth, “For many years we made sure my sons had the best education and best opportunities. They are doing well now and have a great future.” She continues, with a sparkle in her eye. “We agreed it was my turn to follow my passion.” Her husband that considers himself a pure indigenous supports her, even it is not easy “I am learning also, she makes things with passion to help the community. We, as a family, support her as a team”.

Less than a year into her radio career, Mrs. A. writes scripts for radio spots using the methodology she learned at the Our Voices training. As a result of the training she has gained respect in her community and she gets asked for advice from politicians at the local government municipality, “before the training they didn’t believe in my capacity,” she emphasizes.

Motivated by the training, she partnered with local organizations to submit a proposal to participate in the broadcasts of the Our Voices program. She had been warned that the size of her station’s audience did not bode well participation in the initial 36 broadcasts. She was told her chances would be better if she could create a coalition of stations from the surrounding valley. This motivated her to reach out to the surrounding stations and ultimately the proposal she submitted included a formal partnership with another radio station from a neighboring mining community. This brought Radio Nevado from the community of Caracoles to the 4th Regional Training in Cochabamba.

“This is a new approach, the community-based organizations will give their support”, she said excitedly when notified with the good news that her radio station was selected as one of the 36 radio stations to receive a seed grant, technical assistance and broadcast the Our Voices radio drama. “It is never late to learn, and to get to places where we never imagined. Everything will be possible with will and hard work”, she said firmly.