The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Like Water is for Fish: The Power of Story in our Lives

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When you share your story with others and they share theirs with you, barriers break down, hardened attitudes shift, and healing begins.

By integrating health topics into compelling storylines on TV, radio, and in print, the Soul City and Soul Buddyz series created stories that entertained and informed millions of people in South Africa and beyond. And the Heartlines' 'What's Your Story?' programme and films such as Beyond the River continue to provide witness to the transformative power of story (e.g., through Heartlines' training of hundreds of leaders in the use of personal storytelling to increase social cohesion).

As a young boy, Garth Japhet found his life radically shaped by the Jungle Doctor series of books. The stories so enthralled him that, against all advice, he set his heart on medicine. He could see his future – with a backdrop of savannas, golden sunsets, adventure, and accolades – as a romantic figure, a healer, a hero.

This fantasy sustained Garth through the challenges of medical training; finally, he became Dr. Japhet, living the dream. However, the reality of medicine was not the life he had hoped for. There were times when he cursed the power of the story that had radically shaped his life. Having struggled with anxiety most of his life, he was catapulted into a deep depression.

And then it happened. Garth stumbled upon the healing power of story – fictional, factual, and his own. If stories had changed him, could he use story to change others? This question set him on the journey described in Like Water is for Fish a journey that led to Garth co-founding Soul City and Heartlines, and to an understanding that story, in its multiple forms, is as essential for our lives as water is for fish.

Part personal narrative, part interviews with other influential South Africans, Like Water is for Fish is a journey through different lives and moments where people were affected, redirected, and healed by story. "Once people have tasted the healing power of stories, they continue to use the tool of story-sharing in multiple contexts and the resulting change in hearts and lives spills over into a positive impact for society as a whole." – Garth Japhet

Below please find links to interviews with the author:

Radio

TV