This post goes back to an older medium than the web but one that is still more powerful. The NYT recently had a story, Amid War, Passion for TV Chefs, Soaps and Idols, that reported on the introduction of television into Afghanistan. Television was banned under the Taliban. Now 19% of households have TVs so far. This compares with 43 percent of all households with nonleaking windows and roofs, 31 percent have safe drinking water, 14 percent have access to public electricity, and 7 percent have sanitary toilets. The Times reported that “Afghans (are) now engrossed, for better or worse, in much of the same escapist fare that seduces the rest of the world: soap operas that pit the unbearably conniving against the implausibly virtuous, chefs preparing meals that most people would never eat in kitchens they could never afford, talk show hosts wheedling secrets from those too shameless to keep their troubles to themselves.”
South Africa also has wide spread interest in television. However, instead of using soap operas to teach dysfunctional family behavior, this country uses some of its soap operas in a similar way to Sesame Street but for adult education on issues likes AIDS awareness, acceptance of cultural diversity, and the opportunity for all ethnic groups to succeed. While this use of TV could be abused for government propaganda, it is also a great vehicle to communicate positive values. It can be entertaining at the same time to attract and hold an audience. The soaps in South Africa, like Generations, tell engaging stories and they are very popular. Generations is the most watched show on South African television. It and other shows like Isidingo and Soul City are also used as a starting point for dialogue about national issues.
There is great potential here that should be realized elsewhere. I learned about South Africa’s progressive approach to media through research my daughter Sarah Ives is doing. Here is the prelude to one of her papers, Popular Culture as a Medium for Nation-building and Education: Soap Operas in South Africa.
“The bump, bump, bump, of a radio’s drum beat echoes down the narrow road that separates tightly packed homes in Mamelodi, a township on the outskirts of Pretoria. Children’s voices call out in a jumble of Sesotho, Zulu, and English. Women talk with each other as they bring the day’s laundry down from clotheslines. The township is alive with noise. Inside one of the small homes, a woman prepares pap and chicken in rich tomato gravy. She glances at the clock located next to the calendar that depicts black, white, and Indian children holding hands. The caption on the calendar reads: “South Africa Unites to Fight AIDS!” It’s almost seven o’clock. “Katleho,” she calls, “come inside. Generations is about to start!” Katleho, her son, rushes in from the street. The radio turns off, the children and women fall silent, cars pass by less frequently, and the township sits down to watch their favorite soap opera.”
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