O Jogo (The Game)

O Jogo was designed for a young audience, aged 15-25, and had three main objectives:

• to foster tolerance and understanding among different groups (particularly between the "haves" and "have-nots");
• to open a space for discussion of different viewpoints and opinions; and
• to promote non-violent methods of conflict resolution.

The storylines of this 26-episode series followed the experiences of Anacleto and Robert Gomes, two youth from very different worlds within Angola. Anacleto is a young man struggling to realise his dream of playing football for the Angolan National Team as the pressures of poverty and the temptations of a life as part of a violent street gang work against him. His antagonist, Roberto Gomes, comes from an elite background, with all the trappings of a privileged life. Yet he, too, is inspired by football and by Angola's goal of winning a spot at the World Cup. O Jogo is the story of how these two youth from totally different worlds within Angola meet and eventually learn to put Angola's divided and war-torn past behind them on the football field. According to the organisers, it is also the story of how a nation can learn to heal itself through the joys of sport.

Besides dealing with the issues of conflict, economic disparities, and the temptation to join a street gang, the series also dealt with domestic violence, alcoholism, immigration, health issues, and teenage pregnancy.

The 15-minute radio soap opera aired weekly on Thursdays on Radio Ecclesia.

Democracy, Peace, Health.