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Tisankhenji (The Choice is Mine)

Country

Malawi

Programme Summary

Implemented by the Nanzikambe Arts/Business Eye partnership, together with the Malawi Bridge Project, Tisankhenji is a radio programme for Malawian girls between the ages of 11 and 14. The programme uses drama and discussion to promote abstinence and delayed sexual debut, and to foster the development of life skills and negotiation skills to promote self-efficacy in the face of HIV/AIDS.

Communication Strategies

The Tisankhenji radio drama revolves around Alinafe Magombo, a 13-year-old girl with big dreams and goals. She is hardworking, disciplined, and responsible, but - like other girls her age - Alinafe encounters life's challenges and problems, and learns through her mistakes. The radio programmes follow her and her friends as they play, laugh, and learn through everyday situations.

According to the organisers, the process of developing the Alinafe story in each phase of Tisankhenji involves thorough social research and continuous interaction with the intended audience to ensure that the story taps into girls' emotional needs and reflects their day-to-day dilemmas. The research aims to further ensure that the programme is child-friendly and evokes the desired emotional and behavioural responses from audiences.

The Tisankhenji radio programme consists of 2 components: a radio drama which runs for 15 minutes followed by a magazine programme called Tikhoza. The magazine programme discusses issues and values dealt with in the radio drama. This involves interacting with the audience, playing back the pre-recorded programme, and discussing the varying themes and learning points, such as self-esteem, the importance of goals, and the importance of role-modeling. According to the producers, the use of both radio drama and a magazine programme is designed to allow the producers to guide their listeners' learning while at the same time giving listeners space to voice their views, reflect on the issues, and talk about them.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS, Gender, Youth

Key Points

This programme began through a collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to scale up the use of UNICEF's collection of "Sara" materials for the Sara Communication Initiative in Malawi, and evolved into the "home-grown" concept of Tisankhenji which is broadcast in Chichewa. The Tisankhenji characters and storylines were based on the Sara productions.

Nanzikambe Arts works in Malawi and uses theatre for education, development, and social change. According to the organisers, Nanzikambe Arts is dedicated to creating theatrical forms of expression rooted in African culture and to developing an aesthetic that draws on traditional and local culture. The organisation also aims to use theatre to expose injustice, advancing among other things human rights, justice, equality, and the realisation of human potential through the arts. They also work to connect artists and audiences from diverse backgrounds, reaching across racial, ethnic, and geographical divides. Their work is based on the idea that storytelling and theatrical experiences can be transformative.

Partners

Malawi Bridge Project, Business Eye, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Contact

Melissa Eveleigh
Creative/ Executive Director
Nanzikambe Theatre Arts

P.O. Box 1252

Blantyre
Malawi
Tel: +265 9278758 / 9182008

Source

Nanzikambe Arts website, May 5 2008 and October 23 2009.


Placed on the Communication Initiative site May 07 2008
Last Updated October 23 2009



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