La Benevolencija Reconciliation Radio Project: Musekweya’s First Year Evaluation Report

This 43-page report presents the findings of an evaluation conducted after the first year of broadcast of Musekeweya, a fictional drama series produced by La Benevolencija to encourage peace and post-conflict transformation in Rwanda. The research goal was to assess the educational impact (knowledge about the underlying programme theories) and normative impact (tolerant and conciliatory attitudes and behaviours) of the reconciliation radio programme. The paper includes a brief summary of the past and present sociopolitical context in Rwanda, explaining why this country represents an important setting within which to explore the effects of media on prejudice and reconciliation. Next it contextualises debates about the impact of media in Rwanda by reviewing theory and evidence for media influence and its relationship to prejudice. It then describes the field experiment conducted with the La Benevolencija research group and argues that the pattern of positive and null results triangulated across many different types of outcome measures supports the hypothesis that a dramatic radio series can shape social norms.

The report explains that Musekeweya is a vehicle for Ervin Staub and Laurie Pearlman’s theories about the evolution of violence and the steps to reconciliation. Staub argues that frustration grows out of failure to satisfy basic human needs for security, self esteem and self efficacy, human connection, trust, shelter, and nourishment. Violence escalates along a continuum from small acts to group violence and its progression is speeded up by the presence of passive bystanders, excessive respect for authorities, and dehumanising portrayals of the group under attack. Prescriptions for violence prevention and reconciliation include expression of multiple viewpoints, critical thinking and moderate respect for authorities, active bystandership, and deep connection and cooperation between the post-conflict groups. Trauma healing is an integral part of reconciliation, and Pearlman’s messages about trauma are premised on a theory of healing through communication. Listeners are expected to understand these theories, and to begin to endorse the normative recommendations to which they lead, such as speaking one’s mind and opposing destructive authorities.

The report also explains that media interventions that seek to boost tolerance or conflict resolution in pre and post conflict regions, many of them in Africa, present researchers with a wide gap between claims and evidence of impact. Nevertheless, social scientist's theories provide ample reason to believe that reconciliation programmes may work. Media can promote certain understandings and behaviours by framing messages, by inspiring imitation or social contagion with notable or suggestive content, by setting agendas through selective emphasis, by educating with facts and role models, or by communicating social norms about how a population is and ought to be. Media may also facilitate tolerance to the extent that it presents a plurality of views.  The researchers suggest that to the extent that Musekeweya harnesses these mechanisms of attitude change, it may enhance tolerance, empathy, and trust.

The research found that data suggest that the reconciliation radio programme did little to impart factual or descriptive information. Listeners' awareness of the descriptive theoretical principles that guided the programme - messages about how violence and problematic reconciliation could be understood - were no different from the listeners in the control group. However, the researchers found that the study’s results support the hypothesis that radio programmes can communicate and reinforce positive social norms regarding prejudice and reconciliation. The radio programme affected listeners’ perceptions of and behaviours toward some of the most critical challenges faced by Rwandan society, for example ethnic intermarriage, critical thinking and perspective-taking, and trust. This pattern is manifest in self-reported attitudes, group discussions, behaviour in spontaneous role-play activities, and collective-decision making. Although the results are not uniformly positive, on the whole the researchers propose that this strongly suggest that radio can effectively communicate social norms that contribute to ethnic tolerance and reconciliation.

To access the full evaluation, please contact La Benevolencija - see below.