Soap operas, social content w/video

February 27, 1:00 PMSacramento Environmental News ExaminerHarry Osibin

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Sacramento Environmental News Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Paginas da Vida

Can soap operas change the world?   

They already are according to the Population Media Center (PMC) based in Shelburne, Vermont.  Since 1998, PMC's serialized radio and television dramas have been improving the health and well-being of audiences around the globe. 

The shows use “entertainment education” strategies to influence social norms of the audience, much of which is from the global south.  Characters evolve into role models who practice gender equity, safe sex and responsible family planning.  

According to founder William Ryerson, "The need for such modeling is urgent."  Some 380 women become pregnant every minute, but half of them did not plan or want the pregnancy. These unwanted and unplanned pregnancies are contributing to rapid international population growth. There are currently more than 6.7 billion people on earth, but the United Nations projects that world population will exceed 9.2 billion by 2050. This unprecedented population growth is likely to lead to dramatic food and water shortages, increased environmental destruction, and exacerbated international tensions says PMC.

PMC's newest radio soap opera, Khat Vong Song (“Aspiration to Live”) is currently mesmerizing audiences across Vietnam as they follow the trials and tribulations of Suu, her eldest daughter Mo, and her husband Tuat.  Tuat has three daughters already, but he desperately wants a son.  He throws Suu and Mo out into the streets and takes an “illegal wife.”  But Tuat does not stop there -- he tries to force his daughter into prostitution.  Destitute and with no way out of their misery, Suu and Mo set fire to their living quarters in a double suicide attempt.  With the stage set, the show will now evolve over two years to positively address HIV/AIDS prevention, stigma and discrimination; gender equality; family planning; and communication between parents and children.

PMC's unique, entrepreneurial soap operas currently air on 4 continents in 15 countries and are jump-starting social change around the world.

For an audio report:

Click here to download…