‘Na We Be Dis’ radio drama series: A tale of one compound berths
By Editor
THE Na We Be Dis radio drama series started airing this February in two radio stations, Harmony FM, Ilorin, Kwara State and Plateau Radio Television Corporation, Jos, Plateau State, courtesy of the Center for Applied Human Rights of the University of York, UK for the Art Rights Truth project being undertaken by the centre. The project is seeking answers to the question: ‘What is Civil Society?’
The radio drama series, which will be on air until May 2025, is set inside a communal compound with tenants from different areas involved in all sorts of work to earn their daily living. The story is simple and very easy to follow; and it’s recorded in the hugely popular Pidgin English. The most controversial character in the series is the Landlord who is the owner of the rooms that have been rented out to different tenants. In the typical landlord mentality, he sets arbitrary rules for his tenants and they have no option but abide because, according to him, “if you cannot abide by my rules, look for another place to live.”
The tenants initially condone the attitude of their landlord until a Youth Corps member, Abigail arrives to live in the compound during her mandatory one year national service. She proceeds to organize her co-tenants along the lines of civil society advocacy and the compound never remained the same. In her first month in the compound, Landlord decides to abolish tenants listening to music after 7.00pm. Typical of the tenants, they are split along their favourite lines of defence – those supporting the Landlord and those against him. Abigail steps in to let them know that even though they are tenants in rented rooms, they still have rights which must be respected.
In the midst of the arguments for and against the actions of Landlord, the landlord threatens them that he is capable of doing anything as long as they reside in his house. Abigail reassures him that their intention is not for them to take over his house, rather he should accord them their rights because without them his house would be empty which would deprive him of the economic benefits that they provide him with their rents. Without delay, Abigail proceeds to organize the tenants into a ‘Tenants Council’ which apart from the urgent negotiations required for the music ban, it will also advise the landlord on better ways to respect the tenants. With Abigail’s guidance, they succeed in negotiating the music ban from 7.00pm to take effect from 10.00pm which they all considered as fair. Then they also started taking all issues to the Tenants Council much to the amusement of Landlord who had believed they could not unite to organise or speak with one voice.
The radio drama series examines society and our roles in it and what we expect from it. According to the producers of the series in JRT and BBYDI, there is a certain relationship between civil society, human rights and the rights of the individual, and it is their hope that this project will bring these to light for listeners.
The Na We Be Dis radio drama series is a collaboration between the Jos Repertory Theatre and the Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative. The drama airs four days every week. It is expected that at the end of the 13 episodes of the radio drama series, JRT and BBYDI would have contributed to the on-going discourse on the meaning of civil society and what role civil society plays in the daily lives of the people and the enthronement of human dignity.
