Promoting the right to information during the COVID-19 pandemic through radio

The coronavirus pandemic may present great challenges for indigenous peoples and rural communities in Mexico who often experience socio-economic marginalization and a limited access to information. Under these circumstances, the mission of the Boca de Polen network of communicators - one of our grantee organizations based in Chiapas, southern Mexico - to disseminate relevant information to peasants and indigenous people, support their skills in media technologies, and thus advance the right to information and free expression, becomes even more important and valuable.
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In the face of the current global crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, local media have the important task of objectively and effectively informing the population. The team from Boca de Polen has therefore taken on the task of strengthening its information activities.

Accompanying and informing

Through its radio program Palabras sonoras, the radio takes on the role of broadcasting official prevention measures and suggestions for activities that can be carried out while being in quarantine. However, it also takes on an educational and reflective role in the face of this difficult situation. In order to obtain official information, the Boca de Polen team maintains contact with educational and health institutions and thus ensures the dissemination of adequate information on the evolution of the pandemic.

The diffusion of testimonies from specialists and citizens in general can be helpful for sharing different experiences of how people are experiencing quarantine in different regions. This is important so that those facing a crisis due to panic, fear or uncertainty have other options for information.

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Tseltal radio journalists in Mukulum, Chiapas. Photo: Radio Muk'u Lum.

The lack of access to information for indigenous peoples and rural communities in Mexico

Although Chiapas is currently not one of the states that has been most affected by the coronavirus, it faces a high risk due to communities living in remote regions, who are often marginalized in terms of socioeconomic status and access to information. The direct means of communication is frequently through sound systems or speakers, the phone is also being used to maintain communication with the cities, other communication channels are through radio and television programs.

That is why, even if social media technologies have become important in several communities in the rural and indigenous regions in Chiapas, the radio continues to be a widely used channel of information. Not everyone has a mobile device, or the signal coverage is low or non-existent. International institutions have also highlighted the need to make information on the contingency available in indigenous languages. Hence the importance of continuing to strengthen the work that is being carried out by the radio and producing materials in indigenous languages: Tseltal, Ch'ol, Tsotsil and Tojolabal, among others.

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Poster from the radio program "Palabras sonoras".

The Wixaritari indigenous communities that live on the borders of the states of Nayarit, Durango and Jalisco are on permanent alert due to the current contingency of the coronavirus; however, there are limitations that complicate the work of providing information. The promotion of a bilingual campaign in Wixárika and Spanish for the prevention of the COVID-19 will therefore have a valuable impact on these communities.

In view of these challenges, Boca de Polen points out the importance of the media in its informative, educational, preventive and entertaining work that must be held up during this period.

We want to thank for the support from the Boca de Polen team for this article, especially to Aukwe Mijarez, María Gabriela López Suárez, Vladimir Contreras Escamilla and Arturo Espinoza Maldonado.