Sibrat
Sibrat (“Trauma”) was broadcast throughout Ethiopia from September 2007 to February 2010 on the National Service of Radio Ethiopia in the Amharic language. The main themes of Sibrat were female genital mutilation/cutting, gender equity, and child abuse.
Radio Ethiopia received numerous letters from listeners expressing their enthusiasm for the drama, their appreciation for the issues addressed, and the close connection they feel with the characters, whose experiences and family relationships remind them of their own.
Feyissa, a listener from Harar, Ethiopia wrote the following letter in response to the program:
Formerly I used to believe that unless a girl is circumcised, she becomes addicted to breaking utensils, tends to be insubordinate defying the authority of her would-be husband, and will prove to be sexually frigid and cheap. Now, I have understood from the drama that all these beliefs are false. I telephoned my mother and told her to listen to the drama. At that time, my mother was preparing herself to witness the circumcision of my sisters. I explained to her how inhumane and repugnant the practice was. Since I was successful in making her follow the drama closely, she completely abandoned the idea and my two sisters were spared from the pain that they were about to undergo.
Click here to read more listener letters.
Sibrat is funded by Save the Children-Norway and the Oak Foundation.
