The power of media literacy training: a testimony from a local councillor

GL conducted a three-day media literacy training course from 14 to 16 September at the President Hotel in Gaborone in Botswana. Evelyn Kgodungwe is one of the women councillors who participated in the Media Literacy & IT Skills course for women in politics, which was a joint collaboration between Gender Links and Botswana Association of Local Authorities (BALA). The 24 participants were drawn from main local districts across the country.

The training targeted BALA’s Women Commissioners. These commissioners’ objectives are to ensure that local government and other local governance structures become gender sensitive, particularly through gender responsive planning and budgeting and to sensitise the communities on gender issues. The main objective of the media literacy training was to develop the IT proficiency of women in politics for advocacy skills and to elucidate the concept of media literacy.

The followings outcomes were realised:

– BALA Women Commissioners were trained.
– Participants created email accounts and sent emails.
– A more nuanced understanding of gender and media issues was created.
– The production of a newsletter using workshop skills.

In a follow up by GL to learn how the participants are utilising the skills, Keabonye Ntsabane interviewed Evelyn Kgodungwe, a member of BALA Women Commissioners and a Botswana Congress Party councillor in Selibe Phikwe.

Councillor Kgodungwe has taken her training very seriously and is now technologically empowered. Kgodungwe said, “I have connected email in my house and it is now easy to communicate and get invitation from outside.”

Kgodungwe continued, “With this email, I receive invitations in time and I am able to chat with my family every time I want, email is cost effective and with it you can reach the outside world”. Councillor Kgodungwe wished that the same courses on IT could be provided to the rest of her community as it would save transport costs spent on organising ward meetings.