DEADLINE: 19TH MARCH, 2021
SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND
CALL FOR APPLICATION: RADIO DRAMA SCRIPT WRITER CONSULTANT
MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA
Purpose of Consultancy
Search seeks to engage a consultant who will write a sensational and stimulating 30 minutes long 26 episodes of radio drama that will be translated to Hausa and Kanuri for recording and broadcasting. The drama will be in series, depicting and addressing issues and topics on social cohesion, education, empowerment, mental and psychological issues and many other researched topics provided by Search.
The consultant will integrate all characteristics and themes and context of Borno state (Mafa, Dikwa, Mongono, Jere, Kukawa and MMC) that will resonate with the audience and create the desired entertainment and educational content needed for perception and behavioural change. As part of the consultancy, Fifteen (15) radio jingles of 60 seconds each will be developed for voicing, recording and broadcast. The jingles will represent the pulse of the project, catchy, retentive, creative and informative.
Both Radio drama and jingles will be translated to Kanuri and Hausa.
About the Project
The overall objective of the RESILAC project is to contribute to the economic recovery and to the strengthening of the resilience and the social cohesion of the territories of the Lake Chad basin most impacted by the Lake Chad crisis and the climate change. The regions targeted by the project are located in the immediate vicinity of the main outbreak of the crisis in the four countries bordering Lake Chad:
(i) Cameroon, the Far North,
(ii) Niger, Diffa region,
(iii) Chad, Lake region and
(iv) Nigeria, Borno State.
The specific objectives/pillars of the project are:
(1) Strengthening human capital, social cohesion and collective and sustainable management of natural resources in targeted territories;
(2) Promoting economic recovery in targeted areas and the resilience of the most vulnerable populations, especially young people and women, through access to employment and agro-sylvo-pastoral production systems intensified and adapted to climate change;
(3) Valuing and consolidating the actors of the targeted territories by encouraging dialogue and commitment, and reinforcing their capacities according to the skills and roles of each one; and
(4) Producing useful knowledge for the quality of project activities in a crisis context and for decision-making by local actors.
Search for Common Ground (Search) is responsible for implementation of Pillar 1 in Nigeria, in partnership with Action Against Hunger (AAH) and Neem Foundation. This will contribute to the creation of the conditions for a broad alliance in these territories by recreating social links between and within the communities most affected by the crisis and by helping victims of violence overcome their traumas and to resume trust. Collective and participatory activities will make it possible to offer means of analysis and shared actions to peacefully manage conflict, access and use of limited natural resources.
About The Radio Drama and Jingles
An intended-outcome drama is defined as “the process of purposely designing and implementing a media message to both entertain and educate, in order to increase audience members’ knowledge about an educational issue, create favorable attitudes, shift social norms and change overt behavior. Radio Drama connects with people’s emotions, stimulates self-awareness, and provides a powerful tool for empowerment and positive behavioral and social change.
As part of the deliverables of this project, Search has made a commitment to implement 26 episode radio drama series. The drama and talk show will reinforce the other by providing an opportunity to dramatize some of the themes discussed in the talk show and in reverse, the talk show can provide a platform for citizens to dialogue about the messages and themes presented in the drama. In addition, the drama will allow Search to include particularly sensitive content in ways that will not exploit talk show hosts and guests and/or listeners.
The Radio drama and Radio talk show will focus on building social cohesion through a recorded radio drama of 20 minutes followed by a live phone-in session. The talk show is a 30 minutes long interaction with guest and feedback from listeners. The programs will highlight compelling conflicts from the audiences’ daily lives, issues around social cohesion, education, empowerment, psychology and trauma related topics. The program will be produced in Hausa and Kanuri and aired weekly.
The topics addressed by the program will reinforce messaging from the various components of the RESILAC project with a focus on promoting social cohesion across the many dividing lines present in territories of the Lake Chad Basin – ethnicity/tribe, religion, displacement status, affiliation with formal and informal armed groups, and others. Other relevant topics such as promoting mental health awareness, youth and women’s empowerment, and good governance will also be integrated into the storyline of the program.
Deliverables
(a) Create and produce a serial 26 episodes of Radio drama in English to be translated into Hausa and Kanuri
(b) Research and develop original storylines relevant to the context and topics provided by search’s media team based on the thematic areas of the project to incorporate in the drama.
(c) The radio drama script should convey core messages around economic recovery, social cohesion and strengthening resilience and tell an emotionally engaging story through a creative and captivating product
(d) Ensure scripts are 15-20 minutes long and contain the key messages from all information gathered for each episodes after approval of the theme/topic
(e) Review script (where necessary) in line with emerging issues from ongoing episodes in reflection meetings and pitch it to Search’s media and program teams.
(f) Create every aspect of a unique script, including the dialogue, characters, and plot that bring stories to life
(g) Create a brief narrative intro and outro for every episode and an intro that will launch the interactive segment
(h) Develop scripts based on the stories/content of beneficiary’s and created in English, Hausa and Kanuri languages and submit to Search’s media coordinator prior to the production of the drama.
(i) Attend meetings trainings organized by Search for Common Ground, which have direct bearing to the program and production of it during the course of the consultancy.
(j) Submit quarterly reports and final report of the consultancy with recommendation and lessons learned
(k) The radio drama script should be specific to the North eastern region context putting in mind culture and values, religion and real life situations through different and unexpected perspectives, the challenges faced, and also their conflict coping and managing strategies.
(l) Develop 15 compelling and interesting jingles of 60 seconds each that are catchy, retentive, informative etc. in English, Hausa and Kanuri.
The period of performance for this contract is for approximately 4 months starting from the date of engagement.
Search anticipates the following timetable:
(i) First Draft:
The consultant will work closely with Search to learn about social cohesion, economic recovery and strengthening resilience by understanding the project objectives. With this background, he/she will develop the radio drama script and jingles within the generated radio drama pitch ideas, in dialogue with Search. During this period, the contractor, in consultation with Search, will further develop ideas, storyboards, and scripts for the proposed radio drama content.
(ii) Submission of first draft of 13 Episodes – 1st Quarter (May):
The consultant will submit the final draft of the first 13 episodes of the series inclusive of the Hausa and Kanuri version for onward execution by the Producers and actors. He would also submit the 15 jingles script that are captivating, catchy and informative in context to the project objective. Search will lookout for the flow from the first quarter into the second quarter.
(iii) Submission of second Draft of 13 Episodes – 2nd Quarter (June):
The consultant will submit the last leg of the script for the radio drama in English, Hausa and Kanuri, with a strong ending to the series.
(iv) Final Submission of report (July):
The contractor will submit a report on the process, recommendation and lessons learnt for the consultancy.
Required Profile
(a) Companies/Individuals are required to meet the following criteria in order to qualify for bid submission.
(b) Ability to work with the Media team for constant updates on the change in context as it relates with the project and drama.
(c) The radio drama script and jingles should convey core messages around the objective of the project and tell an emotionally engaging story through a creative and captivating product.
(d) Revise and rewrite scripts as necessary, based on updates from the media team.
(e) Ability to research and develop original ideas and storylines relevant to the context.
(f) Ability to develop a 26 episode (two quarters) of a weekly radio drama script in English, translated to Hausa and Kanuri with each episode not more than 20 minutes long and 15 jingles for record and broadcast.
(g) Ability to deliver the first 5 episodes of the radio drama and 5 jingle script within 2 weeks of engagement and spread the remaining within 4 months,
(h) Create every aspect of a unique script, including the dialogue, characters, and plot that bring stories to life
(i) Create a brief narrative intro and outro for every episode and an intro that will launch the interactive segment for the drama series
(j) Each episode should end with a captivating plot which will generate an audience feedback through the phone-line and other available platform
(k) The radio drama script should be specific to the North eastern region context putting in mind culture and values, religion and real life situations through different and unexpected perspectives, the challenges faced, and also their conflict coping and managing strategies.
The research team will respect the following ethical principles:
Comprehensive and systematic inquiry:
Consultant should make the most of the existing information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review. Consultant should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. He or she should communicate his or her methods and approaches accurately and in sufficient detail to allow others to understand, interpret and critique his or her work. He or she should make clear the limitations of the review and its results.
Competence:
Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of his or her professional training and competence.
Honesty and integrity:
Consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information.
Respect for people:
Consultant respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.
Timeline
- The Consultancy will span across the months of April 2021 to July with regular updates from the media team which may alter or twist part of the storyline.
Application should hold four attachments:
(i) A technical proposal, no more than four pages, describing how the radio drama script objectives will be met within the stated timetable. Also a narrative “pitch” describing the basic drama concepts and illustrative examples of how the drama would be structured, possibly the plot
(ii) Script outline (in English), with clear-cut captioned messages being depicted in each scene
(iii) Provide a timeline within which the script for 26 episodes will be delivered with the mind that the first 5 episodes is to be delivered within 2 weeks of engagement
(iv) Technical qualifications of the individual/team including CVs, for all proposed personnel along with copies of relevant input to works (scripts) developed by team members.
(v) Budget/financial. Include an overall cost for the contract. Final radio drama content decisions will be discussed between the contractor and Search before production begins
As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls please. Please see our website www.sfcg.org for full details of our work.
All Search Employees must adhere to the values: Collaboration- Audacity – Tenacity – Empathy – Results. In accordance with these values, Search enforces compliance with the Code of Conduct and related policies on Anti Workplace Harassment, Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Conflict of Interest and Anti-fraud. Search is committed to safeguarding the interests, rights, and well-being of children, youth and vulnerable adults with whom it is in contact and to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for children, youth, and vulnerable adults.
Search for Common Ground does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.
