Umurage Urukwiye - Rwanda's Brighter Future

Umurage Urukwiye addresses various issues through 4 story lines, one of which revolves around a rural farmer named Ndereya. Ndereya lives in a fictional village called Tarama, which is right at the forest's edge below the gorilla habitat. He is 30 years old and has six children. His small plot soon proves insufficient to support his family, and his wife and children begin to suffer from malnutrition. In a desperate effort to feed his family, Ndereya decides to clear a forested plot next to his property to plant additional crops. He does not consider the environmental implications of this decision. As a result, the cleared plot, which is located on the steep slope above his house, will erode and destroy the rest of his crops further down the hillside. Next, Ndereya tries to slash and burn the area surrounding his property in the hope of creating more farmable land for his family, but the forest fire gets out of control and burns down his house. In a futile last effort to provide for his family, Ndereya is convinced by a corrupt businessman to trap a gorilla for him to sell to a zoo. When Ndereya ventures out to capture the gorilla, his hand gets caught in the snare and he loses his hand. Eventually, with the support of his young neighbour Leodia, Ndereya comes to realise his errors and finds a way to care for his family while preserving the environment.

This serial drama was designed using the Sabido methodology, where audiences learn from the decisions of familiar, identifiable characters and the consequences they face because of their actions, both good and bad. While enjoying the story, the producers hope that audiences will vicariously learn about family size and family planning (Ndereya had more children than he could support), farming techniques, the importance of preserving the mountain gorillas, and peace and reconciliation.

Reproductive Health, Population, HIV/AIDS, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Environment.

According to PMC, Rwanda is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Although 90% of Rwandan families are farmers, because of the high population density there is limited land on which to cultivate crops. With the growing population comes a greater demand on the land to produce greater quantities of food.

PMC explains that one of Rwanda's most precious ecological and economic resources is the endangered mountain gorillas, who live on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes, a territory divided between Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ecotourism to see the mountain gorillas is the third greatest source of revenue for Rwanda, after coffee and tea. The gorillas' territory is being encroached upon by land-starved farmers as the pressure to produce more food increases with the rapidly expanding population. Potatoes and maize are now being cultivated on the mountainsides directly below the gorilla habitat. If the gorillas are forced out, Rwanda will lose an important source of revenue from tourism. With about 640 mountain gorillas living today, one of the closest relatives of humans is in danger of extinction.

In conjunction with the Rwanda Ministry of Environment's reforestation effort, PMC has included a story line in Umurage Urukwiye that promotes conservation of gorilla habitats and promotion of tree planting. PMC hired an independent research firm to track tree seedling purchases that resulted from listening to the programme. Monitoring interviews at tree seedling nurseries in 10 districts in all 5 provinces of the country are being conducted, with 52% of interviewees having listened to Umurage Urukwiye.

PMC also hired an independent research firm to conduct exit interviews at six health clinics in the broadcast area to find out what motivated clients to seek a health service. Interviews with 299 clients were conducted during November and December 2008. The interviews revealed that 57% of new clients seeking family planning, voluntary HIV counseling and testing, and information and services about prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV said they are listening to Umurage Urukwiye. And 87% of respondents that are listening to the drama said they are "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with the content.

To monitor the effectiveness of the programme and to get feedback from listeners, PMC is conducting listening groups. In the groups, listeners have consistently talked about how realistic the drama is and how it accurately reflects the issues affecting their communities. Among the most cited examples: the use of traditional medicine, the prevalence of prostitution, the preference for large family size, the problem of children orphaned by the genocide, and the dangers of environmental destruction.

As an illustration of what PMC describes as the "immense popularity of the drama nationwide", PMC notes that people have started nicknaming each other with the names of the characters from Umurage Urukwiye, based on similarities in attitude or personality. Specifically, listeners use the names of the negative characters to tease their friends and family members when they exhibit similar behaviour. According to PMC, "This is a very encouraging observation, as it shows that listeners are able to identify the negative role models on the show, evaluate their failures and wrongful decisions, and directly apply them
to situations in their daily lives."