Summary
This activity took place in Kpalimé, Togo. It aimed to test the feasibility of using the Participatory Video (PV) method to explore older people’s perspectives on healthy ageing in their contexts and to catalyze their meaningful engagement in actions to foster healthy ageing as prioritized in the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing. Through creative, interactive, empowering participatory exercises, PV mobilizes people and communities to tell their own stories, explore issues and articulate concerns and solutions while remaining in control of how they will be represented. In Kpalimé, a mix of participatory games and exercises was used to enable participants to learn about video equipment, sound, interviews, light, ethics and consent but also to explore issues related to healthy ageing. Through a multi-day collaborative process, eight participants - four women and four men from the Éwe, Kabyè, Losso, Kotokoli and Tchokossi ethnic groups - identified complex and interlinked issues older people are facing linked to ageism and health care but also intergenerational tensions. After agreeing topics, participants planned and made their own film called “Older people speak up”. A community screening took place at the end of the workshop process at the Town Hall of Kpalimé with facilitated dialogue to draw out learning and next steps. The screening was attended by upwards of fifty people, comprising relatives of the participants, local decision makers and leaders, and civil society representatives. Two similar pilots were also implemented in Canada and Jordan.
Planning and Implementation
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What was the challenge you were trying to address?
The key issues raised during the workshop were complex and multi-layered and included a wide range of factors that contributed to the barriers to healthy ageing, including health, changes in the structure of society, attitudes to ageing and older people, intergenerational tensions, poverty, the advancement of technology, lack of leisure activities and training and access to healthcare. Intergenerational conflict was discussed at some length during the workshop, so the participants chose to create a comic drama sequence to begin their video and present this issue in a way that could encourage positive discussion rather than negative blame-focused debate. During these discussions, participants also reflected on how decisions about services and policy for older people are made remotely, without engaging older people themselves, resulting not only in a lack of adequate support but also providing inappropriate services or policies. As Nicholas Hounzangbe, a participant, shared: “Old people have a lot to say but they don’t have the opportunities to express their problems. Change is not immediate but we need to stay optimistic as they felt they were listened to. I really enjoyed going back to my community yesterday and hearing the people talking about what we did and seeing them happy. They were not expecting this. I am proud.”
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Who were you trying to impact?
Older people in general, Both older and younger people
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What sectors were you targeting?
Education, Health, Housing, Information and Communication, Long-term care, Social protection
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Who else was involved?
Government, Civil Society Organization, Older People's Association
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How did older people participate?
Older people were part of the process at multiple or all stages
Lessons learned
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Please describe how collaboration worked in your initiative.
The project was a collaboration between Univers de solidarité et de développement (UNI.SOL.D), InsightShare, HelpAge International and the National Committee of Old People Platform (NCPCA) and WHO.
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What was the impact of your initiative on older people, their families, and/or their communities?
The group identified a number of potential change agents, enabling them to explore different ways of addressing challenges, rather than focusing only on what the government should or should not do. They explored the differences that could be made by engaging with the community, with young people, with NGOs, with the Church and also identified what older people can do themselves to achieve a positive and forward-looking approach to healthy ageing. As one participant, Koffi Nayou articulated: “The government is doing a lot and doing what they can but there is still so much to do. People agreed to be interviewed spontaneously because we are directly approaching them regarding themes that involve them and this could help to solve many problems. The older people become aware of their problems by talking to us and this is already a change.” A local interviewee was practical about what was required: “We should do research to know the number of older people, see their situation and see how to intervene. The intervention that could be really successful is to help people to set up small income-generating businesses.” UNI.SOL.D plans to undertake a wide distribution of the film, together with organized screenings across Togo in tandem with a HelpAge International. UNI.SOL.D is also planning to share the film with partners as a tool for raising funds to combat poverty and discrimination of older people. Participants also expressed a wish to consider training of older people in facilitation.
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What issues did you face, and how did you address them?
There were two full days devoted to filming, including interviews in various locations, cutaways to illustrate the points made in the interviews and provide an insight into the physical location of the community and its members. As there was only one shooting kit available, the whole group participated in filming every sequence together.
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What lessons did you learn from implementing this initiative?
Most insights from the activity emerged from the employment of artistic techniques adapted to local culture. Some of these techniques, including singing and dancing, were included in the video and provide an insight into the cultural importance of song, dance and movement to storytelling for these participants. Role play and theatre also helped participants explore the topics more deeply and understand the complexities of the various layers that contribute to the healthy ageing debate. For example, the participants used a drama to start to transform a sad reality of the intergenerational conflict of cohabitation into a funny act to keep the audience engaged and make them laugh. The ‘walking opinion’ exercise was particularly effective, as it allowed meaningful conversations about healthy ageing and enabled them to question their own and other people’s attitudes. An imaginary line is drawn in the workshop space, and participants position themselves between ‘I strongly agree’ and ‘I strongly disagree’ extremities as the facilitator reads out statements. It was empowering for the participants to use their body to express their feelings and break down ‘big’ topics into manageable sub-topics through asking questions. Furthermore, by broadening the discussion beyond physical health and accounting for societal and other factors, the group began to explore more positively how different change agents can contribute to healthy ageing, including harnessing their own agency. Interviews in the community avoided the potential to intensify rather than moderate intergenerational tensions. Illustrative footage was also gathered on the filming days, showing positive images of older people doing skilled work such as sewing, to challenge negative stereotypes, but also revealing the reality of poverty.
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Do you have any other reflections you would like to share?
The group explored a wide range of factors that can contribute to healthy ageing and the footage of them exercising, dancing and learning how to make a video showed the group as leading by example. Remaining independent economically and promoting good health through improving nutrition and taking regular exercise was clearly illustrated in their film.