Sayen Nagri, Mayar de Kudi Gida
for USAID
"Buying quality products is like taking your money back home"
In 2022 and 2023 Pierce Mill produced a Radio Show in Northern Nigeria to help shoppers understand and value the importance of food safety when making daily purchasing decisions in their open traditional markets. The radio show was designed to help shoppers understand that without food safety, there is no food quality, nutrition, or food security, and to help food vendors understand that following best food safety practices helps their business.
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In interviews with 61 vendors at the Birnin Kebbi Central Market, we learned that radio is the most popular entertainment and community news medium, and that Vision FM is the community's favorite radio station.
To produce an engaging and informative radio show, we partnered with ARDA DCI, Inc., a local group with experience in radio EE programming in Northern Nigeria. Together, we designed the radio show format, and in collaboration with food safety experts, we designed the radio show content. Our collection of stories assembled during Story Sourcing served as inspiration for writing engaging the dramatic component of the show designed to draw listeners in. Several Community Representatives and local consultants were engaged during the writing, translating, and producing of Sayen Nagari.
Outcome was Sayen Nagari, a Hausa radio show magazine airing for one hour weekly on Saturdays at 11:00 on Vision FM Kebbi and Vision FM Sokoto for 26 weeks between November 2022 and May 2023.
Sayen Nagari Theme Song
CHORUS
Shine your eyes my brothers and sisters
Pay attention to the food you buy.
Do not use your hands to buy sickness.
Your food is your health.
VERSE 1
Remember, oh you consumers and vendors.
The market is a place where people should buy healthy food.
Make sure the market’s environment and food are kept clean.
Compromising on good food safety behaviours can have negative consequences.
Vendor my friend, you should know that the beauty of a market,
depends on its hygiene. Keep the food and your environment clean.
Make sure your body is kept clean for your business and your customers,
You should know better that germs are not what you can see with your natural eyes.
Do what you can to keep your customers, and not what can chase them away.
VERSE 2
My dear consumers (buyer), protect yourself and your families from getting sick.
It remains your right to demand for safer foods in the market.
Consumers don't buy rotten food so you don't waste your money and vendors don't sell rotten food so you can keep your customers.
Keep your environment and utensils clean and hygienic.
Health is a great wealth Oga (Mr.) and Madam. Never forget that.
Germs can grow on food rapidly if not kept properly.
Vendor and consumers let's work together to make sure we eat safe.
It is only a healthy person that can make money.
It is only a healthy person that can take care of their loved ones.
Drama opens the show. A story of XXXXX draws the listeners in and presents food safety concepts in relatable and entertaining context. We next hear an a married couple, Zainab and Kabir, discussing the drama and what they learned and how it applies to their family life. They then sign-off to the studio, where the locally popular On Air Personality (one in Kebbi and one in Sokoto) introduces the food safety topic of the week and a guest who joined the show that week to explain the topic and to answer callers' questions... and there is never enough time to speak with everyone who calls in!
