• What is Global education?

• Why work with global education?

• What shapes our views of the South?
• Can we make a difference?
Different types of information
• Fundraising-information
• South/partner-information
• Organisation-informasjon
• Global Education (North/South-
information)
POWERRELATIONS
&
REALATION
Global Education is

Education that opens people’s eyes

and minds to the realities of the
globalised world and awakens them
to bring about a world of greater
justice, and Human Rights for all.
TheMaastricht Global Education Declaration (2002)
Main target for Global Education
• Changing minds to change the world
“Despite producing fear of the big
catastrophe, one should enhance
the ability to be active even against
the backround of fundamental
doubts”
Norway is our project country.

HELP ME!!!! I’m not

developed

Foto: Flickr: zetson (CC)

 Why?
• Aims: Norway contributes to global
sustainable development
• From promoting Aid to a more
holistic North / South perspective.
• The problems and challenges in the
South are closely related to the
issues and challenges in the North
(powerrelations).
• More than aid: environment, trade,
developing country debt, global
power relations
• Important: North / South dialogue,
and that awareness on conveying the
views and perspectives from the
South.
Problem Objective

1. Perceptions of the South 1. Change ”TV-Aksjonen”

2. Academic unfreedom – 2. Membership in SAR
3. Saharawi students suffer 3. Stop Norwegian trade
4. War in Kongo - 4. Norwegian weapon control
5. Debt troubles in the 5. Delete Norwegian debt
South 6. Stop the ETFA free trade
6. Students are oppressed agreement
in columbia
• Different levels of engagement
• Alternatives the enables activity
"There is no reason to try to understand
these people. These dirty, ignorant
people give birth to too many children.
They will not work, they have no
discipline. They destroy everyone chance
they get. Every time they get some
money in their hands, they use
everything for drinking and foolish use.
The help we give them, only give them
more oppurtunity to be lazy and produce
even more children. " English industrial worker about
the Norwegians in the 1880s.
Who shapes our perceptions of the South?

• Media: The ”Ks”

war, cathastropy,
conflict and
celebrities
• Fundraising: Africa
are starving - send
money
• Tourism: Safari,
white beaches,
exotic local
communities
Passive victims and
Norwegian helpers
 UN failed, norwegian aid failed,
only the celebrities can save the world now
• "When I watch TV and see
those poor, starving kids
all over the world, I can´t
help but cry. I mean, I´d
love to be skinny like
that, but not with all
those flies and death and
stuff."

Mariah Carey
 The world is dissapearing

• Globalization does not provide broader coverage

• Fewer foreign correspondents – more news-bureaus
• Coverage is conflict driven
Safari i Africa
Botswana, Kenya, South Africa &
Tanzania - Safari holiday!
www.AfrikaSafari.no

Poor children in Africa

needs your help! Become a “SOS-
Fadder” now
www.sos-barnebyer.no
 The aid organizations' presentations of the South

• Before 1945: exoticism, racial theories

and the primitive "other"
• 60th century: liberation from colonial
and developing optimism: Helping
others to get it like us.
• 70th century: System Criticism and
solidarity.
• 80s: does it work?
• 90's, to today: Commercialization and
Branding
BRANDING
• More marketing and
information
professionals
• Added value
• From crying to
smiling children
• Saving the world is a
matter of charity, not
politics. (many work
with politics, but
they dont promote it)
Again: Passive victims and
Norwegian/western helpers
• Compassion fatigue
 information work tips

• Show people who act and do

something with their own situation
• Let people talk for themself
• South perspectives, a requirement
for real and equal dialogue between
North and South
• Introduce people as individuals, not
just representative of a group: full
name, age
• Talk about power relationships, not
only "help" from North to South
• show that people are positioned:
Partners are not "neutral expert
sources”
• Information is a disipline
• Show respect
• Give people alternatives for action
• Wake commitment: It works!
Evaluated information work from Norad-
recipients:
• Effective
• Focus on policies and conflictlines gives positive
results
• Aid-information overshadows critical Global
education
• critical but not self-critical.
• Partners = "Voices from the South" that confirms
the organisations own excellence
• Strong aid-competanse, but not information
expression is oldfashioned.
 Be careful-poster
Ethical guidelines for
North/South-information in
Norway

• Words and images are

powerful weapons, don’t
misuse them!
Groups:
• What category(s) is this
information?
• Give examples of at least one
good and one critical remark?
• How would you define the
objective of this information?
• Who is the actors in the text
and how are they presented?
• Is the information activating?
How could it be activating?