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C h A P t e r F I V e Radio Bemba in an Age of Electronic Media The Dynamics of Popular Communication in Chávez’s Venezuela Sujatha Fernandes hoSt: Our great friend Nicolás Díaz is calling from the sector Santa Cruz. They have a cofradía [brotherhood] for the organization of San Juan Bautista of Macarao, and they’re inviting all of the community in general to participate in the Encuentro de Tamboreros [Meeting of the Drummers] that will happen tonight in the street Río de Santa Cruz, on Saturday July 2—today—at two in the afternoon. And they’re telling us that the girls are making a sancocho [traditional soup] there. And we’d like to give space on the air to Nicolás. Good day, Nicolás! nIColÁS díAz: How are you, my friends, from Radio Macarao, from the parish Macarao. . . . hoSt: We’re well and we want to say hi to all the people out there. We want to let you know that you’re on air right now. díAz: Of course, and the neighbors from the parish, all our colleagues, the community radio, and all within this alternative movement, in search of a process of change and transformation. Look, we’re here. The proposal is for the people to come by, to the shopping centre, between the basketball court and the plaza. Right now there’s an important team making the sancocho . . . Joana, Materano, el Yoyo, Carmen Medina, Otilia. Here is the precious Guaya Márquez, Cecilia Salazar, Josefina Márquez, la niña Judith Vázquez, and Tiago. And of course, what we want is simply to give a kick start to this activity, something that, within our community activities in the parish, is necessary. (Radio Macarao, July 2, 2005; my translation) 132 FernAndeS The residents of the Caracas parish of Macarao have been celebrating the popular fiesta of San Juan since 2002, and the local radio station has been an important tool in helping them to organize this event. On a Saturday afternoon as residents take care of household chores, drop by to visit the neighbors, or prepare the evening meal, they listen to the local community radio station. They might stop by the plaza to see the drumming, or join in the dancing and partake in the traditional sancocho, or soup. Nicolás Díaz is calling in to the radio program on his cell phone, drawing on innovations of cell-phone technology and radio transmission to publicize his event. The mention of people’s names, streets, and locations indicates the highly localized nature of community-based media. Radio bemba, a figure of speech in the Caribbean meaning gossip or wordof -mouth communication, has found a new mode of expression in electronic technology. Community radio, assemblies, and newspapers form a layered set of publics that have expanded dramatically since Chávez was elected president . What is the relationship of community media to the state, and how do the connections of media producers to the state impact its functioning? How have community media contributed to new forms of participatory democracy? Scholars have had different interpretations about the contributions of community media to a democratically functioning society. Some argue that locally produced media can foster plural spaces of communication and discourse, even taking up a decidedly oppositional stance in the case of minority groups (Urla 1997). Some suggest that in a moment of greater media consolidation and concentrated ownership, community media can democratize access to the means of cultural production. This makes possible meaningful self-expression and the right to be informed, which lie at the base of participatory citizenship (Remedi 1997). Others express concerns that the politicization of community media could make it vulnerable to partisanship and monitoring by the state (Tanner Hawkins 2006). While my study of barrio-based community media in Caracas bears out these diverse views, it also shows the field of community media to be a heterogeneous one, with media producers establishing different relations to the state. I propose that we look at the local orientation and social base of the media, the degree to which they facilitate deliberation and democratic decision making, their relationship to state funding, and access to technical knowledge as key factors. There are multiple media collectives affiliated with groups in the barrios that have organic leadership. There are those who are linked to tightly knit, cadre-based organizations, where a smaller leadership usually makes decisions...

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