Download Many rural areas of Pakistan’s troubled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and the tribal belt still lack access to modern ways of entertainment.
Hard line militant groups have exploited these closed societies with their propaganda via non-licensed radio stations.
In recent years a new trend of educational radio plays about women’s rights, education and other social aspects of life are trying to win hearts and minds in the area.
Shadi Khan Saif visited the provincial capital Peshawar and met people behind the microphone.
This is the voice of Maulvi Suffi Muhammad.; the supreme leader of the Taliban in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
A few years ago the Taliban used illegal FM radio stations to preach against democracy, female education, music and many individual liberties that are guaranteed by Pakistan’s constitution.
Those FM stations are now silent following a state military operation that forced the Taliban militants out of the area.
And now an alternative view is being promoted on the air waves through radio plays.
In this scene of an upcoming radio drama a mother expresses her determination to make sure her daughter gets a higher education.
Her family is victimized by the militants and a feudal lord for their progressive views about women’s rights.
The feudal lord of her village considers women’s education a threat to his rule.
He even supports the militants who blow up girl’s schools.
The feudal lord is performed by Ishrat Abbas; a senior television artist.
He says radio is the best medium to reach out to people in this area.
“Radio is the pioneer of electronic entertainment, nowadays it is so easy to buy a radio set, it costs only 50 rupees, radio plays are heard in far away areas now, it is addressing the issues that have been killing our society for very long, plays are fighting a JIHAD against social evils.”
At the end of the play the militants are forced out of the area by the Pakistani army.
The family’s daughter becomes a doctor and returns home from the city to work in the village.
Zahida Tanha plays the role of the mother.
“In Pashtune culture you can express the good and evil very easily in radio plays. Drama is one of the best art forms by which the masses can be educated. Our previous plays were a huge success, people still remember the characters and love them.”
The people of the Pakistan-Afghan border region are extremely deprived of formal education.
Radio plays a vital role in spreading information in area where less than 20 percent of people can read and write, which is well below the national average.
In the provincial capital Peshawar I meet a group of young post graduate students who are producing weekly radio dramas about poverty and other social problems.
Danis Babar heads this team.
“Our main focus is on the younger generation. Our target region is the tribal area, we are getting very positive feedback, we are very happy with that, they are enjoying and learning.”
Danish’s university fellow Saqib Nawaz writes the plots and assists with production.
“I am writing since 2008 on social issues like lack of education and poverty that we are facing in our region. It is very good that we are getting opportunity on radio we can say radio dramas are more popular than TV dramas in our region.”
Most of these radio plays are in Pashto language, which is spoken not only in Pakistan but also in neighboring Afghanistan.
Naveed Yousafzai; another radio drama producer says there is a demand for their work across the border.
“They are asking if we can produce the same radio plays for television, we present a solution for problems in accordance with our cultural and religious norms, that is why we are liked.”
At the moment many projects of radio dramas are sponsored by western aid agencies and the United States government.
LEARN ENGLISH:
Vocabularies:
1) tribal belt: daerah pinggiran kesukuan
2) preach: berkhotbah
3) determination: bertekad
4)deprived: kehilangan, dirampas
5) in accordance: sesuai dengan
6) aid agencies : lembaga bantuan
7) poverty: kemiskinan
8) win the hearts and minds: memenangkan hati dan pikiran
9) liberties: kebebasan
10) upcoming: selajutnya, yang akan datang
Questions:
1) How have the hard line militant groups exploited the closed societies in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province?
2) What happened to the illegal radio stations used by the millitants and what are a group of people doing to promote education for women?
3) What are some of the stories about and what was the feedback from the listeners?
4) Who writes these programs and what do they hope to achieve?
5) Who is sponsoring this program?
