Panos Oral Testimony Mountains Project

Panos is an independent information organization working with journalists, media, and community groups in Africa, Asia, and South America to generate, publish, and disseminate information on development issues. A constant theme that emerges from all their information activities is that, for development to be sustainable, it must reflect more closely the values and priorities of the people it is designed to serve. The Oral Testimony (OT) Program is designed to gather, publish, and amplify the voices and opinions of the beneficiaries of development—people who want to speak for themselves and not be heard through the medium of outsiders, journalists, or experts. Oral testimonies are the result of free-ranging interviews on a series of topics, drawing on direct personal memory and experience. Vivid, human, and direct, they challenge the generalisations of development literature, and they can enlighten planners and policymakers about the realities of development.