The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 13 years ago
Last updated 2 years ago
Read so far

SOAS Radio

0 comments

SOAS Radio is an online station and social media enterprise based at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, United Kingdom (UK). The station works with students and academics to produce radio programmes, aiming to share the knowledge of SOAS with a worldwide audience and helping students engage directly with the parts of the world they are studying.

SOAS Radio works with volunteers worldwide to promote the use of radio and other media to stimulate development and social cohesion. It works with community radio stations and other media organisations in developing countries to share skills, build capabilities, and promote cultural exchange.
 
SOAS Radio regularly acts as consultant for communication for development (C4D) projects worldwide. Its staff members have worked in projects in the Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique and Tunis, contributing to the setting up and running of Biso na Biso, a community radio station for the Forest Semi-Nomadic Indigenous Peoples in the North-East Republic of Congo.

Communication Strategies

The station produces speech and music programmes working with students, staff, and associated communities, using contributions from London disc jockeys (DJs) and producers, as well as interviewing international figures in education, politics, the arts, and the media. The radio station serves as a training ground for those seeking to be international communication professionals and producers and wishing to explore the links between communication, media, and international development, while learning skills in digital and traditional broadcasting.

 

The SOAS Radio website is available in English, Mandarin, Japanese, French, and Kiswahili.

Development Issues

Education

Key Points

The Director of SOAS Radio, Carlos Chirinos, teaches 'Development Communication' in the Development Studies Department and ‘Presenting World Music on Radio' with Lucy Duran, presenter of the programmes World Routes and Music Planet on BBC Radio 3 at SOAS. The latter course was the recipient of the Director's Teaching Prize 2009 for its combination of academic and practical learning outcomes. Some of the international figures interviewed include the former Prime Minister of Mozambique Luisa Diogo, Noam Chomsky, Fatima Bhutto, Bollywood director Yash Chopra, entrepreneur Danny Choo, Manu Chao, Amadou and Mariam, and Jarvis Cocker.

 

Supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and in association with FrontlineSMS Radio, Empowerhouse, and Lifeline Energy, SOAS hosted the first World Radio Day in London on the February 13 2012. An example of its programming, for World Radio Day, SOAS Radio hosted "Communication and Development in Kyrgyzstan", a Russian language clip, in which radio host Elena talks about the importance of radio as a way of providing humanitarian news reporting for victims of ethnic conflicts, as in the case of Kyrgyzstan in 2010.

Partners

SOAS Radio is supported by SOAS and SOAS Students' Union.

Sources

Email from SOAS Radio to The Communication Initiative on July 23 2012.