A zany taxi driver is helping to teach important issues in the DRC. Mopila, who began life as a character on an eponymous radio drama has moved to print as the star of his own comic book series. The latest edition has just been released and sees Mopila caught up in helping a sexual violence victim, assisting a courageous young policewoman and getting himself arrested. The 24-page comic book shows both positive and negative police characters, and includes a mixture of SFCG’s famous radio drama characters from “Tomorrow is a New Day”, “My Neighbour is my Brother” and of course, the Mopila series. The comic provides an accessible format to communicate good governance and citizens’ rights. Already, more than 90,000 copies of “Mopila on Justice Avenue” have been produced in French, Swahili and Lingala, and are being distributed around the country.
Pre-tests revealed that the messages led to concrete learning and positive shifts in attitudes amongst a diverse audience ranging from police officers and magistrates to ordinary youth and market women. The comic book will soon be available for download at the SFCG website, and hard copies are available at SFCG’s offices in Kinshasa, Bukavu and Goma.
Comics are a great way to communicate diverse issues that really engage their audiences. Naif Al-Mutawa was recently praised by Barack Obama for his comic creation, The 99 which presents Islamic influenced superheroes as a way of combating stereotypes and offering different perspectives on Islam. Religion is not directly mentioned in the series and the heroes themselves come from 99 different countries, but the series is based on Muslim archetypes and each hero represents one of the 99 attributes of God. The 99 has been hugely popular and already has a theme park, The 99 Village in Kuwait, the creator’s home; it’s been published in eight different languages and will air as an animated series in the US this Fall.
from www.cabein.com
Al Mutawa says “My hope is to one day have Muslim and Jewish kids reading “THE 99.” I also wanted to show that although these positive values are inherent in Islam, they are values we share with humanity. When you focus on religious behaviors, then you focus on differences. But, when you focus on values, more people can relate to that as we all share those.”
Read the rest of the interview here.
What other comics have been used to communicate social issues?
“No man is an island. entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. ”
~John Donne, from Meditation XVII
Apologies: A Littles Goes a Long Way
Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga shake hands after Joyce's bad call (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
“Apology is a lovely perfume; it can transform the clumsiest moment into a gracious gift.”
~Margaret Lee Runbeck (American author, 1905 – 1956)
This quote certainly rings true for MLB umpire, Jim Joyce. His bad call cost Detroit Tigers pitcher, Armando Galarraga, a perfect game. After watching the replay, Joyce realized his mistake and apologized. His sportsmanship, heartfelt remorse and willingness to admit a wrong have won him support from many corners, including Tigers’ fans and Galarraga himself. “Nobody’s perfect,” Galarraga said.
Their sportsmanship and Galarraga’s cool head could teach many a lesson in conflict resolution.
SFCG’s series, The TEAM, also tries to harness the power of sports to teach wider lessons about unity, fair play and forgiveness.
Read more about Joyce’s story here.
While soap operas have been largely relegated to the realm of daytime television in the US, they remain a premiere form of entertainment around the world. Telenovelas from Mexico are enjoyed in countries as far away as Malawi and Macedonia.
On November 21, 1985 over 350 million fans in 57 countries were glued to their television sets to find out who shot J.R. in the wildly popular soap, Dallas. In Turkey, parliament was adjourned early so that members could rush home and see the answer.
SFCG and other NGO’s have harnessed the power of the soap to communicate social messages. Susan Froetschel writes on the phenomenon in the Khaleej Times:
“During the past two decades, some governments and NGOs make no secret of using the genre to carry social messages, following the lead of early sponsors who urged clean homes: CARE developed ‘Wind Blows Through Dark and Light’ for Vietnam to show that HIV/AIDS could strike any family; UK’s Plan International launched ‘Atmajaa’ in 2008 to discourage female infanticide in India; US-based Search for Common Ground develops radio and television soap operas to teach conflict resolution for eight countries, including Angola and Nepal.”
Read the full article here.
filming The TEAM
Recently, Mburugu Gikunda, Country Director of Media Focus on Africa visited the SFCG headquarters in DC. Mburugu is also the producer of the TEAM in Kenya. While in town for a USIP summit on media as a global diplomat, he spoke about the impact the Team has had on viewers. One story he shared was that of a mixed-marriage couple living in Eldoret. Located in western Kenya, it is a largely Kalenjin area, the tribe that the husband was from. In the post election violence, many members of the Kikuyu tribe were attacked and killed. This was the tribe the wife belonged to. During the chaos the wife, “got herself” raped. This was how her husband saw it, a not uncommon reaction. With both the shame of her tribe and the rape against her, her husband cast her out. Then one day, while driving, the man was listening to a radio broadcast of The TEAM. It was an episode dealing with rape and the blame that rape victims must often bear. After listening, he was moved to reconsider his treatment of his wife. The two have since reconciled and are living together again. Fortunately, this has not been an uncommon reaction.
The TEAM was screened with facilitated discussions by FilmAid International, in eight locations across Kenya (Mathare, Kibera, Naivasha, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kakamega, Kisumu and Mombasa). Because of these discussions, we have more great stories, like the one Mburugu shared, from participants in the post-screening discussions:
Makena* was a Kikuyu woman living in a predominately Luhya region. The violence forced her and her two-month old son to flee to an IDP camp. There, her son fell ill due to poor conditions and malnourishment. She traveled to a hospital in the Kakamega district. Upon hearing her child’s Kikuyu name, however, the charge nurse refusing to treat him. She told Makena to take the baby to a Kikuyu hospital. Unfortunately, the child died. Once the violence subsided, the woman moved out of the camp to a neighborhood where she often saw the same charge nurse. Makena attended the mobile cinema screenings and was especially moved when a fellow participant admitted his guilt in destroying his neighbor’s property. She decided to confront the nurse, who admitted her mistake and remorse. Makena said she would not have forgiven the nurse had it not been for The Team, and she invited the nurse to the next screening.
Since the post-election violence, many Kenyans have come together to form what are known as “peace groups.” These groups, many registered CBO’s, engage in peacebuilding, conflict resolution and inter-ethnic activites to counter tribalism. After her experience with the TEAM screening, the nurse has joined some of these groups and no longer grants or withholds her services according to tribal affiliation.
Post-election violence in Mombasa (http://www.nation.co.ke)
Hassan Sheer was a youn manwho had participated in post-election violence. Influenced by his peers and caught up in the moment, he organized the looting of his neighbor’s businesses. Though he regretted his actions and wanted to apologize, he was afraid of retribution. The mobile cinema screenings gave him a safe space to share his experience with other participants. Through the sessions, he worked up the courage to confess and apologize to his neighbors. Initially his apology was not well received. He persisted, however, and eventually they were able to forgive him. Hassan claims that The Team’s programming changed his life, and his neighbors say they wished they also had the opportunity to participate.
Kibera
The Lebour Youth Group (a corruption of the English word ‘labour’) was initially formed by young, unemployed men gathering at the entrance of the Kibera slum near the chiefs’ offices. They were formerly involved in petty theft and crime. This group was widely feared and nobody wanted to walk in Kibera past 7pm. During the post-election violence, the group members turned against each other and the majority Luos chased away the Kikuyu members. After attending the mobile cinema screenings, they felt empowered to transform their lives. They now involve themselves in entrepreneurial activities through various projects such as selling water to the community, hiring out social halls, growing vegetables for market, running a local hotel, rearing chickens and offering sanitation facilities (i.e. toilets) for a fee. All these activities have helped them to improve their living conditions and economic standards. They have also registered with the government as a legal group and are no longer a gang.
Media can be a powerful tool for social change and in small ways, it’s making a difference in the lives of many Kenyans. For more information on the TEAM go here. You can also watch episodes on LinkTV.
*name changed
We hope you’ll be able to join us for the following event. It promises to be an excellent evening. Anyone interested in diaspora issues and youth in conflict should not miss out!
2010 Youth Diaspora Conference Reception
June 7, 2010 6:00-7:30PM
Location:
U.S. Institute of Peace
2nd floor
1200 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
America is the home of many cultures, with more and more people immigrating ever year. The diaspora of these cultures keep strong connections with their countries of origin, and the experiences they have while living in the United States will impact their home countries. Many of these diaspora come from countries with a history of violent conflict. To ensure that they have a positive influence back home, organizations like the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) and Search for Common Ground have been convening diaspora groups for dialogue and policy development. Until now, young people have been notably absent from these forums.
As a means of better understanding the experiences of young diaspora in the United States, integrating their voices into policy dialogues, and encouraging youth engagement in peacebuilding, the Untied States Institute of Peace, in partnership with Search for Common Ground and Nomadic Wax Productions , is co-sponsoring the 2010 Youth Diaspora Conference. The Conference is an opportunity for young diaspora to share their experiences and to learn how they can creatively engage in peacebuilding.
A reception following the conference will feature a presentation by:
Spokesperson, Children of War in northern Uganda
Inquiries
Please contact Morgan Miller at 202-429-7168 or mmiller@usip.org with any general questions about this event.
Media
Journalists should contact Lauren Sucher at lsucher@usip.org or Allison Sturma at asturma@usip.org.
