Musekeweya ("new dawn") is a phenomenally popular radio drama broadcast out of
Kigali, Rwanda. The soap, funded by Dutch NGO
La Benevolencija, follows the story of two star-crossed lovers who come from opposing villages involved in an increasingly violent struggle. Thought Rwandan law makes it difficult to discuss the genocide in the media, the show aims to open a dialog using the fictional villages of Bumanzi and Muhumuro as a proxy for Hutus and Tutsis.
A soap opera may seem like an unlikely vehicle to tackle a topic of such national importance, but it's actually
not uncommon. And, certainly, Rwanda is a country that knows all too well about the
power of radio
posted by meta_eli
on Jul 8, 2007 -
8 comments
Timmy leaves his Princess. Josh Ryan Evans, the actor who played Timmy on my favorite soap opera (
Passions) died Monday evening from a heart condition.
What's creepy is that the exact same day on the show, his character died.
The producers are editing out anything to do with Timmy, although I really hope that there's a legitimate memorial on the show for the character. He's been the soul of the series, and he simply can't be replaced.
Of course, I expect Tabitha to go full on evil now...
posted by Pinwiz
on Aug 6, 2002 -
55 comments
When I was a newspaper-slinger back as a youngster, I became acquainted with that odd funnypages subgenre-the
soap opera comic strip(i.e.
Winnie Winkle,
Rex Morgan, M.D. and the pinnacle of the genre
Gasoline Alley).
Moving at the brisk pace of 4 panels a day, these entertainments must have seemed quaint even in their early radio days infancy, yet they gained devoted followings and
Dr. Rex and
Skeezix and the Gang are actually still active. While the strips are published on the web, I'm surprised that there hasn't been a whole-hog revival of the genre. Heck,
Brenda Starr could be truly funky hip modern woman if the right person retooled her a bit and I imagine many web community administrators could relate to
Mary Worth at times.
posted by jonmc
on Apr 28, 2002 -
25 comments
