Sawa Shabab (Together Youth) series is produced locally by Free Voice South Sudan in collaboration with USIP, to promote peace and stability by empowering youth to be confident, open-minded and participatory citizens in a diverse society.

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The drama series follows the daily lives of different young South Sudanese as they face unique challenges while learning how to become peacebuilders in their communities.  Sawa Shabab consists of 20 episodes in  English and Arabic and five episodes in Nuer and Dinka languages and will be aired on Radio Miraya, the Catholic Radio Network and other local stations across the country.

Featured Episode

Episode 14

Family tensions come to a head in this episode. After Ms. Mary bans the student union from wearing traditional jewelry, ChoCho encourages Winnie not to give up. Taban and ChoCho travel to see Taban’s father in the village, but the visit is not what he thought it would be. Richard and his father get into a fight and he learns from he only received his promotion because of his family connections.

English

Arabic

 

About the Peacebuilding Curriculum

The dramatic series is based on an educational, peacebuilding curriculum designed with local partners. The curriculum seeks to increase knowledge and change the attitudes and behaviors of youth listeners regarding their roles in building peace in South Sudan. The series' curriculum focuses on three main goals, identified by local experts as critical to building peace in South Sudan.

The series’ curriculum focuses on three main areas, identified by local experts as critical to building peace in South Sudan.

  • Co-Existence and National Identity – To promote peaceful co-existence and mutual respect among South Sudanese youth from different cultural and tribal orientations.
  • Youth Empowerment and Personal Responsibility - To create the foundations of peacebuilding by empowering South Sudanese youth to be accountable, independent and participatory citizens of society.
  • Gender – To promote peaceful and democratic growth in society by fostering an understanding of gender equality. 

Interact with Sawa Shabab

Young South Sudanese inside and outside of the country are encouraged to engage with the Sawa Shabab program. Youth can share their thoughts and experiences online through the Sawa Shabab Facebook fan page as well as via Twitter (@SawaShabab).

The program also includes opportunities for young listeners in South Sudan to interact with the drama through text messages and phone call-ins. Listeners will be invited to respond to questions raised within the episode and send thoughts and feedback on characters and storylines.

Listen to the Series Theme Song

 

 

Latest Publications

Moscow Concert Hall Attack Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

Moscow Concert Hall Attack Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

By: Mary Glantz, Ph.D.;  Gavin Helf, Ph.D.;  Asfandyar Mir, Ph.D.;  Andrew Watkins

On Friday, terrorists attacked the Crocus City Hall outside Moscow leaving 140 people dead and 80 others critically wounded. Soon after, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. The terrorist group, which is headquartered in Iraq and Syria, has several branches, including in South and Central Asia. Press reports suggest the U.S. government believes the Afghanistan-based affiliate of the Islamic State, ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), was behind the attack. The Biden administration has publicly noted that it had warned the Russian government of the terrorism threat in early March in line with the procedure of “Duty to Warn.”

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

What Does the U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution Mean for the Israel-Gaza War?

What Does the U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution Mean for the Israel-Gaza War?

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

By: Robert Barron

On March 25, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed Resolution 2728, calling for an “immediate” cease-fire in Gaza. The motion’s passage came after weeks of back and forth and posturing among the UNSC’s permanent and rotating members. The exact phrasing of the resolution and its relevance to the situation on the ground, as well as bilateral and multilateral relations — particularly U.S.-Israel ties — have been the subject of heavy public and media attention since Monday, raising questions about the resolution’s subtext, intent and limitations. USIP’s Robert Barron looks at these questions.

Type: Question and Answer

Global PolicyPeace Processes

Angela Stent on the Terror Attack in Moscow

Angela Stent on the Terror Attack in Moscow

Monday, March 25, 2024

By: Angela Stent

While ISIS has claimed responsibility for the devastating terror attack in Moscow, Putin has baselessly tried to shift the blame to Ukraine, says USIP’s Angela Stent: “[Putin] wants to use this to increase repression at home … and also to pursue a more aggressive path in Ukraine.”

Type: Podcast

What’s Driving India-China Tensions?

What’s Driving India-China Tensions?

Monday, March 25, 2024

By: Dean Cheng;  Sameer P. Lalwani, Ph.D.;  Daniel Markey, Ph.D.;  Nilanthi Samaranayake

Since deadly clashes between India and China on their 2,100-mile disputed border — known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) — nearly four years ago, the two countries have remained in a standoff and amassed an increasing number of troops on either side of the LAC. While India and China have held regular exchanges at the corps commander level since 2020, each side has also continued to militarize and invest in infrastructure in the high-altitude border regions, which may exacerbate risks of clashes or escalation. India-China competition has also deepened beyond the land border, particularly in the Indian Ocean region.

Type: Question and Answer

Global Policy

Three Conditions for Successful Engagement with North Korea

Three Conditions for Successful Engagement with North Korea

Monday, March 25, 2024

By: Mark Tokola

The September 13, 2023, meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un in Russia’s Amur Oblast marked a significant crippling of the decades-long U.S. pressure-based approach toward North Korea. The strategy of isolating and pressuring North Korea through United Nations Security Council resolutions to compel its nuclear disarmament in exchange for providing normalized relations, economic aid and sanctions relief may or may not ever have been a winning strategy, but now is no longer viable. The strategy required cooperation among the United States, South Korea, China and Russia, but this now seems a distant prospect.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

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