Event: high-level meeting on information in emergency response

Continuing our work on the vital need for information in emergency response, the BBC World Service Trust will co-host a high-level panel discussion at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) later this month.

Moderated by John Holmes, Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, participants will discuss the information needs of affected populations following humanitarian and natural disasters. Panellists including Sir Nicholas Young, Chief executive of the British Red Cross, will share examples of where these needs have been successfully addressed.

Best practices of national government preparedness and response, as well as how broadcast media have been used to provide emergency ‘lifeline’ information will also be presented.

As has previously been reported on this blog by Lisa Robinson, co-author of the BBC World Service Trust report “Left in the dark: the unmet need for information in emergency response” (pdf), humanitarian agencies often fail to address the “information vacuum” of affected populations – to everybody’s cost.

 

A week in Nepal (part three)

The drama team of the BBC World Service Trust in Nepal is currently preparing a second series of the highly successful radio drama Sweet Tales of the Sarangi, which deals with transitional social and ethnic issues following over a decade of conflict. Here, Fiona Ledger reports on a recent location trip to eastern Nepal in which the team visited partner radio stations, auditioned actors, and encountered political protests. Read parts one and two here and here.

Thursday

Leaving Panchthar for Ilam; a fine day with less mist than usual. About 30km into our journey, we came across a Limbu road block marked by thin red tape. As international press we have no difficulty in being waved through. Behind us they attempt to stop a motor bike but it accelerates away stopping further down the road to talk to us – the female passengers explains at length why they certainly had no intention of paying.

We decide to go back and talk to the Limbu. There are 6 of them – all wearing Rambo type bandanas, and carrying kukuris (Nepalese national knives), even the 12 year old. One has an earring and a stick for banging the ground like a policeman. Another has a receipt book. We point out that there was an agreement with local government not to collect tax. They say they are not asking for tax but only for voluntary support. Deputy editor Kedar Sharma remarks it doesn’t look very voluntary when everyone is carrying kukuris .

 

Limbuwhan: A week in Nepal (part two)

In the second part of her report from a location trip in eastern Nepal, senior producer Fiona Ledger and the team visit a blind school whose students are dedicated followers of the BBC World Service Trust drama Sweet Tales of the Sarangi, encounter transport strikes and local ethnic leaders, and interview journalists about rising tensions in the region. Read part one here.

By Fiona Ledger

Monday

We leave Itahari, despite the bandh (a type of transport strike and protest), and head for Birtamod in the far east where we interview a Limbu leader. He wants the east to be declared an independent state, Limbuwhan, with devolved powers and is angry with the government for reneging on a promise to set up a commission dedicated to Limbu autonomy.

 

Links: 17th February

Continuing the growth in social media networks in developing countries, a Nigerian version of Twitter, Naijapulse is proving a popular new micro-blogging service. It allows people  to create groups, features users and has a link for popular posts.  Suai Media Space is another social media project which aims to minimise the deep digital divide in East Timor and strives “for the voices of the youth” from remote communities like Suai to be “heard all over the world”.

 

Of ferries and roadblocks: a week in Nepal (part one)

A recent location trip for Nepali radio drama Katha Mitho Sarangiko (Sweet Tales of the Sarangi) reveals the complex ethnic and social makeup of the country, the ingenuity of the production staff and the kindness of its people. Senior producer Fiona Ledger reports on a week in the life of this popular drama.

Part One – Crossing the Koshi

With the launch of a new series of our drama Katha Mitho Sarangiko (Sweet Tales of the Sarangi) just seven weeks away, our thoughts are turning to new locations as well as new storylines. We decide to go east of the Koshi river, to what was once known as the kingdom of Kirat. Our mission is to feel our way round the political and cultural landscape and search out new dramatic talent. In the past we’ve recorded on location in Janakpur – flat, dusty and hot; in Pokhara – alpine fresh, but thick with trekkers; now the highs and lows of the east await.

Commercial prosperity fed in part by the tea gardens of Ilam and the milk production of the surrounding area means the region exports more than it imports. It has a sense of political entitlement, and a sense of separateness from the rest of the country that goes back to the 18th century. But there’s also a growing tension between the leadership of two native ethnic groups: the Rai and the Limbu.

Saturday

Armed with a punishing itinerary of stopovers and meetings, we make good time along the east-west highway, but not good enough. It is after all, only a one-lane road with occasional potholes and colonies of traffic-hardened monkeys. By nightfall we are still in the flatlands of the Tarai (in southern Nepal).

 

Twestival: charitable evolution

Google’s homepage today attests to the power of revolutionary ideas and thinking, as millions around the world celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth.

So it is an auspicious day to have chosen for Twestival, which sees Twitter – the micro-blogging site currently causing a stir in mainstream media and through its use in recent events such as the Hudson plane crash and Mumbai terrorist attacks – cross over into “real-life” and attempt to fuse social and charitable works; in their own words to “Tweet. Meet. Give.”

Twestival aims to raise $1 million worldwide for charity: water, who provide clean drinking water to vulnerable communities in the developing world. In an impressive feat of social organising over the web, over 175 cities from Chennai to Cape Town, St Petersburg to Shanghai and Rome to Riyadh, are taking part – and the party’s already started.

Twestival hits London at 7pm GMT, with organisers due to be interviewed live on BBC and Sky News at the launch. It is testament to the explosion of interest in social media generally – and Twitter in particular – that the platform has been able to support such an ambitious project. Charities and NGOs should also be watching with interest to observe how this medium – often rejected as an echo chamber for the banalities of modern life – can be used both for mass organisation, and fundraising that can make a lasting difference to thousands of lives.

 

“All in a day’s SMS”

BBC News has a story on a new scheme in Kenya allowing people to earn money by completing small tasks such as translation and transcriptions. This comes via the BBC World Service’s Digital Planet programme, which has a report on Txteagle – a start-up  that is “empowering the largest knowledge workforce on Earth.”

Founder Nathan Eagle explains: “the total amount of idle time that literate, English-speaking mobile phone subscribers have within the developing world is estimated to be more than 250 million hours every day. [Companies] feel that texting tasks like simple translations to participants in developing countries is economical not only in a business sense but also provides participants with an additional source of income.”

Listen to Digital Planet or find out more on the txteagle site

 

Links:10th February

As mobiles become increasingly prevalent in the developing world, a report commissioned by Internews Europe, “Promise of Ubiquity” helps the media understand the opportunities and challenges posed by mobile technology. It questions the viability of mobile as an information channel given the high rates of illiteracy. Through interviews with leaders in the field, it examines current and future trends in mobile technology.

The Times of India announces the launch of a $10 laptop, aimed primarily at children. This follows the recent announcement that One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is refocusing its mission.  Cory Doctorow comes out in favour of OLPC in the Guardian, sparking debate elsewhere.

There has been a surge of interesting developments in the world of social networking.  The recently launched Twitterfall – a tool for tracking news via twitter, has been described as an essential tool for aid workers and humanitarian bloggers.  Egyptian activists and bloggers have launched Operations General Mait which aims to draw attention to the plight of Mohamed Abdel who was detained because of a photo that was taken with him and a Palestinian Hamas official.  In a bid to raise funds for charity, Guardian journalist Paul Smith is travelling around the world in 30 days, staying only in accommodation which is offered to him through Twitter.  He might do well to follow the tweets of the Dalai Lama who officially joined the micro-blogging site last week.

Update: The Dalai Lama’s account is still live, but the person behind it has been exposed as an imposter.

 

Tales of Tehran

Promised a window into the real Iran, that is exactly what a packed audience at London’s Renoir Cinema were treated to last night in three short films full of the warmth, humanity and charm of the individual characters they featured. Executive produced by Maziar Bahari with the backing of the BBC World Service Trust, the shorts depicted a vibrant, chaotic city reflected in Tehran’s traffic-choked streets.

All three gave a unique perspective on daily life, gently poking fun at peculiarly Iranian restrictions on society whilst celebrating the natural humour of their subjects.

 

A Night in Tehran: 4-6 February

“You know nothing about our country. Come in, be entertained and learn” is the collective claim of a group of young Iranian film-makers whose work has been produced by Maziar Bahari with the support of the BBC World Service Trust. Iranian cinema has long been attracting international attention, with films like Jafar Pahani’s Offside and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis singled out for particular praise in recent years.

“A Night in Tehran” showcases the work of 3 brand new film-makers who want to introduce a “new” Iran 30 years after the Iranian revolution. Catch screenings in London, Bristol and Manchester – including an introduction by Channel 4 News Presenter Jon Snow at the London showing (times and booking details below).

A Night in Tehran

Ala Mohseni’s My City, Pizza shows the fascination of Tehranis with pizza as something more than just a food in Iran. It is a sign of modernity and an object of desire, which is a potential threat against traditional values.

Shahriar Siami’s Of Men and Motorcycles follows the life of Abbas, a migrant from the provinces who, like many young Iranians, can’t get a decent job except working on a motorcycle as a cabbie and deliveryman. Abbas endangers his life, and the life of his passengers, by navigating in heavy Tehran traffic in order to send back money to his wife and two children who still live in a small town.

Sahar Salahshoori’s Behind the Wheel of Life is the story of another cab driver, Nasrin, a single mother. Salahshoori’s incredible access to her character allows us to follow the daily struggle of Nasrin as a woman, a cab driver and a divorcee.