Malawi is one of the poorest countries plagued by seemingly intractable social, economic and environmental problems. With a growing population of about 15 million people, Malawi is grappling in the midst of huge and erratic challenges. Although it seems now that Malawi’s economy is turning the corner, as the economic growth is slightly over 8 per cent, making it the world’s second largest growing economy, poverty in Malawi remains pervasive and millions of Malawians continue to live lives of deprivation and hardship.
There is a need to speak and think development in Malawi. There is a gasping need for development communicators in Malawi to facilitate the process of development so as to assist Malawi to move out from the dudgeon of poverty.
“Development communication refers to the initiative of applying communication to the process of development with the end goal of improving the quality of life of developing societies.”
It is against this background that Chancellor College in 2004 introduced a modern multidisplinary programme called Bachelor of Arts (Media for Development) in an effort to train media workers capable of addressing development issues in Malawi and the entire southern Africa.
Head of Language and Communication Department at Chancellor College, Sydney Kankuzi, who is also the coordinator for the Media for Development programme said the course draws its teaching expertise from the faculties of humanities, social science, education and law.
“Development is a multifaceted concept that crisscrosses all aspects of humanity so much that it tends to be studied from various academic and professional perspectives.” He said.
“The media for Development programme tackles development issues from the perspective of the media. It particularly explores how the media can best be used for critiquing, promoting, and where necessary transforming how various societies perceive development,” Said Kankuzi.
Kankuzi also said that to achieve these tasks the programme employs critical perspectives from various contributing disciplines such as philosophy, sociology, history, music, theatre, film studies, law, anthropology, development studies.
“The media for Development programme is designed to develop creative and critical human beings that are able to use various mediums of communication to highlight all sorts of development issues.”
“Its graduates are equipped with theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in video production, digital film production, radio programme production, media research, media writing and speech, media policy and law, programme and product analysis, evaluation, project planning and management, publishing just to mention a few,” said Kankuzi himself a holder of a masters degree in mass communication from Rhodes University in South Africa.
Quizzed on where the graduates of Media for Development can work, the soft-spoken Kankuzi said the skills that the graduates obtain prepare the prospective graduates to work in media and/or development organizations in various capacities such as media/communication management, media/development communication consultancy, media training, media/development planning, media/development research, media/development advocacy, development journalism and many more.
He further said that the Media for Development graduates are able to create their own jobs.
The Media for Development programme has already produced its first crop of its graduates and the graduates are selling like hot cakes on the labour market.
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