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Lively Road Shows in Nigeria

Jul 17, 2017

In April, the Nigerian Population Media Center (PMC) team traveled in different areas of Nigeria to promote two radio dramas currently broadcasting: Jangala (“Song of Life”) and A Dade Ana Yi (“Truth Always Prevails”). As the lively and vibrant teams traveled through busy streets playing music and dancing, they were also teaching and learning directly from communities that they hoped to reach with important social, environmental, and health information.

While Jangala and A Dade Ana Yi provide entertaining stories, they are designed to also promote the rights of women and girls, give information about sexual and reproductive health, and explain various environmental issues. This is the strategy that the nonprofit Population Media Center (PMC) employs, using media to weave together engaging stories and education designed to improve people’s quality of life. PMC employs a number of strategies to stay connected with audiences and be an active presence in the community. Road shows are just one of these strategies.

Jangala and A Dade Ana Yi broadcast on about 40 radio stations throughout Nigeria. Road shows travel through high traffic areas, attracting large audiences and increasing awareness and interaction with the dramas. The road shows feature music and dance, and the team gives out t-shirts, pamphlets, and fliers. Prospective and current listeners hear the times and stations to tune into the shows; the audience members share feedback and ask questions. The PMC team answers questions and makes notes about audience feedback to bring back to the studio to share with the writers and producers.

Road shows are also an important opportunity for expanded or reiterated education. For instance, in these Nigerian road shows, the team also handed out male and female condoms and provided information on the importance of contraceptives to protect against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This helps reinforce key messages that are included within each show. There are also demonstrations of how to use a female or male condom — a level of detail that might not fit within a punchy radio storyline and something that benefits greatly from a visual demonstration. In this way road shows are a prime example of PMC’s overall strategy, they are fun, dynamic, and engaging, while still providing important educational information.

ABOUT POPULATION MEDIA CENTER (PMC):

Population Media Center is a nonprofit leader in entertainment-education, dedicated to women’s rights and empowerment, population stabilization, and the environment. For the past two decades, PMC’s entertainment programming has promoted social and cultural change and has helped 500 million people in more than 50 countries.