The Department of Communication, University of Hyderabad, in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair on Community Media, organised a Golden Jubilee Distinguished Lecture on April 7, 2026, at the newly inaugurated Sarojini Naidu School Auditorium on the campus. The lecture, titled Citizens’ Media and Conflict: Lessons from Community Media in Colombia, was delivered by Dr. Clemencia Rodríguez, Professor at the Klein College of Media and Communication, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA. Dr. Rodríguez is currently a Scholar-in-Residence at Mahindra University, Hyderabad.
Opening the session, Prof. Sathya Prakash, Head of the Department of Communication, welcomed the gathering and invited the dignitaries, including Prof. J. Anuradha, Vice-Chancellor (in-charge), Prof. M.S. Siva Raju, Dean, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, Prof. M. Ghanashyam Krishna, Institute of Eminence (IoE) Director, and Dr. Clemencia Rodríguez, to the dais for felicitation.
Prof. M.S. Siva Raju delivered the welcome address, welcomed the speaker, and invited dignitaries, faculty members, PhD scholars, and students. Prof. J. Anuradha, who presided over the session, noted that it was the first event to be held at the venue and thanked Prof. Vinod Pavarala, Senior Professor & Advisor, School of Digital Media & Communication, Mahindra University, for facilitating the lecture. This was followed by remarks from Prof. M. Ghanashyam Krishna.
Introducing the speaker, Prof. Kanchan K. Malik, Professor, Department of Communication and Chairholder, UNESCO Chair on Community Media, University of Hyderabad, highlighted the significance of her work. Prof. Malik noted, “If you were to ask where Prof. Clemencia Rodríguez’s intellectual home truly lies, it is in the places she has studied – the margins, the conflict zones, and the grassroots – particularly her native Colombia.”
Dr. Rodríguez began her lecture by showing an image of her embroidery work to illustrate how her research connects theory with field experiences. “I weave threads of theory and research together with what I find in the field…always trying to understand the role of communication in the lived experience of communities.” She added, “This is my way of braiding epistemological threads of knowledge that I find in the field with threads of knowledge that I find in the library and all equally legitimate.”
The speaker discussed the case of chicha, a traditional indigenous alcoholic drink made by fermenting corn, which was widely consumed in Colombia until beer companies stigmatised it as a sign of backwardness, leading to its decline. Noting its recent revival, she described it as an instance of “thinking otherwise”. Referring to how Colombian youth rediscovered the drink, Dr. Rodríguez used the example to explain her approach to media and communication research, one that pays close attention to local knowledge production and local solutions in addressing local problems, particularly in the context of community media during armed conflict in the country.
In her lecture, Dr. Rodríguez examined the role of community media at the intersection of culture and power in Colombia, particularly in the context of the Colombian war. She argued that community media narratives during the conflict served to remind unarmed local communities that not everything is obliterated by war, often functioning as “pockets of peace”.
The lecture was followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Prof. Sathya Prakash.
Following the lecture, Dr. Rodríguez interacted with PhD scholars from the Department of Communication working in related areas, during which students presented brief overviews of their research and engaged in discussion with her.
By: Treesa Reena John, PhD Scholar, Department of Communication, UoH.