Participatory Video (PVIDEO)

Participatory video (PVIDEO) is a process in which a group or community creates their own film. PVIDEO differs from conventional documentary making in that the subjects themselves shape issues according to their own sense of what is important, and that they control how they will be represented. The idea behind this is that making a video is a great way of bringing people together to explore issues and voice concerns that in more formal participatory rural appraisal settings might remain unspoken. This process can be very empowering way to create awareness of shared issues, enabling a group or community to take their own action to solve their own problems, and also to communicate their needs and ideas to decision-makers and/or other groups and communities. As such, PVIDEO can be a highly effective tool to engage and mobilize marginalized people, and to help them to implement their own forms of sustainable development based on local needs.