Learning by Ear – Jobs and Education

Radionovela: Studying at University – The Story of Malaika / Episode Four

Learning by Ear – Jobs and Education

Studying at University- The Story of Malaika / Episode 04

Author: Njoki C. Muhoho

Redaktion: Maja Dreyer

CHARACTERS:
Announcer - Male adult
Malaika - A 19 year-old-girl
Mr Baraza - 55-year-old local business man. 1 dialogue only!!
Ms Grace - She is 52-years-old
Auntie Tizo - She is 64-years-old.
Elder Nathan - He is 60-years-old and Malaika’s father
Mama Rose - She is 45-years-old and Malaika’s mother.

INTRO

MUSIC: THEME MUSIC

ANNOUNCER Hello and welcome to Episode Four of the “Learning by

Ear” jobs and education series. In the last episode
Malaika found life at university to be both challenging
and rewarding. She has gained tips on how to study,
work part-time and also have fun. She realised there
are many more lessons to learn at university besides
what they teach you in class. Now, she is on her first

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Radionovela: Studying at University – The Story of Malaika / Episode Four

holiday back home from university. Does she still fit into
village life?

SCENE 1: ELDER NATHAN’S HOMESTEAD.

SOUNDS: VILLAGE FARM SOUNDS: COWS MOO, GOATS BLEAT AND

BIRDS CHID.

01. MAMA ROSE (calling from afar) Malaika!… Malaika… come quickly.

02. MALAIKA (shuffling with paper, quietly to self) Oh, not again, Mum. (louder) I
have to study…

03. MAMA ROSE (as she comes close) Malaika, how many times do I have to
call you? Come help us get the cows back in their
shelter.

04. MALAIKA Sorry mother, I’ve been trying to study.

05. MAMA ROSE But that is all you do there in that big university. Will you
not be helping us with work anymore?

06. MALAIKA I am sorry Mother, of course I will help.. it’s only that…..

07. MAMA ROSE (interrupts her) Get out girl, you are still our daughter and you
have tasks to perform here. Out!

08. MALAIKA Ok mother, I’m coming. But you have to promise me to

let me study a few more hours later.

09. MAMA ROSE (mumbling to herself). I don’t understand this education. They
read and read and they forget to eat, work, socialise…..
(FADES AWAY)

MUSIC BRIDGE

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Radionovela: Studying at University – The Story of Malaika / Episode Four

SCENE 2: AT THE FIELDS

SFX: VILLAGE FARM SOUNDS (LIKE ABOVE).

10. ELDER NATHAN Look, Malaika, see how poor these crops are. We have
to work harder to produce enough food for the family.
You must help!

11. MALAIKA Father, you are doing it all wrong.

12. ELDER NATHAN Young woman, since when did you become my
teacher? Young people these days. You…

13. MALAIKA (interrupting) Father, you sent me to university to learn. Now,

I am giving you the benefits, call it early harvest. You
see at this plot you have planted the same crops again
and again. You should divide it into say, 3 parts. You
put the cows there, beans there and the other crops
over there. Then, next harvest, you change them round.

14. ELDER NATHAN Have crops become butterflies, hoping from one home
to the next?

15. MALAIKA If you put it that way, father, yes. You see, when
butterflies fly from one flower to the next, they pick
something of value from the new flower and also drop
something that is of value to that flower before they
take off. The same with crops, father. Some crops eat
different food from the soil and also give the soil
something different. So, if you keep rotating them,
everyone is happy and the soil remains rich and you get
your good crops.

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Radionovela: Studying at University – The Story of Malaika / Episode Four

15. ELDER NATHAN (clears his throat) What do you know? Wisdom is no
longer just for the old..

ANNOUNCER Malaika has become her father’s adviser. But Malaika

also promised her teacher Grace to help out at the local
school in order to pay back the loan her teacher gave
her. So next day, she visits her old classrooms again,
but in a totally different role…

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Radionovela: Studying at University – The Story of Malaika / Episode Four

SCENE 3: LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOL.

SFX; SOUNDS OF SCHOOL CHIDREN PLAYING, A SCHOOL BELL RINGS.

THEN THERE IS SILENCE.

16. MS. GRACE I promised you a surprise today. Malaika, our last year’s
best student, has come back to see us. Welcome
Malaika. Thank you for visiting us.

17. CHILDREN CLAPPING AND CHEERS

18. MALAIKA Good morning students. I am happy to come back

home and visit you. I want to urge you to study hard.
You can do it. You can pass your examination and go
to the university like me. Life at the university is both
very challenging, a lot of hard work but it is also fun.
You make new friends and learn many things about life.
I am like you, I was born here, attended this school. Do
not let anyone ever make you feel that because you are
from a poor village, poor school or because you are a
girl, you can not make it. You are as strong as you feel,
you are also as weak as you feel. The power is inside
you. Use it.

19. CHILDREN CLAPPING AND ULLILATIONS

20. Ms GRACE That was powerful, my girl! I am so proud of you. Now,

let’s go to my office (Pause, while walking) Malaika,
why do you look so sad?

21. MALAIKA It is hard Teacher Grace. There is so much to do and

so many expectations from everyone.

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Radionovela: Studying at University – The Story of Malaika / Episode Four

22. Ms GRACE (assertively) Now, tell me, how would you eat a bull?

23. MALAIKA What?

24. Ms GRACE Listen, if you were to eat it, how would you go about it?
Would you eat it all at a go?

25. MALAIKA Of course not!

26. Ms. GRACE My point. You still would eat it, but bit by bit, morsel by
morsel. Right? You now feel overwhelmed and afraid of
failure.

27. MALAIKA (sadly) Yes, I do.

28. Ms GRACE Now, hear me. From now henceforth, you will take very
thing step by step. You can not do everything at ago.
Know what you want and stay focused.

29. MALAIKA Thanks, Teacher Grace. You are always so helpful.

(PAUSE) Talk of what I want: I was thinking we could
start a computer class here. Maybe look for one
computer and during the holidays I can start teaching
the students about ICT.

30. MS. GRACE IEE CEE what?

31. MALAIKA (Laughs) You see, today, we have globalisation taking over and
students need to know about.. (FADING OUT)

MUSIC BRIDGE

32. ANNOUNCER (over music) So, Malaika is trying to give back to her society
what she has learnt at university. But despite her
university education, her parents haven’t forgotten
about what they originally intended for her daughter.

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Radionovela: Studying at University – The Story of Malaika / Episode Four

Back home at Malaika’s familiy house, there is a guest

awaiting her..

SCENE 4: ELDER NATHAN’S HOMESTEAD.

SFX; BIRDS CHID. GOATS BLEETING. A FIRE IS CRACKING.

33. ELDER NATHAN (clears his throat)

34. MAMA ROSE Close your mouth Malaika, flies might nest in it.

35. MALAIKA I can’t believe you still think I should get married!

36. ELDER NATHAN Malaika, you know our local town would be nowhere
without Mr. Baraza. He is the richest man around and
he wants you for a young wife…

37. MALAIKA Father!

38. MR BARAZA You will be the youngest, the most favoured. My little
tangerine, my flower….

39. MALAIKA I want the land to yield more and better tangerines and
flowers not become one.

40. MAMA ROSE Watch you tongue girl. Mr Baraza is being very
generous. He will pay for all your university fees. You
know we still do not have your new semester fees and
we still owe Teacher Grace that loan…

41. ELDER NATHAN I have already given my approval to Mr Baraza, young

lady. It is good for all, you get your education, we get
the dowry, and Mr Baraza gets a young wife to help him
in his old age.

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Radionovela: Studying at University – The Story of Malaika / Episode Four

42. MALAIKA (firmly) Mr Baraza, you have a business in town, don’t you?
How about you give me a holiday job there, give me
50% of my salary and the rest you give my parents. So,
I help you improve your business, you help my parents
and you help me. That is good for everybody, wouldn’t
you agree father?

MUSIC

OUTRO

ANNOUNCER

Malaika is learning first, but she must also find ways of

blending her traditional life with the modern city life, her
university expectations and those of her community.
Soon she returns to the university, will she cope better
now?

Short music break

Part 2

Intro Part 2

What happens next to Malaika at her life at university? Join us at our next part of
our Learning by Ear series on university education to
find out. But now, stay tuned and listen to what our
reporter Kathy Sikombe found out for you. She spoke to
Sister Rose Nyondo, the Head of Department at the
School of Mass Communication at the University of

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Radionovela: Studying at University – The Story of Malaika / Episode Four

Zambia about ways to combine one’s traditional

background with modern life at university.

Interview

That was Sister Rose Nyondo talking to our correspondent Kathy Sikombe. And
that’s it from Learning by Ear for today. Please,
remember: You can also visit our website at WWW

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well. Good Bye!