During the last few decades, African villages have remained on
the outside of developments in communication. But rural populations
have their own systems of traditional communication. At the heart
of these systems are the "Du N'Ku", or village persuaders.
As powerful opinion leaders, they can also serve as effective intermediaries
in communicating with rural populations about various aspects of national
development: education, agriculture, health, culture, economics, the
environment and population.
As the twentieth century comes to a close, Africa is still overwhelmed
with problems which conjure up little more than a certain dread in
the minds of the rich countries, and are now consigned to the collective
unconscious. Famine, malnutrition, high infant mortallity rates are
aggravated by numerous other ills-such as galloping population growth,
persistent droughts, deforestation, desertification, misery, illiteracy,
a short life expectancy, and the rural exodus-which are but the logical
extension of this tragic reality.
The governments of most African countries have understood that, without
a profound change in mentality, all efforts to get out from underdevelopment
will be fruitless. In fact, forty years of aid, of strategies and
development programs, have barely achieved their objectives. Nor have
the information and communication strategies put in place to accompany
development initiatives fulfilled their expectations. Although these
strategies did reach the capital cities, they failed to recognize
a fundamental aspect of African reality: that four out of five Africans,
the overwhelming majority of the population, live in villages.
However, although the African village has remained at the edge of
the last decades' phenomenal developments in communication, even a
cursory examination of sociocultural life in the village reveals the
existence of powerful traditional channels for communication. Interpersonal
relations play an important role at the heart of the system, for information
is passed through women and men privy to special consideration in
the community. These are the persuaders, called "Du N'Ku"
in the Ewe language.
Local culture and the process of change
Attachment to progress should stem from a conscious and voluntary
choice. It implies behavioral changes that will eventually conflict
with the traditional values that underlie a certain mode of existence.
To "progress" requires profound changes that should spring
as much as possible from the local culture. In the same way, it is
practically impossible to provoke genuine development without the
active and willing participation of all beneficiary communities in
every stage of the process.
In developing countries this process requires that effective means
of information and communication be put in place. Villagers abhor
any change that goes against their beliefs and their upbringing. The
only changes accepted are those proposed by the wise ones, the upholders
of tradition. In order to be credible and effective, all new approaches
to mobilizing the community in rural Africa must go through these
wise ones, the "Du N'ku". As an extension of the social
community in which they live, they possess a thorough knowledge of
local history, village life, and the traditions and beliefs that villagers
are attached to. They know what psychological arguments can bring
about change.
The "Du N'Ku": necessary intermediaries in setting up
development projects
The "Du N'Ku" know and are known in the community. Having
both practical and in-depth knowledge, they have a shrewd and clear-headed
view of things. In particular, they know what most people really want.
They are therefore able to single out and to formulate priorities.
Finally, they are knowledgable about the traditional channels of information,
communication and persuasive argument.
The "Du N'Ku" have the additional advantage of being able
to endow their messages with warmth and humanity, to give them soul
and feeling as only they can do. This is a singular advantage in African
societies, where communication depends on direct relations between
parties. The "Du N'ku" have mastered the form; they are
the ones who shake the other's hand, that of the neighbor whom they
treat as an extension of themselves. They know how to be attentive
to the most personal and private problems of those in their entourage-
inquiring after their health, sharing their anxiety and pain, but
also their hopes and joy. The "Du N'ku" understand and are
scrupulous about respecting social preliminaries. They know that no
message can be delivered until after the preliminaries are completed.
In other words, the Du N'ku know to respect other people, and are
respected in return. Those others know the Du N'Ku are interested
in them and their fate, and look upon them as full partners. From
then on, people become receptive, feeling both confident and privileged,
because they discover they are not alone and that others also share
their life experiences.
In addition, the Du N'ku are viewed as model citizens because they
live according to the laws and social customs of the community. This
gives them credibility.
For all these reasons, the Du N'ku, the village persuaders, are the
obvious intermediaries between development planners and the village.
They will be asked to serve as mediator, as wise counselor and spokesperson
throughout the planning and implementation of projects. The real challenge
lies in fleshing out the bare bones of administrative communication
with language appropriate to local concerns, thus arousing the interest
which, in its turn, will lead to meaningful dialogue and participation.
Being consummate practitioners of social psychology, the Du N'ku can
play the role of promoter, teacher or mediator. They can not only
remove the authoritarian tone of administrative procedures, but also
its unfamiliarity because they are expert in transforming the words
of power (rules, regulations, decisions, recommendations and circulars)
into coded language both acceptable and accepted.
Whether explaining about vaccination campaigns, village policies
for water, health, hygiene, sanitation, agricultural innovation, family
planning or education, the Du N'ku are valuable and effective allies
for promoting successful policies of endogenous development. The only
problem is knowing how to identify them.
An experience in Togo, within the framework of a family planning
program
Between 1988 et 1990, the Center for African Family Studies in Nairobi
conducted a field experience with the «DuNku» in the district
of Yoto, in Togo. The « Du Nku » were responsible for
informing and sensitizing forty thousand people and for encouraging
the use of preventive measures against AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted
Diseases (STDs).
Before the beginning of the field experience, studies conducted in
the area in 1987 indicated that not a single woman used modern contraceptive
methods. Only 4% practiced sexual abstinence periodically. For men,
these percentages were respectively 2% and 9%. At the end of the project,
10% of the women used contraceptives and 86% practiced sexual abstinence
periodically. The results for men were: 36% practiced sexual abstinence
regularly; 16% used the condom; 14% spermicides; and 12% withdrawal.
At the end of the experiment, on a sample of 1134 people surveyed,
the contraceptive methods used most were: the condom (90%); the pill
(60%), other methods (80%).
Over 98% of the people surveyed conformed that they had heard about
AIDS, its symptoms and ways of preventing the disease. Most of the
time, the information had reached them through the "Du Nku".
For other STDs, "Du Nku" was also the information source
quoted most often.
In terms of African communication, the "Du N'Ku" bear testimony
to the idea that effectiveness must always be rooted in authenticity.
Yao Ahade
Department of national development, infrastructure, transportation
and telecommunications,
Economic and Monetary
Union of West Africa
(1) In Ewe language, "Du" means village, town, city, continent
; "N'ku", means eye-From which comes "Du N'ku",
the eye of the people.
The concept of "Du N'ku" as an alternative strategy for
information, communication and education in development projects in
Africa has been accepted by in programs yaught at the University of
Benin (Lomé, Togo) in October 1991. "Du Nku" is referred
to generically as "key informant in Africa". The concept
was taught by the author at the School of Journalism in Lille, France
(1982-1990).
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