Week of 3.19.10
Soap Opera for Social ChangeIt appears that your computer does not have the Flash Player required to view NOW videos. Visit Adobe to download and install the latest version of the Flash Player. There are places in the world where the success of a soap opera is measured not just in TV ratings, but in human lives.This week, NOW travels to Kenya, where ambitious producers and actors hope one such TV show, "The Team", can help foster peace amongst the country's 42 official tribes. During presidential elections two years ago, tribalism-influenced protests in Kenya left almost 1,500 dead and nearly 300,000 displaced. Tensions continue today over issues including extreme poverty and widespread corruption. In "The Team", soccer players from different tribes work together to overcome historic rivalries and form a common bond. The hope is that commonalities portrayed in fiction can inspire harmony in the real world. Early reaction to the show's inaugural season is promising. Web Features
"I was very surprised to see how Kenyans want change, how they want to live in peace and the way the responded to us," Milly Mugadi, one of the show's stars, noted during a local screening. "There were people from different tribes talking about peace and how to reconcile with each other... they opened up their hearts."![]() Boniface Mwangi's dramatic photos of post-election violence in Kenya. John Marks, whose organization Common Ground produces versions of "The Team" in 12 different countries, is cautiously hopeful. "You don't watch one of our television shows and drop your submachine gun," explains Marks, who says he was inspired by the influence of "All in the Family" on American culture. "But you can change the environment so it becomes more and more difficult to be in violent conflict." Can this soap opera for social change really make a difference in stopping violence? This show originally aired on January 1, 2010. Related Links BBC: Kenya's violence—were media to blame? BBC Policy Briefing: The Kenyan 2007 elections and their aftermath: the role of media and communication [pdf] Boniface Mwangi, website of award-winning photojournalist who captured Kenya's post election violence. Media Focus on Africa: Drama series 'The Team' New York Times Op-Ed: No Country for Old Hatreds Search for Common Ground: The Team Viewer Comments Commenter: rkalwins@mtsu.edu Commenter: Aaron Commenter: June Helme Commenter: Kenneth maina Commenter: Elspeth Macdonald Commenter: Susan Commenter: carol Commenter: Laurien Commenter: Aunt Lili Commenter: Ellen Freedman Commenter: Marian Commenter: Patricia Klauer Commenter: Michael Paul Daniels Commenter: Daina wahito Commenter: Ray Swangkee Commenter: Scotsman Commenter: Julia Malone Commenter: Brenda Commenter: Martha Commenter: Pam Brown-Ebright Commenter: Gudrun Scott Commenter: anne Commenter: Susan Shirley Commenter: Paul Kinzelman Commenter: Nicholas D. Wolfson Commenter: E. Walker Commenter: Michelle Elliott Commenter: Jeff Young Commenter: Jeff Commenter: Judith Nicolson Commenter: Timothy Edwards Commenter: Denby M. Barnett Commenter: Woody Commenter: Rebecca Hale Commenter: Isaac Commenter: Angelique Premise Commenter: Gail Enid Zimmer |
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