Telling Stories of War through the Screen: Participatory Video Approaches and Practice for Peace in Conflict-Affected Contexts

"[V]ideo productions created through participatory methodology can be effective tools for dealing with the hostility and grief that linger after a civil war, as they provide those channels of communication that are needed for effective development interventions aimed at community healing."

By bringing together literature on communication for development (C4D) and conflict transformation, this paper provides a theoretical illustration of the impact of participatory video as a tool for overcoming hostility among groups, as well as for healing and reconnecting communities that have endured loss and suffering as a consequence of civil war and inter-communal violence. Often characterised by a lack of dialogue among groups, this type of scenario has been recognised as fertile ground for the setting up of community media, where people are given the means for self-expression.

Following an introduction, the author, Valentina Baú, explores the origins and progress of development communication. Baú introduces the Diffusion of Innovation model from the 1970s and then describes planned use of mass media, such as radio and television to promote positive behaviour change. She then characterises the field of "edutainment" and describes what is beyond it as looking beyond behaviour change approaches that focus on the individual, extending it to communication for social change (CFSC). "With the rise of this new view of communication, accompanied by the establishment of the CFSC School, more indigenous forms of communication gained attention, and are considered as valid tools for stimulating dialogue and critical awareness. They include instruments such as music, theatre, dance, and also video and radio, which offer a channel to give voice to marginalized groups..."

The following sections of the paper intend to show the link between participation in video production and the potential to create connections among former enemies by sharing stories and experiences of war. A literature review examines the topics of: participatory video, the aftermath of civil war, and video stories for peace. For example, in the latter section, Baú cites the work of thinkers/researchers who have explored the idea that "media productions created through a participatory methodology can be effective tools for dealing with the hostility and grief inherited in post-conflict settings, as they can be employed as avenues to share stories and the experiences of loss and violence with opposing sides, and serve as tools for intervention aimed at community healing." Concepts such as storytelling as a peace process, which can "enable marginalized people to make connections with others who share the same types of memories", are explored here.

To illustrate the power of storytelling through participatory video, Baú includes here a number of practical experiences of projects implemented by organisations on the ground in post-conflict settings. She describes:

• South Africa's Simunye Video Dialogue Project, set up to bring political adversaries together through the use of video cameras.
• Kenya's Community-based Participatory Video Program by FilmAid, designed to help people of different cultures, ethnic groups, and nationalities arriving from war-torn areas to the Dadaab refugee camp learn how to live together in peace. (In the "third sphere of dialogue...a section of the community, including former commanders, members of the defense structures, local politicians, representatives from women's and youth's structures, as well as church and business leaders, gathered in a public setting to watch the completed film. The video - which was emotional and spoke to people's fear, anger, shame and sadness - was screened in a facilitated session where people engaged each other, 'dialoguing' with those with whom they otherwise would not talk.")
• Peace It Together, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that addresses the long-lasting conflict between Israel and Palestine by involving young people in the creation of short films that are used as peacebuilding tools. (The process involves establishing a dialogue about contentious topics between the two sides, who collaborate in the creation of short films that are used as peacebuilding tools. Through the filmmaking activities, the youth socialise, negotiate, and discover each other.)
• Dialogue Through Film Project by Internews, an attempt to create an understanding between Armenians and Azeris. (Connections between the two groups were lost in the 1994 conflict, and "new generations were raised with no contact or knowledge of one another.")

Baú concludes with a call for further research, writing: "Although this article does not engage in an empirical assessment of the impact that these projects have had, their design demonstrates the relevance that these activities have in contexts of peacebuilding. The field experiences presented here are particularly helpful in revealing how practice has evolved to inform theory. For this reason, a more consistent and rigorous analysis of how participants respond to the use of video to portray personal stories of violence and suffering, and the effects these productions have on their audience, is what directions for future research should include in order to highlight and incorporate new developments in this field. The varying degrees of participation that the different approaches to videos carry - as exemplified in the experiences discussed above - is another factor that requires further examination. This is useful in order to establish the type of involvement participants should have in these productions, on the basis of the cultural and political context in which these projects are taking place."