CMAP
CMAP
Sparked by the 2009 demolition of informal waterfront settlements, CMAP was formed when key individuals with diverse expertise, skills in media, marketing and graphics connected over their shared concern for the plight of waterfront residents. Over the years, CMAP has campaigned for the recognition of waterfront settlements and their place in the city via a number of interventions. The first was a pop-up cinema to screen films in the community, using film as a form of activism. CMAP has since gone on to use radio, mapping, music and other media to support these communities.
CMAP’s approach is flexible, allowing it to respond to the needs of the communities it serves as they arise. It runs a number of different initiatives, including:
1. Chicoco Radio is a floating radio station, built and run by residents of waterfront settlements.
2. Chicoco Studios is a music studio that supports artists from waterfront settlements.
3. Chicoco Cinema primarily shows films made by the waterfront communities and classic movies. The cinema is inflatable and travels to various communities across Nigeria.
4. Chicoco Maps equips residents of informal settlements with the tools required to map out their neighbourhoods.
CMAP is starting to explore physical infrastructure provision that is context specific and relevant for the future. It sees opportunities for experimentation at the neighbourhood level for the provision of services such as electricity.
The media programmes allow residents of waterfront communities to share their perspectives with those who may be able to help them improve their living conditions. Previous projects that were highly successful include the “People Live Here” campaign, a national and international campaign that used posters and billboards with images of waterfront residents. The increased attention has resulted in the state being more cognizant of the human rights of informal waterfront communities. CMAP’s human rights programme, in conjunction with the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) successfully held the Rivers State accountable for the violation of human rights. Through a landmark court ruling, the State had to compensate waterfront community residents.
CMAP has achieved great success in using diverse media platforms to raise the visibility of informal waterfront communities and champion their interests.
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