Replicate

Visiting the Biogeographic Chocó means experiencing life vividly. Its accents, music, and people charge the air with a contagious power. It means immersing yourself in myriad stories woven into the spoken words of the decimeros, the voice of the singers, the azernoons spent chatting at the mentideros, the Indigenous wisdom; even the sounds of the forest are inhabited by characters, stories and wisdom. The oral tradition of this region includes culture, beliefs, traditions and the power of the spoken word.

At REDD+ Community Portfolio, we believe that communication is essential for the projects. This motivated the strengthening of communication capabilities within the REDD+ units, a process that opened up conversations not only regarding what communities wanted to say about the project, but also how they wanted to reach their people. Even though the Biogeographic Chocó is a single region, each community has individual needs, aspirations, and demands that shape messages, formats, and communication pieces to properly suit local customs.

We held radio and photography training sessions with communities that covered from script writing to camera and voice recorder operation training; a process that combined a focus on technical aspects with the responsibility that comes with handling information and messages.

People’s innate talent was palpable, as if they’d been doing radio and photography for years. People who possess a natural rhythm that moves others and makes the region notorious for powerful oral and graphic storytelling, one that enhances narratives and makes listeners and spectators feel like they’re part of the story.