Madjuba: A Caça do Talisma (Madjuba: Quest for the Talisman)

In the drama, a community gathers nightly around the fire to listen to a wise storyteller weave a tale of adventure and fantasy. Little do they know that the magic of the story has transported their stubborn neighbour Arlindo to a far off fantasy world where he has become an unwitting long-awaited hero, Chamwari. As Chamwari seeks the talisman that will transform the land back into the well-governed world it used to be, the village listeners realise that they too have the power to speak up, make changes in their community, and hold their governments accountable.

According to CMFD, issues related to governance can raise a lot of passion amongst people. The aim of this drama is to be an entertaining and engaging approach to create awareness about democracy and human rights in a way that is sensitive and pro-active. As such, the drama was created in an adventure-fantasy genre, creating a completely different world, with its own people, places, and rules - that has parallels to reality - and brings the main character through this world. In this way the play is able to explore sensitive issues in a way that is not confrontational, but encourages positive participation. Issues can be taken to unreal extremes, and highlighted in such a way that the message becomes clear, but the situation remains completely fictional, and often comic.

A presenter's guide will be included with the drama, as well as a CD of resources for covering governance issues. The guide will provide a summary of each episode, with discussion questions and ideas for additional reporting linked to the themes for each episode. It also includes key contacts, important dates related to governance, and a list of resources. The objective of the guide is to encourage radio presenters to sustain their coverage of governance issues beyond the airing of the drama. The drama, which is being produced in three languages - Portuguese, Shangaan, and Sena - will air on community radio stations early in 2011.

As part of the project development, CMFD conducted research into both key governance issues and Mozambican folk and fairytales, so that the drama would reflect current issues and be rooted in Mozambican storytelling culture. This research included a roundtable discussion with representatives from organisations working on governance issues in Mozambique. Key issues identified in this discussion, and reflected in the research were transparency, political intolerance, freedom of speech, access to information, and strengthening civil society. Key behaviours to encourage included: for leaders, developing a culture of community consultations; for communities, using collective action/voice to help inform leaders; and for individuals, taking the onus on themselves to be informed about governance issues, especially their own rights, as well as government's roles and responsibilities.

Democracy and Governance