This paper calls for a critical appraisal of the use of the politically loaded words which are normally associated with liberation struggles. It suggests that these terms are often vaguely defined and mean different things to different publics. Their constant use, therefore, tends to obscure the message and to create a communication gap. The writer subscribes to the view that, contrary to the intention of the message senders, many of the descriptors used present a denigrating image of the groups they set out to help and that both these descriptors as well as the criteria for classifying the groups should be reconsidered. This she thinks, is one of the important assignments which development communicators should undertake.
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