Publication of leaked ProSavana communications strategy document

The English version of the ProSavana communications strategy, from September 2013, was produced by a JICA contracted consultant agency, CV&A, which is a Mozambican company.

 

A detailed analysis of the strategy was carried out in 2016 by a Japanese NGO based on a Portuguese version that had been obtained.

http://www.farmlandgrab.org/post/view/26449-prosavanas-communication-strategy-and-its-impact-an-analysis-of-jicas-disclosed-and-leaked-documents

 

The existence of this English version had been concealed by JICA despite this report being one of the outcome documents of its contract with the agency under the sub-project entitled "Definition of the ProSAVANA Communication Strategy" of the ProSAVANA-PD, financed entirely by JICA.   

 

The contents of the document show how the governmental promoters of the ProSAVANA programme, especially JICA, tried to "withdraw the importance/weaken" and "decrease [the] forces of" the local peasants movements and civil society organisations contesting the programme and to divide them from local communities, local media and international organisations, especially of Brazil and Japan.

 

See 32-34pp. of the document.

 

Interestingly, the document also includes the following sentence:

"In addition, following a communication strategy that removes the link of Nacala Corridor to the Brazilian Cerrado, one devalues some of the main arguments that these international NGOs have used in the past year." (p.34)

 

Also, the details of the plan of setting up of "District (ProSAVANA) Network of Collaborators" is defined under the section of 4.1. Actions to be developed in the Corridor Communities. (See p.22)

 

Based on the document (in Portuguese version) and other leaked primary sources of ProSAVANA, the civil society coalition of three countries (Mozambique, Brazil and Japan) released a joint statement in August 2016. See: Joint statement and open questions on ProSAVANA by the civil society of Mozambique, Brazil and Japan in response to newly leaked government documents

https://farmlandgrab.org/26457

 

And the Mozambican No to ProSAVANA Campaign submitted their "Open Letter" to the President of JICA in February 2017. See: Protest against JICA’s impacts on Mozambican society in relation to the ProSavana programme

https://farmlandgrab.org/26965