Pentagon’s Latest Weapon in Colombian Drug War? Soap Operas
May 29th, 2013Via: Wired:
The U.S. Army is introducing a new weapon in its fight to get Colombia’s guerrillas to put down their guns: the soap opera.
That’s the gist of a recent Army request for proposals, which describes the building blocks of an anti-guerrilla propaganda campaign in Colombia. According to the request, the Army wants a potential contractor to write and produce a total of 20 radio novela episodes for an Army MISO team (Military Information Support Operations) based in Colombia, with eight episodes that “convey messages that promote demobilization,” or encouraging armed groups to put down their weapons. Another eight “shall convey messages that counter recruitment of target audiences (TAs) into illegal armed groups.”
The scripts, according to the request, will be true to life in a way, as they’re “derived from statements received by demobilized guerrillas.” Final approval before airing will also be reserved by the MISO team, which can demand rewrites. After the 16-episode run, another four episodes will focus on promoting “traditional family values, belief in the respectful treatment of women, democratic alternatives to violence that can furnish functioning state institutions, and emerging environmental concerns in support of U.S. and partner nation goals in Colombia, South America.”
The episodes will be in Spanish and a mix of regional Colombian dialects. There will be recurring characters, of course. And each episode will be about 12 minutes long, with an extra three minutes for recaps and previews to “increase TA’s interest in the future episode.” Pro-tip: the part about “functioning state institutions” should be kept subtle lest you bore the audience.
Related: PSYOP as Entertainment
Soap Operas: Making a Difference in Developing Nations
http://www.populationinstitute.org/resources/populationonline/issue/1/7/