How can radio drama shift people's perception of violence and support women to resolve disputes? On Monday, I had the privilege of attending the BBC Correspondents Charity Dinner and learning more about 'Life in Lulu' – a media project implemented by BBC Media Action in South Sudan. In many parts of the country, extended conflict and ethnic tensions have contributed to the fact that violence, including gender-based violence, has become normalised to resolve disputes at household level and between groups and communities. A strong patriarchal society means that girls often leave school early, marry young and have children young too. It's a topic that resonates with me given these gender norm issues are unfortunately still present – albeit in different ways – in my home-country, Brazil. Since the first episode of 'Life in Lulu' aired in January 2013, the radio show has not only shown residents across South Sudan the negative repercussions of turning to violence to resolve conflict, but it has also used medical experts to dispel myths and rumours which could lead to violence towards women. For instance, it has challenged long held beliefs that a woman is a bad mother if she only breastfeeds her child for six months, or that a difficult childbirth is the result of a woman having been unfaithful. Research has shown the show has had an impact on the highly engaged female listeners of 'Life in Lulu'. These listeners feel more confident in their abilities to use non-violent ways to resolve disputes. While entrenched norms about their role in community decision-making processes is preventing women from taking much action now (the show has had less of an impact in changing the mindset of its male listeners), there's a learning here on the power of using mediums like radio to expose women in patriarchal societies to different outcomes. 'Life in Lulu' features engaging characters in stories that challenge traditional gender roles and model a more balanced powder dynamic between men and women, which is incredibly important. There’s clearly still a long way to go to change gender norms in these communities, but by building on this progress and featuring even more influential male and female characters who do not behave as expected, you can see the real power in shifting shifting perceptions and supporting women to rethink societal violence, as well as the way they are perceived. To know more about 'Life in Lulu', please visit - https://lnkd.in/gPYAFU8A. Thank you for the opportunity Tom Knox, Jose Miguel Sokoloff, Will Dixon and Jo Zeevi-Green! 📸 Clive Myrie in action!
Sounds amazing. It’s programs like these that bring horrific issues to our attention
Chairman at MullenLowe, Integrated Creative Agency
2wIt was a pleasure to have you there Tati Lindenberg. Congratulations to Richard Cristofoli and all at BBC Media Action on a great evening and showing the power of stories.