Fighting Violent Extremism With Narrative Intervention: Evidence From a Field Experiment in West Africa

Violent extremism is one of the major challenges of our time. A cluster-randomized controlled trial with two arms (treatment vs. control) conducted in 132 villages in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso ( N = 2,904 participants) examined whether a narrative intervention in the format of a radio drama can shift behavioral intentions, beliefs, and attitudes in contexts of violent extremism. Individuals in intervention villages participated in weekly listening sessions to the radio drama (6 months’ content) over 12 weeks. Compared with the control condition, the narrative intervention reduced justification of violence, increased behavioral intentions to collaborate with the police, and increased prioritization of addressing violent extremism. The intervention did not influence beliefs about or attitudes toward the police (e.g., trust, fairness) or beliefs about police–community collaboration. Content analysis of the narrative intervention and participants’ reception and discussion of the intervention provide insights on the processes driving the intervention’s influence.

Radio Drama Competition as an Effective Tool to Boost the Motivation and Self-Confidence of Primary and Secondary School English Learners in Hong Kong

In this report, we investigate the use of a radio drama competition to boost motivation, self-confidence, and cooperation in language learning for primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong. The results suggest the radio drama competition had a positive impact on increasing motivation, collaboration, and confidence in language learning.  For the study, we used online surveys and interviews with students and teachers who participated in the radio drama competition to examine their perceptions of the competition. We have included the surveys and interview results of two competitions in consecutive years, and both years’ results indicate students had positive views about their experience. Both students and teachers believed the competition enhanced collaboration and teamwork, confidence, and communication skills most.  This paper contributes to the literature by shedding light on the pedagogical implications of English teachers incorporating more radio drama and language arts into their classrooms to improve students’ language learning. Well-selected language arts materials could increase students’ language learning process as well as their motivation and self-confidence to learn the target language.

Mothers-in-law as Key Influencers: Study on a Radio Drama Intervention to improve Maternal and Child Health in Pakistan

Mothers-in-law play an integral role in promoting maternal and child health practices in rural Pakistan. This study discusses the design, implementation, and evaluation of a 25-episode radio drama featuring the mother-in-law as the primary influencer for maternal and child health practices. The radio drama was designed after an extensive pre-drama audience research comprising of 10 focus groups, and 14 in-depth interviews in Bagh and Mansehra. Post-drama evaluation comprised two focus groups in the target areas. The endline evaluation found that viewership of the drama improved communication between people of all age groups and social roles without offending their dignity, intelligence, and sense of tradition. Additionally, the findings showed that the audience demonstrated improvement in knowledge about danger signs for mother and child, as well as positive attitudes to seeking timely service from a trained healthcare provider. The study makes a contribution to existing health communication campaigns by introducing a culture-centric approach, through radio dramas, to influence mothers-in-law and consequently impact maternal and child health practices. Keywords: mother-in-law, radio drama, entertainment education, maternal health, child health, Pakistan

MALĒCIYA TAMIḺ EḺUTTĀḶARKAḶ MATTIYIL, MIṈṈAL PAṆPALAI VĀṈOLI ILAKKIYA NĀṬAKAṄKAḶ EḺUTUVATIL TŌYVU: ŌR ĀYVU [A LACK OF TAMIL LITERARY DRAMA ON RADIO MINNALFM AMONG MALAYSIAN TAMIL WRITERS: A STUDY]

The Tamil language is primarily comprised of three elements, namely poetry, music and drama. Dubbed the mother of art, the drama element has been through so much of developments over the years. Initially, it was in a street theatre form, which then found its way to stage play and eventually becoming an integral part in the Tamil literature, widely knows as drama in literature. Drama in literature is said to be very significant as it bears the identity of the Tamil community. However, the fate and future of radio drama (or also known as audio theatre) seem to be a question mark. Apparently, there seems to be only a handful who could pen scripts for this art form. Having that said, most writers these days choose only to write about the society, mainly focusing on love, friendship and domestic life. 85% of today’s works are based on social dramas and unfortunately, only 15% consists of radio drama. The lack of knowledge and understanding in epics or ancient literature amongst young writers as well as the scarcity ot such art works are being said to be the two main reasons for this upsetting scenario. In addition, audio theatre requires a special diction which sadly not known to many and as a matter or fact, there aren’t enough writers who could provide guidance on writing this genre. These are findings from a data analytic, which also concluded that Malaysian Tamil writers, not only lack interest and guidance, but also hesitate to come up with such scripts as they feel that it is outdated.

A Radio Drama’s Effects on HIV Attitudes and Policy Priorities: A Field Experiment in Tanzania

A growing body of evidence investigates how entertainment education influences knowledge about HIV, stigma toward those with HIV, and openness to disclosing one’s HIV status. The present study shows that in addition to these effects, mass media interventions may influence audiences’ policy priorities, such as their demand for local access to HIV/AIDS medical care. A condensed (2 hours) version of a popular Swahili radio drama was presented to rural Tanzanians as part of a placebo-controlled experiment, clustered at the village level. A random sample comprising 1,200 participants were interviewed at baseline and invited to attend a presentation of the radio drama, and 83% attended. Baseline respondents were reinterviewed 2 weeks later with a response rate of 95%. In addition to increasing listeners’ knowledge and support for disclosure of HIV status, the radio drama produced sizable and statistically significant effects on listeners’ preference for hypothetical candidates promising improved HIV/AIDS treatment.

Radio drama as a tool for activism in South Africa: The case of Plague in the Time of King Kapital and Queen Corona

How can sound be utilized as a tool for political conscientization? COVID-19 has disrupted face-to-face organizing tactics for progressive movements globally, making it necessary to branch out to more mediated forms of grassroots political organizing. In this article, we explore how sound might be employed to invoke an imagined working-class community across ethnic, gender and generational divides against a backdrop of crisis and corruption on the structural level. Through a close listening of a South African radio drama, Plague in the Time of King Kapital and Queen Corona (KKQC), we find that the use of sound enables a worldmaking that is both attuned to structural inequities and imagines a utopian, solidaristic working-class community. KKQC offers a case of worldbuilding and political conscientization through radio drama that is relevant to understanding the possibilities of the genre in the contemporary South African context.