Jigi ma Tignè (Hope Is Allowed) Radio Drama

The drama aired on the national broadcaster on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and was additionally broadcast on 50 community radio stations across the country. (Five sample episodes may be listened to on the PMC website.)

One of the storylines focuses on family planning and features Guedjouma, a 40-year old peasant farmer who has 2 wives. He has 4 children with his first wife and 3 children with his second wife and has no interest in using family planning. In the story, his second wife is pregnant with her fourth child and is suffering to get through the pregnancy. She goes into labour and experiences acute haemorrhaging; both she and the baby die. Guedjouma is left penniless from the exorbitant medical expenses he has spent in trying to save his wife and child. Another storyline focusing on HIV and AIDS features Paul, an 18-year-old who works part-time for his idol, Mr. Kandé, a rich, promiscuous businessman. After Paul allows himself to be seduced by an older woman, he begins to develop symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection (STI), which he fears might actually be a sign that he has HIV.

To help create a culture of support and acceptance for those living with disabilities, another storyline features Dado, a 30-year old young woman who is not yet married and who was forced to drop out of school early because of her disability. At a low moment in her life, Dado meets Niagalé, who tells her about an organisation (Trickle Up) that can help Dado to develop a small business to help her earn some money to support herself and her baby. Dado is initially discriminated against but, through perseverance and community support, she is able to open her own boutique. Niagalé also introduces Dado to a nice barman, who falls in love with Dado and accepts her child as his own. PMC worked closely with Trickle Up, a United States-based organisation working with disabled people in northern Mali, and the Malian Federation of Associations working with Handicapped Persons (FEMAPH). To further understand the issues, PMC also conducted several ethnographic studies of Trickle Up beneficiaries, resulting in Dado's storyline (which evolved out of a real-life story about a female beneficiary of Trickle Up's micro-loan programme).

Disability, Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS

According to PMC, Jigi ma Tignè is a mainstay in the lives of millions of Malians, and the disability storyline has helped to uplift those living with disabilities and reduce stigma associated with having a disability.

Jigi ma Tignè is a follow-up to PMC's first radio serial drama in Mali, Cesiri Tono ("Fruits of Perseverance"). Cesiri Tono addressed issues of child slavery and the link between this problem and poverty-inducing factors such as unwanted pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. The radio serial drama went on the air in November 2004 and was completed in October 2005. The programme was broadcast by 169 community radio stations in Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. The Ashoka Foundation awarded PMC the Changemakers Innovation Award in their global competition for the most creative programmes designed to prevent human trafficking.