Interculturality in Health Communication: The Bilharzia Storytelling Lab as a Pioneer for Cultural Respect and Empowerment
(2023) SKOM12 20231Department of Strategic Communication
- Abstract
- This study investigates interculturality in health communication and deriving power relations. The Bilharzia Storytelling Lab 2022 in Kigali is a health communication program devoting significant attention to the role of culture and representing a new approach to respectful health communication practices. Exploring the Storytelling Lab methodology and its roles provides insights into the innovative elements preventing the reproduction of Western hegemonic systems in the African context. The aim is to demonstrate how cultural differences can be considered in health communication and what role played the participants in the lab to identify the critical nature of the program.
The investigation builds on a participatory action research... (More) - This study investigates interculturality in health communication and deriving power relations. The Bilharzia Storytelling Lab 2022 in Kigali is a health communication program devoting significant attention to the role of culture and representing a new approach to respectful health communication practices. Exploring the Storytelling Lab methodology and its roles provides insights into the innovative elements preventing the reproduction of Western hegemonic systems in the African context. The aim is to demonstrate how cultural differences can be considered in health communication and what role played the participants in the lab to identify the critical nature of the program.
The investigation builds on a participatory action research method and revolves around the author’s observations and 14 qualitative interviews with the communicators, who implemented the lab, and its participants. The interviews highlighted the following elements ensuring a respectful approach: (1) building the prevention initiatives on the local participants’ understanding, (2) including local experts to inform the participants’ thinking, (3) attributing to the Dalberg Media team a backstage role as an enabler, and (4) fostering a co-creative approach through teamwork and cross-sector collaborations. Moreover, the results proved the participants’ role as (1) the creative minds leading their storytelling projects and (2) the provider of cultural knowledge. The participants' freedom in decision-making represents a way to disrupt the Western hegemonic structures dominating health communication. These results emphasize the potential for ethical initiatives funded by Western organizations but led by local participants and rooted in a deep understanding of the regional culture, contributing to strategic and health communication and postcolonialism and critical studies, intercultural communication, and ethics. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9131917
- author
- Busso, Greta LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SKOM12 20231
- year
- 2023
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- health communication, intercultural communication, culture-centered approach, culture, ethics, Rwanda
- language
- English
- id
- 9131917
- date added to LUP
- 2023-08-31 13:15:23
- date last changed
- 2023-08-31 13:15:23
@misc{9131917,
abstract = {{This study investigates interculturality in health communication and deriving power relations. The Bilharzia Storytelling Lab 2022 in Kigali is a health communication program devoting significant attention to the role of culture and representing a new approach to respectful health communication practices. Exploring the Storytelling Lab methodology and its roles provides insights into the innovative elements preventing the reproduction of Western hegemonic systems in the African context. The aim is to demonstrate how cultural differences can be considered in health communication and what role played the participants in the lab to identify the critical nature of the program.
The investigation builds on a participatory action research method and revolves around the author’s observations and 14 qualitative interviews with the communicators, who implemented the lab, and its participants. The interviews highlighted the following elements ensuring a respectful approach: (1) building the prevention initiatives on the local participants’ understanding, (2) including local experts to inform the participants’ thinking, (3) attributing to the Dalberg Media team a backstage role as an enabler, and (4) fostering a co-creative approach through teamwork and cross-sector collaborations. Moreover, the results proved the participants’ role as (1) the creative minds leading their storytelling projects and (2) the provider of cultural knowledge. The participants' freedom in decision-making represents a way to disrupt the Western hegemonic structures dominating health communication. These results emphasize the potential for ethical initiatives funded by Western organizations but led by local participants and rooted in a deep understanding of the regional culture, contributing to strategic and health communication and postcolonialism and critical studies, intercultural communication, and ethics.}},
author = {{Busso, Greta}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Interculturality in Health Communication: The Bilharzia Storytelling Lab as a Pioneer for Cultural Respect and Empowerment}},
year = {{2023}},
}