September 17, 2021 – Recently, WPDI, UN Women, and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands joined forces to create and produce a series of radio spots designed to promote – and protect – the rights of women and girls in South Sudan. The campaign, called “Know Your Rights! Know Your Power!”, features six radio spots, all of which are being featured on national radio stations to specifically target distinct audiences of men, women, and youths in key media markets throughout the country.
Organized under the auspices of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, the “Know Your Rights! Know Your Power!” campaign’s overarching aim is to increase the involvement of women and girls in South Sudan’s social, economic, and political life of their country. The campaign is part of a wider effort to improve gender equality and women’s empowerment in a country where decades of conflict and the permanence of traditional norms have created many challenges in this regard. Building on the wide reach of the radio in South Sudan, our objective is to raise awareness of South Sudanese citizens on the situations and roles of women with respect to the future of peace and security in the country.
To develop the spots and ensure their effectiveness, WPDI worked closely with several of our Youth Peacemakers as well as other youths during the production process. James, a talented local sound engineer and founding member of the Ana Taban young artists peacebuilding group, helped produce the six pieces and provided the main male voice for the campaign. Magdalena, a peacemaker in Torit who has been working with WPDI since 2014, provided the voice of the adult female. Additionally, WPDI asked children from the Confident Children out of Conflict Center in Juba to participate, and they lent their voices – and enthusiasm – to several spots as well.
Producing the radio spots proved to be a formative experience for all involved participants. Magdalena later told us about her motivation for participating in the campaign: “We the women, young or old, should know our rights and know our power as humans. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be oppressed by men because of our biological differences – as long as we live, we are equal. Let’s fight for our rights – the right for good education, the right to make our own decisions, the right to own property and assets, and the right to life. We stand to fight for our rights and power.” James spoke similarly, noting how “It was a great opportunity to turn this beautiful text on the importance of women’s rights into radio spots. It was amazing to have kids around during the production process and to teach them about their rights, too.”
With the six radio spots recorded and finalized, WPDI is now in the process of finalizing a rollout campaign for them. Our team in South Sudan is currently working closely with several national radio stations, including Radio Miraya, Advance Youth Radio, and Eye Radio, as well as local stations such as Yambio FM and Anisa Radio in Yambio in Western Equatoria State, among others. Thanks to these efforts, the messages will be spread far and wide across South Sudan, educating countless citizens about the importance of promoting and protecting the rights of women and girls in the country.
To listen to one of the radio spots in English, click here.
