“There are places in the world where the success of a soap opera is measured not just in TV ratings, but in human lives.”
(Soap Opera for Social Change, PBS NOW, March 19, 2010, http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/601/index.html )
Who would have thought that a “soap opera” could teach people something culturally beneficial? Not me. But producer John Marks, known for his work in conflict resolution, believes that using television as a tool to influence attitudes towards others can create a positive cultural shift and reduce violence.
“In 12 separate countries, we are producing TV and radio series, called The Team. Each production uses drama – soap opera with positive themes – to tell stories of young people from different ethnic and religious groups playing soccer. In every country, the scripts are written by local writers who reflect the diversity of their homeland. And everywhere, the core metaphor is the same: If characters do not cooperate, they will not score goals. The mega-message is that citizens of each country need to work together as a Team, not as a collection of individuals or groups, if their country is going to meet the challenges that it faces.” (Search for Common Ground) http://www.sfcg.org/
Marks agrees with skeptics that just watching a television show isn’t going to make anyone suddenly drop a machine gun or machete, but early results are promising. He believes you have a chance to create a peaceful resolution if you create an environment in where it becomes more and more difficult to move to violence every time you disagree. Not unlike plants – environmental elements like fertile soil, sunshine and clean air and water all contribute to a healthy plant. The environment people grow in must also have a healthy richness to produce the best of human thought and behaviour.
One of the countries the show is produced is in Kenya. During presidential elections in 2008, tribalism-influenced violence left almost 1,500 dead and nearly 300,000 displaced. Some think the media fuelled the fire by producing news stories that told “the worst”. Stories of tribalism and violence become the dominant narrative of “who we are” and the violence continued. Tensions continue today over issues including extreme poverty and widespread corruption, so it was a perfect place for Marks to produce “The Team”.
The struggle for people to work together to create a peaceful community is a big part of our human story. Being successful at working together in peace is a story we all want to tell. The kind of learning that is needed exists not just at an individual level but at a societal and cultural level. We know that highly trained individuals do not necessarily have the capacity to work collaboratively unless they learn together, are exposed to experiences that enable deeper understanding and have an on-going chance to live and work through that new way of being.
As we focus on what kind of capacities an individual will need in the future, we also need to pay attention to the kind of capacity collectively we will need. This means creating opportunities for collective and collaborative learning.
Great blog Duna. Its easy to blame the media but as you pointed out, we can also use it to send more positive messages. Thanks for sharing.