Using a new medium

Our USAID-funded Voices for Peace project is known throughout the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin for its vast network of radio partners.

In Niger, the actors and producers of our popular radio soap opera series “Zongo” are exploring short film as an alternative medium to convey messages of cohesion, reduce marginalization, and strengthen collaboration between communities and security forces.

So far, 20 episodes of the program have been condensed into scripts in the Zarma language so they are still accessible to regular listeners to the communities in this Sahel region. Most of the actors in the video series are the same who act in the radio series. The episodes will be distributed through WhatsApp groups, on Facebook, and on three private television stations in the region.

This new medium opens the opportunity to reach a wider audience with a program that has been empirically demonstrated to reduce acceptance of violent behavior.

Stay tuned!