Kenya

The Team Radio Vernacular: Exposure, Attitudes and Interpersonal Communication about Political Processes (August 2012)

The purpose of this study was to investigate potential impact of radio broadcasts of The Team on Kenyan citizens' attitudes related to tolerance, communication, and participation in political processes.

The study's design was cross-sectional, with all data collected at one point in time. Its purpose was not to provide definitive evidence of causal relations. Instead, it was designed to reveal difference between those who exposed themselves to The Team through radio, and those who did not.

Respondents (318) were interviewed in communities in and around Nairobi, Kisumu, and Eldoret. Almost two-thirds of respondents (196) had listened to one or more episode of The Team. Fifteen percent (47) had not seen or heard the program.

We measured exposure to the series; frequency of discussing issues related to political, religious and ethnic tolerance; engagement in the program while viewing; and three attitudes related to intergroup tolerance and political engagement. Political attitudes were 1) perceived importance of "Communication and Respect" among members of different religious and ethnic groups, 2) perceived importance of "Political Engagement," and 3) perceived "Political Efficacy."

Read the Executive Summary

Read the Evaluation Report

The Team: Kenya, Evaluation Results (March 2010 and March 2012)

As a response to the effects of the post-election violence in Kenya in December 2007, Search for Common Ground (SFCG) and Media Focus on Africa (MFA) developed and produced a TV and radio drama, The Team – an episodic series which asks a central question: “can Kenyans find a way to put the past behind them in order to have a better future”? Members of the fictional football team, Imani (Faith) Football Club, who represent major ethnic groups or social classes in Kenya, are brought together and challenged to overcome their fears and biases against one another so that they can see one another as individuals not as members of “the other.” The project was designed based on the assumption that popular culture can have an enormous impact in changing mass attitudes. A range of key issues were identified that provide a source of conflict within Kenyan society, many of which have direct links to poor governance. Developed in the months that followed the post election violence, the series is a metaphor about Kenyan society. Themes include ethnic tolerance and retribution, land disputes, mob violence and police impunity, gender violence, corruption and bribery, economic and social inequalities and youth unemployment. In 2010, a team from the University of Peace (UPEACE) conducted an evaluation to assess the effectiveness and emerging impact of The Team and the multi-dimensional approach implemented by the producers.

Read the Midterm Evaluation Results

Read the Key Findings

Read the Final Evaluation Results