POMED Notes: Next Generation Peacebuilding and Social Change in the Arab World

On Wednesday, the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted an event highlighting the success of “Salam Shabab,” an Iraqi TV show that just premiered its first season. A screening of the final episode of the show was then followed by a brief lecture by Marsha Williams, President at Harvest Research Group and then a panel discussion with Brett Pierce, Co-Executive Producer and former Sesame Workshop Producer, Hussam Hadi, Producer of Salam Shabab, and Afrah Mahdi, USIP Media Program Specialist in Baghdad. This panel was moderated by Theo Dolan, USIP Senior Program Officer. The second panel featured Maryam Al Khawaja, Head of Foreign Relations at the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Hassan al Faluji, lead singer for Iraq pop band UTN1, and Rami Nakhla (Malath Aumran), Syrian Activist/Blogger and Spokesperson for the Local Coordination Committees of Syria. This panel was moderated by Adel Iskandar, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and Communication, Culture and Technology.

For full event notes, continue reading below. Or, click here for the PDF

Williams spoke to the value of summative research, especially for curriculum based shows such as Salam Shabab. The research her team conducted about the show revealed that Salam Shabab had a high level of appeal to both boys and girls in Iraq. The appeal was driven by the positive message, interesting challenges, and the community that was formed by teenagers from different provinces, sects and religions.

Pierce discussed the value of curriculum driven media, having worked on Sesame Street. Longitudinal studies of Sesame Streetviewers revealed that they had better grades and higher levels of tolerance for diversity than non-viewers. However, one unique aspect of Salam Shabab was that unlike Sesame Street, the content was driven by the contestants themselves, instead of the adults on the production team. Pierce said this “bottom-up” approach brought out genuine emotions that the audience appreciated.

Mahdi, over the phone, briefly discussed the selection and training process for the teens. She said the show sought diversity in its contestants, so age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status were all taken into consideration. The training was meant to educate the youth about current issues in Iraqby bringing in experts to speak with them. She commented that previous contestants still contact her to share their successes and positive learning experiences.

Hadi said that Salam Shabab is unique because it illustrates the dreams of all Iraqis from a youth perspective, therefore going beyond just a reality TV show. He said that even regional TV channels broadcasted the show, so the reach was extensive. Additionally, he shared that having the opportunity to see the kids grow and mature throughout the course of the show was very special to him.

During Q&A, Pierce said a long-term goal of the show would be to introduce it into school curriculums, possible as homework assignments. Hadi also explained that parents were never allowed to come to the studio to ensure that true, raw emotions could come through to the audience. The producers feared that if parents were present that it would influence how the teenagers acted.

Khawaja discussed social media as a medium of communication in the Middle East. She said that it has played a big role in the revolutions, especially in Bahrain. The youth are heavily dependent on Twitter because mainstream media often overlooks the Bahraini situation. She also emphasized that the so-called “facebook revolutions” are misnomers for what she perceives as “youth revolutions.”

Al Faluji spoke about the power of music and art in uniting the people and giving a voice to the youth movement. He explained the challenges of starting music in a country that is intolerant of Western music, but expressed his belief that music can motivate change and bridge cultural gaps. He also said the revolutions are unstoppable because the youth are very aware of the differences between theMiddle East and the rest of the world.

Nakhla talked about the challenge of handling accusations from the media and government, who sometimes label protestors and oppositionists negatively. He explained that though it was difficult in the beginning, now, people just parody the semantics that are used. He gave an example of being called an ‘intruder,’ and how it has evolved into a pride-filled term. He also reiterated the importance of social media, citing Syria as an example of how social media can unify movements and add momentum. He said social media should not be seen as an alternate form of media, but rather, a complementary one to mainstream media.

All three panelists agreed that the uprisings in the Arab Spring rose out of the fight for dignity. There has been a mind shift in the youth, who have found a stronger desire for freedom and democracy. Khawaja described it as the “fear barrier” being broken and said that once that happens, the movement becomes unstoppable. When asked to give advice to the youth, Nakhla said simply, “do not believe anyone but Google.” He said the youth must be proactive in seeking out information that is well-rounded and truthful to better educate themselves. Khawaja emphasized one word: unity. She said that governments are so good at uniting and oppressing their people, that it is now time for the youth to unite and fight back. Lastly, al Faluji reminded the youth to have hope and dream – to believe in themselves and fight.

When asked a question about the skepticism surrounding social media as a credible news source, Khawaja referenced a quote she saw on Twitter. It said that one of the biggest mistakes the authoritarian regimes made was to create a society that is comprised half of civilian journalists and half of activists. She reinforced the importance of civilian journalists, especially in countries likeBahrain where the mainstream media is absent.