Marianna, Neha
We believe Minga Peru’s use of a radio platform is very effective in terms of access and reach. These communities are deep in the Peruvian Amazon and are pretty isolated, and don’t have access to resources like others do in terms of television and the Internet.
It can be considered a cultural rhetorics approach to communication because it is heavily involved with the community and requires participation from members of the community. The radio program is based on letters sent in by these members, and there is a level of trust to allow these stories to be told out loud. It also creates a safe space to encourage, support, and collaborate within the community.
In this particular example, the radio program includes stories that are impactful within the community because it is about the community – there is a lesser chance for the stories to be diluted by a dominant narrative. In the same way, it goes a long way to form a community or foster a sense of identity because these stories represent real people they know – when something happens to someone you know, it has a more significant impact.