Exploring Community Radio Programming Practices to Inform Environmental Education at Livingstone Museum in Zambia

Abstract

This paper reports on a study (Muloongo, 2010) that investigated how participatory radio programming might be used to inform and extend museum-based community engagement in environment and sustainability concerns. Preliminary research on museum education practices established that these are primarily expert-led and centred on exhibitions and outreach, with limited participation by the community. The study was initiated after a brief experience of working on community radio that revealed a contrasting approach, including the community in discussing locally relevant content that was followed by the addition of the knowledge of a mediating expert.

A collective case study (multi-site) design was used to probe educational programming practices used in community radio. The paper explores how community radio station programming engages listeners in community generated education programmes that are produced through collaborative work with radio listener clubs. Research on three cases of community radio programming concludes that community radio provides opportunities for community-led social learning which the Livingstone Museum could make use of to extend and localise its engagement with the community in environmental learning.