Pathways to accountability from the margins: reflections on participatory video practice

Two of the central challenges in building accountability for marginalised people are how to reach and meaningfully involve the most excluded, and how to establish the kinds of relationships that mean they can achieve, influence and expect government responsiveness. This report explores asks how participatory video – an existing methodology for engaging marginalised people – can be adapted and strengthened inclusively engage citizens and foster responses from decision-makers. It presents four propositions for achieving this: 1: Ensure inclusive engagement during group-forming and building; 2: Develop shared purpose and group agency through video exploration and sense-making; 3: Enable horizontal scaling through community-level videoing action; 4: Support the performance of vertical influence through video-mediated communication. Discussion draws on two long-term participatory video processes at five sites in two countries, Kenya and Indonesia. Evidence presented suggests that extended participatory video processes can help mediate relationships, but for them to do so there is a need to develop more ethical and effective participatory video practice, and for more work to be undertaken on how to foster support from influential decision-makers.