SACOD is a network of Southern Africa audiovisual organisations whose primary focus is the production and distribution of social responsibility content. It was founded in 1987 to support the process of democratisation in Southern Africa via audiovisual platforms.

 

The rights and benefits of the SACOD members are determined by the SACOD Congress at its AGM and monitored by the SACOD Board. However, SACOD will endeavours that its members access various information, training, networking and advisory services furnished by SACOD or by its partners.

SACOD works in partnerships and collaborations with other organisations in the media sector by lobbying governments for change in legislation and to ensure that the media environment in Southern Africa allows media freedom and diversity.

 

 

Thorough research is conducted with a clear target audience in mind. The productions are then designed with interesting visually engaging styles for the audiences. In some special cases programmes are screened to specific target audiences or discussion groups in the presence of facilitators who are familiar with the subject matter being portrayed in the films. The facilitators often hold discussions or debates thereby gaining deeper appreciation and understanding of the issues at hand.

 

 

Development content is commercially viable when it adopts or adapts business approaches while adhering to its relevance on issues that are important to civil society. It is inherently a commodity – a good to be traded. An organisation interested in a particular programme could buy numerous copies of the programme for re-distribution to needy communities. This helps the audiovisual content practitioner to acquire income.

 

SACOD members are constantly engaging broadcasters in their respective countries. Broadcasters are primarily national distributors and they need to be commercially viable. SACOD audiovisual members are primarily suppliers of content and they too need to be commercially viable. SACOD as an organisation is entering into partnership with the region’s association of broadcasters. This is a critical move for both players so that they gain mutually rewarding benefits while satisfying the needs of their ultimate clients – their audiences.

Regional audiences in particular and some international audiences in general with similar interest in the relevancy of the content are the ultimate beneficiaries of the work done by SACOD members. SACOD enables the production and distribution of Southern African audiovisual content that contributes to democracy, peace, popular participation, race and gender equality, development and cultural identity. These are enshrined in the constitutions of all Southern African Development Community (SADC) states.

Audiences are often excited, receptive and engaged whenever they see people just like them in the screened content. Irrespective of the genres on show, whether they are dramas, documentaries, feature films, war stories, environmental, health or civil society issues, audiences want to identify with those depicted in the content. Debates often take place after the screening if the content is of a controversial nature.

For the most part, the production and distribution of development content is funded by donor organisations and international development agencies. In a fewer number of cases, state funded institutions have begun to fund productions.

 

Audiovisual practitioners should make a decent living to themselves and their families. If the profits are re-invested by ploughing them back into their productions it makes the practitioners even more sustainable as businesses.

SACOD is developing a audiovisual content production and distribution strategy to determine how it can best be engaged in the viable funding of its members’ projects.

 

SACOD provides an enabling environment for the distribution of content for its members. Some SACOD members specialise in the distribution of development content for other SACOD members.