Angola: IRIN Launches Reconciliation Radio Drama

IRIN Radio Southern Africa, in collaboration with Radio National de Angola, has launched a serial drama entitled "Camatondo" to support Angola's post-war reconciliation. The drama explores the stories of refugees and displaced persons, while also providing information related to healthy living and everyday development challenges facing rural Angolans. Camatondo mirrors the evolving realities and challenges faced by the resettling rural population, including storylines about reconciliation, psychological trauma, agricultural modernization, HIV, gender issues, micro-credit schemes, governance and electoral education, among others.

By using entertainment-education strategies, stories are created that are both appealing and informative. While the characters deal with the everyday issues that most rural resettling Angolans face such as difficulties with drinking water, access to health care, agriculture and the danger of landmines, this is set against a love story. Based in a small, rural community, in northern Bie, the drama uses simple language in order to be more accessible to rural Angolans.

Camatondo aims to provide an opportunity for airing the issues and problems facing Angola's rural population and giving voice to their views and concerns. It also seeks to educate the audience and encourage behaviour change in a range of fields. The drama is targeting populations resettling in rural areas such as returning internally displaced people, refugees, and demobilized UNITA soldiers and their families. It is also addressing populations vulnerable to ongoing social conflict, resulting from enduring resentments from the war, and from new disputes over land rights. As well, it seeks to provide information to the general population who are under-informed about HIV, governance, and their civil rights

For more information contact

Daniel Walter - Regional Project Manager
United Nations - IRIN Radio Southern Africa
[email protected]
http://www.irinnews.org/radio/Angola130505.asp=Angola