Aa'rar Kissa (Our Story) Audio Drama Series

The development of the first two seasons of Aa'rar Kissa (Our Story) was based on findings from formative research conducted in 2018, which suggested that gender-based violence (GBV) issues such as intimate partner violence (IPV) and early marriage were perceived as normal events for the Rohingya community. See "Violence against Women within the Rohingya Refugee Community: Prevalence, Reasons and Implications for Communication" [PDF] for the results of this formative research. The research helped to reshape the planning of the drama and place a focus on the de-normalisation of GBV issues such as IPV. Considering the sensitivity of the issues and to make it easier for the audiences, the drama included positive role-modelling, transitional characters, and pets (a parrot) to talk about the highly sensitive issues. A pilot episode of the drama was produced and tested with the intended audiences, and changes were made based on the feedback.

The drama follows three families as they grapple with day-to-day life in the Rohingya camps near Cox's Bazar, dealing with love, crime, and injustice while tackling some of the deep-rooted drivers of GBV and early marriage within the community. Other storylines looked at issues of decision-making within families, women-friendly spaces, and women's employment. Season 1 consisted of 20 episodes, and Season 2 consisted of 10 episodes, each around 20 minutes long. The drama was designed for use in listening groups (LGs) and was broadcast on a weekly basis by local radio partners. Episodes were disseminated through the network of LGs already active in the camps where the displaced Rohingya community live, and discussion guides were developed for each episode to be used by facilitators in the listening groups.

The storyline and characters (and their families) of Seasons 1 and 2 were as follows:
 

• Nuri's family: Nuri, a 14-year-old girl, is the central character of the drama, which showcases her day-to-day life in the camps. She is intelligent and has a good sense of humour, yet her beauty makes her vulnerable in the camps. She lives with her father Abzal, mother Jahanara, and pet parrot Kajli. Abzal showcased positive role modelling by helping his wife with household chores, which is uncommon in Rohingya society. He was a farmer back in Myanmar and in the camps is a hard-working man. Jahanara is a housewife and believes in self-help. She is intelligent and generous by nature. Sometimes, she is overly protective of her daughter, which almost led her to marry off her daughter early, which she realised later would have been the wrong move. Through Jahanara and Abzal, the drama also highlighted the importance of discussion in addressing the potential problems caused by early marriage.
• Kamal's family: Kamal is an 18-year-old boy who likes Nuri and always acts shy in front of her. In general, he is business-minded, focused and practical, a quick learner. He can influence others with his good sense of humour. Kamal lives with his grandmother Anowara, age 62. Her character is portrayed as a clever, humble, and confident person who can influence others.
• Abdullah and Ayesha: This is an unhappy family, through which the drama portrays factors that can make families unhappy. Abdullah, 45, can't control his temper and beats his wife. He is a lazy but ambitious man, who wants to be rich someday.
• Moqbul: Moqbul is a mahji (local community leader). He is a complex character with positive and negative attributes. He helps others but is a shrewd man who knows how to get what he wants. Although he is 45, at the beginning of the drama, he wants to marry Nuri. His character is shown as transitioning around the issue of child marriage when he realises that early marriage can have health consequences for young girls.

Seasons 3 and 4 of Aa'rar Kissa were designed to increase the Rohingya community's knowledge and understanding of mental health. With the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis, mental health issues are prevalent among the Rohingya community due to the trauma experienced by the community, low levels of safety, a lack of livelihood opportunities, and social and economic insecurity. These two seasons were based on formative research conducted by BBC Media Action in 2021 that explored people's perception of mental health, related social stigma, service-seeking behaviour and motivation and barriers to accessing mental health services within both host and Rohingya communities. See "Violence against Women within the Rohingya Refugee Community: Prevalence, Reasons and Implications for Communication" [PDF]. The findings showed that there was significant widespread stigma associated with mental health and that mental health was a new concept for the Rohingya refugees. The series therefore sought to highlight the importance of discussing mental health issues, demonstrating how verbalising emotions and talking with a trusted person can have a positive impact on mental health. The drama also sought to motivate listeners to be more aware of their own mental well-being and that of people around them, as well as to seek and encourage others to seek advice and support about mental health. In addition, it emphasised the importance of not using derogatory terms to refer to people experiencing mental health issues.

The characters in Seasons 3 and 4 included: 
 

• Abdullah - He is an autorickshaw driver, husband to Ayesha and father to Ataullah. He and Ayesha jointly save to buy an autorickshaw; however, Abdullah's behaviour becomes erratic when he starts feeling wealthy. Ayesha hides the rickshaw batteries to bring him back to reality, but they are stolen. This violation affects Abdullah's mental health because this business is his last hope for financial independence. He isolates himself, stays alone in a dark room, and becomes short-tempered. With support from Ayesha, his neighbour Abjal and close friends, Abdullah makes a recovery.
• Noorie - Passionate about women's rights and empowerment, she takes on a sewing business and creates a place where women in the community can get together, learn sewing, and share thoughts and experiences. Noorie becomes the embodiment of knowledge, leadership, and advocacy for women in the community and establishes herself as a successful businesswoman. Noorie had experienced many challenges after getting married young and moving in with her husband's family. Her husband was always busy, and her mother-in-law pressured her to have a baby, which she did not feel ready for. This dynamic caused Noorie to struggle with her mental health and show anger towards her husband.
• Anowara - She runs a sewing business and strives to create economic opportunities for local women. She experiences mental health issues because of long-term concerns about her grandson, Kamal. With advice from the health worker (Salma) and Noorie, Anowara seeks treatment for her mental health issues and eventually recovers.

Click here to access all the episodes, as well as the accompanying discussion guides designed for use in LGs and other community settings.

For information on the impact and evaluation results of the first season, see "What Role Can Audio Drama Play in Shifting Perspectives of Gender Norms and Intimate Partner Violence Amongst the Rohingya Community in Bangladesh? - Evaluation Study Report, September, 2021" [PDF]. The research, for example, found that study participants could engage with the audio drama played in the LGs, which encouraged male and female listeners to learn and discuss the storylines. Participants said the drama was a portrayal of life in the camps to which they could relate. The characters were also relatable, and listeners enjoyed hearing about the Rohingya people's lives and concerns. According to the report, in a context where gender dynamics are highly entrenched, the use of the drama was effective, as it could realistically portray relatable characters challenging common issues such as gender dynamics/norms. This strategy really engaged the audience and made them think differently about their roles. For example, male participants were inspired by a male character taking care of his wife when she was sick. 

Research results focusing on the impact of Season 3 and 4 can be found in "How has Radio Drama Helped to Tackle Mental Health Among Rohingya Refugees in Cox's Bazar? An Evaluation of the Drama Series Aa'rar Kissa (Our Story) Research Briefing, June 2024" [PDF]. In brief, the research revealed the following:
 

• Relatable characters and storylines mirrored the participants' culture and camp life.
• The drama sparked vibrant discussions in the LGs.
• Participants shared their new knowledge with friends, relatives, and neighbours.
• As a result of listening to the drama, the participants said they now knew what mental health is and what symptoms a person can show when they struggle with their mental health.
• Participants emphasised that after listening to Aa'rar Kissa, they now understand the importance of looking after one's own mental health, as well as that of family members, friends, and close neighbours.
• Participants said they understood that when negative feelings get worse, persist for a long time, and affect daily life, people may need professional help in the form of counselling.
• As a result of listening to the audio drama, participants showed greater understanding towards people with mental health issues.