CULTURAL INTERACTION NORTH-SOUTH-SOUTH-NORTH
 
RBO's INTERNSHIP PROGRAM - TRAINING WITH PRODUCTION 
© 1996-2003/RBO 

RBO tries to combine the actual production and distribution of its scheme "GLOBAL VILLAGE VOICES" with a sustainable intercultural exchange, realised through the establishment of an internship-program that will allow young journalists from the South and the North to work together on radio-features from the developing world and to distribute such co-productions to a worldwide audience. It is suggested that a professional discourse about issues and formats would expose Northern participants to the challenge of foreign values with the need to help express such authentic views in a way that would find attention of listeners in another cultural environment.  

 
RBO-internship 1996:
Mathias Wevelsiep, Nick Perkins (RBO-Trainer), Jörg Kruse

Such an experience will help to influence professional attitudes of participants :  

from the South who would have learned to use formats for their issues which enhance the creativity and technical realisation necessary - not only for international marketing and mobilisation of interest of audiences beyond their own cultural environment - but will also facilitate the development of media in their own countries.  

from the North who will be more sensitized to authentic expressions from the South. They will be more prepared to allow space for other values than their own; the usual filter of Northern biases regarding Southern issues will be applied less often in a situation where they may become responsible for programming.  

Such an internship program underwent a trial period from April '96 to April '97, with four groups of participants from Germany, twinned with colleagues from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Mozambique and accomodated at a rented RBO venue in Harare. Their co-produced radio programs were - in several language versions - on air in Germany, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia.  

It is anticipated that such an intercultural exchange will become an important feature of "GLOBAL VILLAGE VOICES", sponsored through fellowship programs by media related foundations and organisations worldwide. Such an institution would provide, at the same time, a reliable access to a selected range of languages and their presenters needed for the overvoicing of audio programs. In the long term, it would help to build up support units by participants returned to their home countries.