Sudan’s path to democracy has been marred by conflict spanning the past few decades. The Second Sudanese Civil War came to an end in 2005 after more than 20 years of bloodshed that ended with the signing of the unstable Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Meanwhile, tensions came to a head in Sudan’s western Darfur region in 2003, leading to what has been called one of the worst humanitarian crises of the new millennium. While such challenges to peace and stability have posed significant problems for the Sudanese people, they also present opportunities to engage the people at a grassroots level and encourage civic participation. By placing accountability for the future of Sudan in the hands of its people, NDI seeks to mobilize an informed public as a solid foundation for a democratic future.
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Radio-Based Civic and Voter Education
Given the diversity of Southern Sudan and the lack of information available to citizens, one of the best ways to ensure broad communication across such a large and underdeveloped area - and to reach people from a number of different ethnic groups - is through the use of radios. Having hit the airwaves in January 2007, NDI's multi-faceted, radio-based civic education program helps raise awareness among the citizens of Southern Sudan about their role in a democracy and to prepare them for organized participation in the political process.
Radio-based outreach, however, is only as effective as citizens' means to access it. In a country characterized by vast distances, poor communications infrastructure, and a low level of literacy, NDI sought to bridge the information gap by distributing hundreds of thousands of manual- and solar-powered radios throughout Sudanese communities. Working closely with local authorities to maximize the program's potential impact, the program targeted community leaders such as teachers and physicians as well as traditional authorities to help promote community dialogue on Sudan's political transition.
‘Let’s Talk!’: Radio Programming for Civic Education
The Let’s Talk! radio program – created through a partnership between the Institute and the Sudan Radio Service – introduces listeners to civic topics ranging from Sudan’s transitional legal framework to strategies for combating corruption.
Every week, the 30-minute program addresses a different topic related to the transition process Each program consists of three segments: a drama, an educational section and a discussion. The drama weaves each week’s topic into the lives of characters in a fictional southern Sudanese town. The education segment offers a straightforward discussion of issues raised in the drama, and the discussion features interviews with officials and other public figures, as well as recorded comments from listening groups that NDI facilitates across southern Sudan
Let's Talk! broadcasts in English and Arabic, and records in Dinka and Nuer. The program can be heard on the Sudan Radio Service, Miraya 101 FM – a United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) radio station supported by Foundation Hirondelle – and a number of local community radio stations around southern Sudan.
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Listen to "Let's Talk!" episodes:
Episode #2: Laws
Episode #7: Anticorruption
Episode #14: Democracy
Episode #17: Human Rights
Episode #19: Women’s Rights
Episode #25: The Role of Civil Society Organizations
Episode #43: Local Government
Episode #48: Defining Free and Fair Elections
How does NDI know its programming can have an impact in the Sudan?
NDI set about trying to answer this question by collaborating with Dr. Betsy Levy Paluk, a researcher from Princeton University. Under the guidance of Dr. Paluk the NDI Sudan team implemented a field experiment of its civic education program. The field experiment demonstrated that the "Let’s Talk" radio program could indeed do more than share information and raise the awareness of Sudanese citizens. The design of NDI's program could change Sudanese citizens' behavior.
