IRIN Radio's Burundian soap opera tells the story of the Burundian refugees in the camps in western Tanzania, and enables their voices to be heard by their fellow Burundians across the border in Burundi.

For many Burundians at home, hearing intimate stories from their exiled compatriots has been a shocking eye-opener. "I didn't know they still spoke Kirundi!" said one listener in Burundi. And another: "I have learned not to blame a whole ethnic group for what some have done."

Breaking down the barriers diving the Burundian population at home from those in the camps has never been more important than now, as prospects rise of the repatriation of the refugees to their homeland.

Tuyage Twongere (Let's Talk in Kirundi) is aired twice a week on Radio Kwizera in the camps and on two stations in Burundi with national coverage. It has gained a loyal following among listeners in the camps, and a growing audience inside Burundi.

Now, after 52 episodes, the drama is set to shift up a gear. Marie-Louise Sibazuri, the skilled and celebrated Burundian writer of the series, will focus more sharply on the issues surrounding the return and reintegration of refugees in Burundi.

There are myriad inter-related issues of humanitarian concern: what conditions and services await returnees in their villages of origin? How are land disputes dealt with? What problems arise during the repatriation process? What happens to women who were second or third wives to refugee men, as polygamy is not legal in Burundi? What becomes of the children from those relationships? How do young people who've grown up in another land and culture fit back into Burundian society? And so on…

In parallel, IRIN Radio is launching a new series of discussion programmes, in coproduction with partner station Radio Publique Africaine (RPA) in Bujumbura, aimed at highlighting the key issues arising from the soap opera - and seeking some answers to key questions from people in authority.

You can listen to the drama on line by clicking on the audio files of episodes posted on this site. In Burundi or western Tanzania, you can follow the drama on the following radios at the following times:

Burundian soap opera episodes

[ENDS]

?