Soul Beat Africa
African development action with informed and engaged societies
Soul Beat Africa

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 13 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

Dawaran Shoubra (Shoubra Roundabout)

0 comments

Broadcast in Egypt in 2011, the Dawaran Shoubra (Shoubra Roundabout) television drama portrayed the lives of people living in Cairo's inner-city neighbourhood of Shoubra, exploring issues such as poverty and lack of opportunity, corruption and social injustice, and radicalisation and youth alienation. Produced by Egypt's Misr International Films with support from BBC Media Action, the television series is part of a wider project, Socially Responsible Media Platforms for the Arab World, which was launched in 2009.

Communication Strategies

Shoubra is a neighbourhood of both rich and poor, Muslims and Coptic Christians, providing a rich source of issues to explore through the drama's storylines. According to scriptwriter Amr A-Daly, inspiration for the stories came from the people of his own neighbourhood and their life stories. As well as being broadcast in Egypt, Dawaran Shoubra was subsequently broadcast on many pan-Arab channels worldwide. It is also available via web platforms, such as YouTube.

According to BBC Media Action, social drama is highly influential in the Arab world. Research shows that Egyptians watch on average four hours a day of television, with drama at the centre of their viewing schedule. Egyptians look to social drama for inspiration to resolve problems and dilemmas in their daily lives. It also offers them the opportunity to explore issues that are often considered taboo.

Click here to view a BBC video about the drama series.

Development Issues

Conflict, Tolerance, Rights

Key Points

Dawaran Shoubra was recognised by Egypt's media industry and voted one of three best series in 2011 by TV critics. According to BBC Media Action research:

  • 62% (of respondents who had seen all or some of the series) said that the programme tackled issues that resonate with them personally.
  • Almost 70% said the show dealt with issues that other series do not.
  • 55% said the series had prompted them to talk about a number of issues among friends or family.
Partners

BBC Media Action, Misr International Films

Sources

BBC Media Action website on December 7 2012.