Dark City: Radio Drama About Political Corruption Premiers in Bolivia

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) New York, NY - August 10, 2010 - “Ciudad Espesa” (Dark City), is the latest social message radio drama partnership between New York based PCI-Media Impact and Servicio de Capacitación Radiofónica y Audiovisual (SECRAD), based out of the Catholic University of Bolivia, in La Paz.

“We have put together a creative team of the very first order for this program. The scriptwriters, the director, producer, and actors of this radio drama are all true professionals, recognized for their artistic talents both nationally and internationally,” says Sdenka Céspedes, Media Impact’s Programs Manager in Bolivia.   Recorded and broadcast in Spanish, Quechua and Aymara, two indigenous dialects, the current series came out of a year of community dialogues and regional workshops on the Our Voices Educational Entertainment (EE) and community mobilization methodology, developed and promoted by Media Impact throughout the world. Drawing on meetings with audiences in provinces and cities throughout Bolivia, “Ciudad Espesa” captures and represents the real life experiences and stories of its audiences and how they survive in a climate of political corruption.     The themes of the drama and its style were developed by Percy Jiménez, Soledad Ardaya, Enrique and Claudia Gorena Eid, a team of playwrights, actors, and theater directors selected through a nation-wide competition. Working in collaboration, they have developed the series as a thriller, but are careful to point out that it is always realistic. The show, they say, reflects the lives of its audience.   “Ciudad Espesa” (Dark City) is situated in a fictional city in the heart of Latin America; a marginalized space characterized by the indifference shown to it by the metropolis. It is a place where extortion, kickbacks, and corruption dominate, and where its mayor, Celia Lima, faces a daunting challenge in managing the crumbling bureaucracy that governs it. It is the kind of place where Margarita, a struggling law student, must also work at a nightclub called “The Rose,” just to support herself.   The drama’s fifteen minute episodes are followed by interactive call in radio show. Thirty-five stations throughout Bolivia are broadcasting the show “Despite widespread belief to the contrary, radio is still one of the one of the most relevant mediums today. While TV informs us, it is only radio that can communicate with us,” says José Luis Aguirre, Director of SECRAD in La Paz.   PCI-Media Impact’s Our Voices program is an innovative 3-year initiative to strengthen the capacity and independence of community radio stations in Bolivia. The program strives to build the professionalism of Bolivian radio stations to broadcast high-quality independent programming in native languages; strengthen networking among community radio stations; increase access of indigenous Bolivian citizens to independent media; and improve understanding of media freedom and civic participation among indigenous Bolivian citizens.   The Our Voices program long terms goals:

• Improved understanding of democracy and human rights and greater civic participation by indigenous Bolivian citizens

• Increased capacity and professionalism of Bolivian radio stations serving indigenous communities to broadcast high quality, independent programming

• Strengthened networks among community radio stations to better advocate for their independence against potential government repression

• Increased access for indigenous Bolivian citizens to independent, unbiased news and information

The Bolivian Catholic University “San Pablo” (UCB), through its Service of Capacity Building in Radio and TV for Development (SECRAD) is the primary in-country partner. Founded in 1986, SECRAD trains indigenous, rural and popular communicators to produce radio, television, and audiovisual materials that educate and raise social awareness. SECRAD is closely linked to the movement of rural and community radio in Bolivia and provides several training programs in communication for development. Its most relevant experiences in training in radio and television production to indigenous and rural communicators developed in recent years are: PROCARP (Program of Capacity Building in Rural Radio) which was supported by UNESCO and its IPDC (International Program for Development Communication) grant; the TV-COM (Program of Capacity Building in Community Television Production) also supported by a UNESCO (IPDC) grant, and the recent experience of TV-AYLLU (Program of Capacity Building in Television Production for the Indigenous Ayllus [1] of the Andean Region). SECRAD has been the National Representative of AMARC (World Association of Community Radio) for ten years promoting and supporting in training and advice in the whole country the enlargement of the experience of the community radio model. SECRAD is responsible for the introduction the first Bolivian national regulation for community and indigenous radio broadcasting in 2004 [2].   [1] Ayllu is the ancient indigenous people organization in the Andes bases of the social and power structure that comes from the time before of the Spaniards arrival. The ayllu today it is been recuperated under the new democratic structure of power in Bolivia. [2] The process for a legal presence in Bolivia of the community radio has a long tradition and until now there are three Decrees related to this recognition. SECRAD has participated directly with the elaboration of both of them (DS.27489 May of 2004 and  D.S. 28526 of December of 2005).      To learn more about PCI-Media Impact go to www.mediaimpact.org.