Empowering Indigenous Community through Community Radio: A Case Study from Nepal

Abstract

The recently won People's Democracy ( Loktantra ) in Nepal has transpired a contested yet ever demanding platform furthering rights and identity movements. The availability of alternative voices through community radios is a space to emancipate the identity movement towards indigenous empowerment and asserting their respectful and equitable entry in to " New Nepal ." Within the theoretical framework of identity and democracy this research is based on the study of community radios as " case study organizations ." We have used media ethnography and media text analysis including the observation to both corroborate and contradict with the participants' understandings and expressions in the research. We find that indigenous communities can reflect their agenda of identity re - establishment towards empowerment through the active participation in the production of media contents. Active participation of indigenous communities in local radio production not only mandates acknowledgement of ethnic identity in the new nation building but also give an opportunity of lesson learning on the potentiality of using community radios as one of the tools for empowerment. In this context, reestablishment of identity through community radio deserves appreciation because it facilitates the creation of discursive space which will ultimately help to establish pluralist democracy by creating different public spheres.