Mobile propaganda: A flexible and effective propaganda model to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic

– With the goal of providing all people with updates on the Covid-19 pandemic (situation, danger levels, the importance of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control), over the last time, the province’s cultural, sports and tourism sector have employed synchronously various propaganda measures, in which special attention is paid to mobile propaganda forms.

These days, people in Lang Son city regularly update the latest information of the Covid-19 pandemic 3 times a day (in the morning from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., in the afternoon from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the evening) from the mobile propaganda vehicle of the Culture and Sports Center of (CSC) Lang Son city.

Ms. Mong Thi Thuy from Hoang Van Thu ward, Lang Son city said: “Although the updates on the pandemic and prevention methods are regularly provided by the mass media, I have a habit of listening to the city’s mobile propaganda. The information provided by the city is quite understandable and informative. Therefore, all the members in your family listen to the updates every day and we all obey the regulation on on disease prevention and control.”

Bac Son district’s Mobile Cinema Team propagated the COVID-19 prevention and control measures in Vu Lang commune

Talking about the propaganda on the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Nguyen Hong Khanh, Director of the Center for Culture and Sports of Lang Son city said: Following the direction of the City People’s Committee, since beginning of 2021, the center has developed a plan to promote local propaganda activities. When the COVID-19 pandemic situation is complicated, we have strengthened our mobile propaganda activities in densely populated streets with 3 sessions/day. Since the beginning of 2021, we have carried out nearly 300 mobile propaganda sessions, including over 100 propaganda sessions on COVID-19 prevention and control, attracting hundreds of thousands of listeners.

Like Lang Son city, the propaganda of COVID-19 prevention and control in 10 districts has also been widely and diversely deployed. It is recorded  that since early 2021, the district offices of Culture and Sports have released 50 propaganda documents on disease prevention to communes, wards and townships. Besides, the district media centers of culture and sports have organized mobile propaganda on the streets, and in the center of communes and towns with nearly 1,000 sessions attracting hundreds of thousands of listeners.

Mr. Nguyen Phuc Ha, Director of Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said: In order to well implement the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, from the beginning of the year the department has requested the district offices of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the city’s cultural and traditional centers and the districts centers of Culture, Sports and Tourism continue to promote propaganda activities focusing using vehicles for mobile propaganda in villages and neighborhoods to provide people with the latest updates on the Covid-19 prevention and control in localities.

Following the direction of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, since early 2021, the Provincial Center of Culture and Arts has also compiled over 10 propaganda documents and sent to the City’s Center of Culture, Sports and Tourism and 10 district centers for their mobile propaganda. Along with that, the center’s mobile propaganda team has propagated more than 100 sessions throughout the province. The Film Distribution and Screening Center directs mobile cinema teams to promote propaganda by showing movies and using motorbikes with loudspeakers in remote villages. It is recorded that since early 2021. the unit has organized more than 900 sessions in more than 270 communes to over 97,000 people. At the grassroots level, especially in cross-border communes and towns, the commune cultural workers also coordinate with other functional forces (border guards, military, women, youth unions, etc.) to propagate the information of the Covid-19 pandemic through loudspeakers to the public.

In order to promote effectively this approach, in the coming time, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will continue to supervise and urge affiliated units, districts and grassroots agencies to perform well the general propaganda program and particular mobile propaganda activities to spread information of the prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic. Especially in remote and isolated areas with scattered populations, local authorities and relevant agencies  are encouraged to apply mobile propaganda flexibly to increase the effectiveness; cultural agencies and officials at grassroots are also urged to organize mobile propaganda in densely populated areas or to go to each household to propagate in person.