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Telling Stories, Saving Lives: Soap Operas for Social Changeby David J. Andrews, President of Population Communications International, Chair of UN Committee on Population and Development
This is the recap of a talk given at the May 13, 2002 CDHS monthly meeting.
Jerry Falwell once accused him of being a Secular Humanist. Speaking at our May meeting, David J. Andrews, president of Population Communications International and Chair of the UN Committee on Population and Development, says he's glad his visit with us finally makes him guilty of Falwell's accusation. PCI was founded in 1985 with the goal of encouraging people to "make choices that lead to better health and sustainable development." They do this by creating radio and television soap operas which "motivate individuals to adopt new attitudes and behaviors that foster reproductive and sexual health, gender equality, and environmental protection." The founders of PCI were inspired by the effects that an immensely popular South American soap opera, "Simplemente Maria" (1969-1971), had on its viewers. It was the story of a poverty-stricken girl who moved to the city to become a domestic worker. After falling in love with her employer's son and becoming pregnant, she was fired. By taking advantage of educational opportunities, she improved her life and eventually became a fashion designer in Paris. PCI's founders were impressed by the way in which the self-improvement of this character was mirrored in the lives of the program's viewers. Enrollment in adult-education programs increased dramatically in response to certain episodes and Singer sewing machine sales increased in countries broadcasting episodes in which Maria used one to learn to sew. PCI creates soap operas and radio dramas as a way to show people they can benefit from education, family planning, and other services. It operates with the philosophy that the most effective teachers are role models who provide ongoing relationships (social learning theory). "Entertainment education" is its method of delivering them to large audiences. There are three types of role models: positive, negative, and transitional. In PCI's dramas, the positive role models are rewarded, the negative ones are punished, and the transitional role models, which most people easily identify with, learn to change for the better. The desired effects are self-efficacy - to inspire in the audience the feeling that if a role model can do it, so can they; and group-efficacy - that they can join together for collective change. In the tradition of cliffhangers, these programs make the viewers laugh, cry, wait, and become addicted to the story. Viewer loyalty to a soap PCI created in Madagascar caused the church to change the hour of evening mass to avoid a schedule conflict with the program. PCI's methodology, which guides each new program, is as follows:
PCI works as a partner with writers, directors, and producers from the country where the program will broadcast. Bai Xing (Ordinary People), a soap opera running in China, airs at prime time and focuses on the issue of son preference. In order to change perceptions about women in China, it features a female hero who saves her family and community. She has a daughter that she highly values and strives to educate. The program is very popular and Andrews refers to it as the "West Wing of the Peoples Republic." Other PCI soaps include programs in India which focus on family planning, and in Africa focusing on HIV/AIDS and female genital mutilation. The Caribbean radio serial "Coconut Bay" has a particularly interesting history. When prohibited from using the word "condom" over the airwaves (it was considered an obscenity) they used the word "catapult" instead. The code word was easy to decipher and the audience enjoyed the joke. There is now a "catapult" brand of condom in the Caribbean. PCI can back up its claims with extensive independent university-based research documenting its effectiveness. A report in Studies in Family Planning (September 1999) showed that a radio drama in Tanzania was responsible for a 25% increase in client usage of family planning clinics and a 10-18% increase in contraception use. Public awareness of HIV/AIDS and its prevention also increased. This is but one of many research papers showing the positive effects of PCI's work. PCI's future plans include HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa through regional programming; programs for young people; population and environment; partnerships with donors, broadcasters and NGO (non-governmental organization) service providers. In the Americas, PCI focuses on having a positive influence on existing soap operas. Its annual Soap Summit meets with TV executives, producers, directors, and writers to discuss how they can encourage positive social change through their story lines. PCI's annual awards for soaps that meet the challenge are highly prized. In closing, David Andrews reminded us that in ancient times people gathered around the flickering flame of the campfire and told stories. These stories probably contained morals and were educational as well as entertaining. We have come along way since then. TV is now that flickering flame of the campfire and soap operas can be "hope operas".
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