The Role of Participatory Communication in Community Demolition Exercises. A Study of Fadama, Ghana.

Abstract

This study is an assessment of the use of participatory communication in the community demolition exercises using the recent demolitions in Old Fadama as a case study. The study had three objectives, which included understanding the causes of the demolition exercises, assessing the nature of participatory communication used and the effect of participatory communication in the success of the demolition exercise. The study employed the qualitative methodology where an interview protocol was used to sample views from five participants who were officials from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) who were conveniently sampled. The data was transcribed and analyzed using themes developed from the research objectives. The findings of the study indicates that, demolition exercises were deemed very necessary as the growth of slums threatens human life and hampers the socio-economic development aspirations of the country. However, communication was seen as a central process in the exercise. Nevertheless, the forms of communication used by the officials in the build-up to the demolition indicated that it was mostly monologic, top-down and informational. The main purpose of the communication process was to inform the slum dwellers through the mass media and opinion leaders of the scheduled demolition exercise. The slum dwellers considered the exercise as draconian, they demonstrated disaffection and displeasure at their noninvolvement in the planning and execution phases of the exercise. The officials indicated that, although the demolition was completely necessary, the involvement of the dwellers in all the stages would have culminated in better outcomes.