The power failure: Healing gaps in communication between teenagers and their parents

Gender equalityHealth

Notes to broadcasters

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In some African countries, sexual and reproductive health is still a taboo subject. As a result, adolescent girls and boys don’t get the information they need about their bodies or about sexual relations. This lack of information and support can threaten their health and even their lives. It’s especially important in such a context that communication between parents and teens is active and strong.

This drama is about communication between Sam, a 16-year-old teenager, and his parents. Seeing some blood spots on the wrap skirt of his sister who is in pain, the young boy runs to inform his father. But, to the surprise of the boy, his father does not seem overly concerned.

He takes the opportunity to ask questions of his parent. He wants to know if what his sister is suffering from are the “periods” he has heard about. He also wants his father to tell him about contraceptives and virginity.

Annoyed and almost offended that a boy of his age would ask such questions, the father leaves. When he returns, he is surprised that Sam is asking similar questions of his mother. The angry father warns the boy, who now becomes silent. The lines of communication have been interrupted. The father and the mother try in vain to communicate with their son, then finally call on an uncle.

The father and the mother considered their son’s questions about sexual relations taboo and so failed to communicate appropriately. This is why the communication was suddenly “cut” like a power cut. Fortunately, the uncle succeeds in re-establishing communication between the parents and their son, and helps his nephew understand the issues he has been so understandably eager to learn about.

You could use this drama as inspiration to produce a similar program on communication between teens and adults, and how to bridge gaps in communication. Or you might choose to present the drama as part of your regular farmer program, using voice actors to represent the speakers.

The drama includes five scenes, varying in length from 1-2 minutes to 5-6 minutes.

You could follow the drama by interviewing teens and their parents, and talking to experts in adolescent-parent communication. Ask about the problems they encounter and the kinds of strategies they use to solve these problems. Invite listeners to call in or text in with their own stories, or with questions and comments.

The estimated running time for this item, with signature tune, intro, and extro, is 20 minutes.

Script

CHARACTERS:

1. Sam:
Son of Ido and Katiana

2. Ido:
Sam’s father and Katiana’s husband

3. Katiana:
Sam’s mother and Ido’s wife

4. Abraham:
Ido’s brother and Sam’s uncle

 

 

SCENE 1.

 

SETTING:
Sam and Katiana’s living room.

TIME:
End of the morning (just before noon)

SFX:
LOW MUSIC COMING FROM A RADIO OR A TELEVISION IN THE BACKGROUND

CHARACTERS:
Sam, Ido, and Katiana

 

SAM:
(scared) Dad … dad … come quick, Safi is wounded! It’s terrible. Her loincloth is stained with blood and she is moaning.

IDO:
Sam, don’t panic. Your sister is not hurt.

SAM:
She is, Dad. How is she not hurt? I tell you that there’s a lot of blood on her and her cloth is soaked with blood. She’s lying at the door of her room. I’m going to call Mom to come from the market quickly.

IDO:
No, son, don’t bother your mother. In 48 hours, it’ll be over.

SAM:
(DISBELIEVING) It will be over?

IDO:
Sam, these are things that are unique to women and girls.

SAM:
Dad, what is it? Is it what we call the “period”? I have heard about it but I’ve never seen it. (silence) Dad, why aren’t you answering me? (silence) Dad, tell me …

IDO:
(INTERRUPTING) Sam, that’s enough! I’m thirsty, give me a glass of water.

SFX:
Sam’s footsteps going back and forth, the sound of a glass placed on a table

SAM:
Dad … By the way … I don’t know about certain things and my friends tease me.

IDO:
What things?

SAM:
For example, contraceptives. What are they?

IDO:
Give me my shirt, the one on the chair.

SFX:
SAM’S FOOTSTEPS GOING BACK AND FORTH

IDO:
Thank you, Sam.

SAM:
By the way, Dad, as well as contraceptives, I’d like to know what virginity is. Does virginity concern only women?

IDO:
Bring me my shoes, Sam.

SFX:
SAM’S FOOTSTEPS GOING BACK AND FORTH

SAM:
But Dad, why don’t you answer my questions? I would like to know if family planning is the same as contraceptives.

IDO:
Sam, if your mom comes back from the market, tell her I’m at the PMUB booth (Editor’s note: PMUB is a lottery and people buy tickets at the PMUB booth). I’ll be back soon.

SFX:
Dad’s footsteps going out

KATIANA:
(PAUSE) Sam, where’s your dad?

SAM:
He went to play PMUB.

KATIANA:
As usual.

SAM:
Mom, have you seen Safi? She’s in pain, isn’t she?

KATIANA:
My boy, your sister has painful periods.

SAM:
Painful? Are periods painful? What’s causing this?

KATIANA:
You will know one day.

SAM:
One day? Mom, all my friends know about these things already. It’s embarrassing to be the one without any information. If you won’t teach me, who will? So I’ll seize this opportunity… What are contraceptives? (IDO’S FOOTSTEPS AS HE COMES IN)

KATIANA:
My son, contraceptives? Perhaps it is too early for you to know such things. One day you will know …

IDO:
(IRRITATED) What? Sam, are you still asking questions? That’s enough now. You’re only 16 years old and you’re already bothering us with your indecent questions. Contraceptives, periods, virginity—these are not questions that you should be asking at your age! When I was 25 years old, I didn’t dare ask such questions to anyone, let alone my father and mother.

SAM:
But Daddy …

IDO:
There is no “but.” I do not want you to ask us any more irrelevant or inappropriate questions.

SFX:
Sam’s footsteps as he leaves the room

KATIANA:
Honey, don’t you think you overreacted with the kid?

IDO:
Not at all! Your son only asks questions about sex. That’s not a good sign at his age. Had he asked me historical questions about our village or our country, I would have answered without hesitation.

SFX:
Transition music

 

SCENE 2

 

SETTING:
Sam and Katiana’s living room, then Sam’s bedroom

TIME:
Evening

CHARACTERS:
Ido, Katiana, and Sam

 

IDO:
Sam, what’s going on? Your high school principal told me that your academic performance has deteriorated significantly. (Silence) Instead of focusing on school, you are concerned about sex. (silence)

KATIANA:
Son, isn’t your father talking to you? When a father talks, we listen to him and pay attention to what he says instead of sticking our noses in a notebook. (silence) Sam, aren’t you going to say anything?

SAM:
I am studying.

IDO:
I am studying, I am studying … And that is stopping you from answering? (Silence)

SFX:
Sound of Sam entering his room, sound of a door opening and closing.

KATIANA:
Ido, for the last few days, Sam has been sulking. He doesn’t respond to anyone, and he doesn’t even come home for lunch anymore, even though his school is only 400 metres away.

IDO:
As they say, he doesn’t care about anything or anyone. I’ll talk to him.

SFX:
Sound of Ido joining Sam in his room

IDO:
Sam, are you sick? (Silence) Why do you have trouble answering us? (Silence) Now tell me: what’s going on? (Silence) Why don’t you come home for lunch anymore and why have you started coming home late in the evening? (Silence) My son, am I not talking to you? (Silence) Sam, I want you to answer me right away. (Silence) But, you …

SFX:
Sam’s footsteps going out

SFX:
TRANSITION MUSIC

 

SCENE 3

 

SETTING:
Sam and Katiana’s backyard, under the trees

TIME:
Afternoon

SFX:
Sounds of birds, carpentry in the background

CHARACTERS:
Ido, Katiana, and Abraham

 

IDO:
Big brother Abraham, Katiana explained the problem clearly. Sam is increasingly bored. He doesn’t answer when you talk to him. As his father, he ignores me. He doesn’t have much consideration anymore.

KATIANA:
Brother-in-law, your son has really changed; we have done everything, but he won’t talk. (Editor’s note: In many African cultures, a nephew is also called a son.)

IDO:
What intrigues me are his questions about sexuality. Not only … (Power failure)

KATIANA, IDO ANDABRAHAM:
(CRY OUT WITH DISAPPOINTMENT ALL TOGETHER) Hohoo!

KATIANA:
I hope they will restore the power soon. I don’t want to miss today’s TV series.

IDO:
It’s Sonabel again! (Editor’s note: Sonabel is the power company in Burkina Faso.) They always cut off the power at the wrong time and in the wrong place. Imagine! Last week, we couldn’t watch the European Champions League match because of Sonabel.

ABRAHAM:
It is not for nothing that people call it “Sona villain.”

IDO:
Let me give you some light. My phone has a light.

ABRAHAM:
Thank you, Ido, the light from your phone is strong.

Good! Friends, let’s get back to the point. They say that good things can come from bad. Indeed, the power failure that would have plunged us into total darkness had it not been for this makeshift light, allows me to illustrate my point.

KATIANA:
“My husband,” what does a power outage have to do with this problem? (In Burkina Faso, the brother of a husband can be called “big husband” or “small husband” depending on whether he is the older or younger brother of the husband.)

ABRAHAM:
Katiana, the situation you are experiencing with Sam is like this power outage.

IDO:
Abraham, what do you mean by that?

ABRAHAM:
You are out of communication with Sam. A power failure can have several causes. It can be a short circuit, the power line may have been damaged, or animals and accidents can also cause a power failure. Well, it’s the same with your son. You know that in parent-child relationships, communication failures happen and there are many kinds of causes. Often, parents can cause a short circuit in communication or damage the communication lines without even knowing. So you created a barrier between you and your son, leading him to isolate himself and refuse to talk to you.

KATIANA:
I think you’re right, Abraham.

ABRAHAM:
Sam is becoming an adult. He needs to know certain things, but you have evaded your responsibilities by treating questions that are important to the teenager as taboo. You have shown that he cannot communicate with you, that he is not free to ask you the questions that concern him. With children, shouting and giving orders should be avoided. You should listen to them carefully, discuss things with them, and not judge.

You said that Sam was totally walled up, but didn’t you help give him the material to build the wall? We are adults, it’s true, but our children are also entitled to their views. They should be able to express themselves without feeling underestimated or rejected. Good communication is a fundamental pillar of your relationship with your child. Indeed, the quality of our communication determines how much help we can provide to our children.

SOUND EFFECTS:
SOUND OF A FAN SWITCHED ON

KATIANA:
Ahhhh, thank God, the power is restored.

ABRAHAM:
You can now follow your series, can’t you?

KATIANA:
Yes, you’re right. How exciting!

IDO:
Now, big brother, what do you think we can do to fix this breakdown in communication?

ABRAHAM:
Ido, communication must be restored like this electric current. Let me talk to my nephew. We get along well. But once communication is restored, you need to communicate better with him.

SFX:
TRANSITION MUSIC

 

SCENE 4

 

SETTING:
Abraham’s office

TIME:
Morning

SFX:
Sound of an old fan in the background

CHARACTERS:
Abraham and Sam

 

ABRAHAM:
Sam, my dear nephew, how are you?

SAM:
I’m fine, Uncle Abraham.

ABRAHAM:
Sit down, son. (SOUND OF SOMEONE SITTING ON A CHAIR) What is it, Sam? You look anxious.

SAM:
Everything is alright, uncle.

ABRAHAM:
Sam, I hope you continue to be among the best in your class? (SILENCE) Your father told me that you had some difficulties this term? (SILENCE) When I said I would see you, your cousin Myriam insisted that I say hello.

SAM:
Is she alright?

ABRAHAM:
She’s fine, but this morning she had some dizzy spells as I was going out.

SAM:
Is she suffering from headache?

ABRAHAM:
You know your cousin has painful periods like your sister Safi.

SAM:
Uncle, what are painful periods?

ABRAHAM:
Good question. Sam, do you at least know what periods are? You must have studied this in class?

SAM:
Not really. We study this in upper secondary.

ABRAHAM:
Put in crude terms, you know, women’s bodies are prepared to procreate every month—that is, to receive a seed, or sperm, from a man. Once this seed from the man meets what is called an ovule in the woman, it then forms an egg that later becomes a fetus and later still a child.

If, during the month, the egg does not meet the human seed, then the egg is expelled along with the blood that would have fed the baby as it grew in the woman’s uterus. The woman’s body sheds this blood through the vagina. And every month, this process begins again if the man’s seed and the woman’s egg do not meet. That is what we call a “period.”

Now, for many women, the discharge of this blood is accompanied by painful contractions. And so women feel pain during their periods. This is what we call “painful periods.”

Son, it’s not a perfect scientific definition, but there you have it. You should also know that whenever a man and a woman have sex, there is a risk for a baby to develop. This baby—what is called a foetus—will become a child. This is why many men and women look to prevent the egg and the sperm from meeting. This is what a “contraceptive” does; it prevents a woman from getting pregnant. Contraceptives like condoms, for example, “counter” the woman’s body from “conceiving” a child. Do you get it?

SAM:
Yes, Uncle Abraham. Thank you very much.

ABRAHAM:
I forgot to say that periods start at puberty. Do you know what puberty is?

SAM:
Yes, uncle.

ABRAHAM:
My dear nephew, your parents could not explain this to you in simple and graphic terms. Besides, they felt it was early for you to know these things. They thought that you would discover these things over time.

You have to understand them, that’s how your parents were raised. And in turn, they want to educate you as they were educated because they think that it is the best way. Do you understand, Sam?

SAM:
Yes, uncle. It seems that all my friends were talking about these things … (VOICE SHAKING) But I felt so ignorant and foolish … I didn’t know anything about them.

ABRAHAM:
Son, I understand. If this happens again, come and see me, I might be able to help you. (SOUND OF A TABLE DRAWER BEING OPENED) Here is some literature from the health clinic on adolescent sexual and reproductive health. It will help you understand certain things.

SAM:
(SNIFFING) Thank you very much, uncle.

ABRAHAM:
You know, poor communication can lead to misunderstandings or conflicts. You asked your parents interesting and relevant questions—that’s good. But they didn’t know how to answer you. They almost rejected you and I understand that it hurt you to the point where you withdrew into yourself. They wanted to protect you, but they got the opposite result. You thought they had forbidden you to ask them questions or that they didn’t love you.

SAM:
Yes, uncle.

ABRAHAM:
I know they have learned their lesson. So, I want you to go and talk about things normally with them with the respect and love that children owe their parents. Do you understand?

SAM:
Yes, uncle.

ABRAHAM:
Goodbye, dear nephew.

SAM:
Goodbye, dear uncle.

SFX:
TRANSITION MUSIC

 

SCENE 5

 

SETTING:
Sam and Katiana’s living room

TIME:
End of the afternoon

SFX:
Sound OF a radio or a television in the background

CHARACTERS:
Ido, Katiana, and Sam

 

SAM:
Good evening, Daddy. Good evening, Mummy.

IDO:
Hi, Sam.

KATIANA:
Good evening, Sam.

SAM:
I … I apologize for my attitude. To both of you. It wasn’t right to shut you out like that.

IDO:
My son, your mother and I regret this misunderstanding too. Your mother and I were … well, we were worried when you started asking us questions about … about …

KATIANA:
About sex.

Dear, as you can see, it’s a bit … uncomfortable for your father and I to talk about such things with you. In our eyes, you’re still our little boy—even though you’re growing into a young man now.

When your father and I were young, it was considered improper, even taboo, to talk about such things. But we spoke with your uncle and he said you need to know these things. Right, dear?

IDO:
Yes … yes, that’s right. Even if I don’t like to think of it, I can’t deny that teenagers your age are already starting to explore their sexuality.

Your mother and I have spoken, and we want to do everything we can to keep you safe and healthy, and help you live a happy, full life. I see now that we need to help you learn about these things, and though it will be uncomfortable for us sometimes, it’s what is best for you.

SAM:
Really?

IDO:
Yes. We promise to try to answer your questions from now on. And if we don’t know, we’ll try to find the answer together.

SAM:
Mom, dad—thank you. This means so much to me. I promise I will make you proud.

KATIANA:
We’re proud of you already, son. Thank you for helping us learn this valuable lesson. We love you, dear.

SAM:
Love you too, mom.

Acknowledgements

Contributed by: Issaka Luc Kourouma

Reviewed by: Dr. Yonli P. Rodrigue, general practitioner

This resource was produced with the support of the Government of Canada through the project “Promoting health, sexual and reproductive rights, and nutrition among adolescents in Burkina Faso (ADOSANTE).” The ADOSANTE project is led by a consortium including Helen Keller International, Marie Stopes-Burkina Faso (MS/BF), Farm Radio International, the Centre d’information de Conseils et de Documentation sur le Sida et la Tuberculeuse (CICDoc), and the Réseau Afrique Jeunesse Santé et Développement (RAJS).