Poster for soap opera, "New Home, New Life"

It’s a soap opera that stars a clumsy night watchman and a farmer who gives tips on animal husbandry….The drama weaves together tales of love, comedy and human suffering that have Afghans glued to their radios." (MSNBC News, October 2001)

In Pashto and Dari

Launched in April 1994, Afghanistan’s first ever radio soap opera “New Home, New Life” is broadcast by the BBC three times a week in Pashto and Dari.

This format is a uniquely powerful way of putting across educational messages to millions of people.

Soap opera is entertaining. People can identify with the characters and through them with the storylines. The same basic theme can be repeated again and again in different contexts without boring the audience.

Fiction

“New Home, New Life” is set in three fictional villages. It aims to teach people how to survive in a society where public infrastructure and normal processes of health, education and justice have been destroyed by over two decades of civil war.

The soap puts over the information they need so that the whole village community can participate in development.

Impact

“New Home, New Life” also reflects the impact on the villages of the changing outside world.

Uniquely amongst major world soap operas, “New Home, New Life” began to refer to September 11th within two weeks, once the potential impact for Afghanistan was understood.

It also featured a guest appearance by Lakhtar Brahimi, UN Special Representative to Afghanistan, in the lead up to the Grand Assembly (Loya Jirga) held in Kabul in July 2002.