On April 1, 2009, the “Earth Talk” radio program produced by VOD began airing the ten radio dramas on climate change on Radio Sarika FM 106.5MHz in Phnom Penh and FM95.5 MHz in Siem Reap. The ten radio dramas were chosen from among the 35 radio drama scripts submitted by the students. The shortlisted radio dramas undergone editing and request for revisions from the writers before they were produced into radio dramas by the VOD team.

Last December 23, 2008, the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM) organized the training on radio drama scriptwriting to young participants and invited them to submit radio drama scripts as entries to the contest on radio drama on climate change. This activity is part of the project of CCIM to raise awareness on climate change through the radio broadcast with the support from the British Embassy Bilateral Programme Fund. Of the ten radio dramas, three winners will be chosen and will be awarded with cash prizes and the rest of the entries will receive consolation prizes. The announcement of the winners will be held in a press conference sometime in June 2009.

The airing of the dramas will be integrated in the regular weekly program of “Earth Talk” in which the writers of the dramas to be aired during that episode will be invited and will discuss with the hosts about the drama that they have submitted. In choosing the winners, listeners are invited to be submitted their rating to the program hosts through text messaging. These ratings from the listeners will be collated by the committee assigned to judge the dramas. The radio dramas will be aired also during the “Green Life” radio program every Monday (beginning April 6) from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Below are the audio files of the radio dramas for you to listen.

1. The Two Smiles -sñamjjwmTaMgBIr 

Written by: Phorng Sunhour

The drama portrays the life of a beautiful lady named Leakana who works hard in building an electric fan to produce electricity powered by wind rather than of using batteries and petroleum. Instead of making herself beautiful and dressing fashionably, she is working on this wind-powered electricity because of her love to the environment and having observed that the environment is becoming worst. Even though she’s already weak, she is patient and willing to help the environment. When a handsome man Daro ask her for love, she pays no attention. She continued working on her wind-powered electricity until she succeeded and the people can now use it. Help her, an engineer, Choum No, feels he may be able to love her in the future.  The drama describes “two smiles” – the first smile is about pleasure and friendship, and the second smile is about the success in making the wind-powered electricity for the people’s use and to protect the environment.

2. Benefit of Biogas Oven plRbeyaCn¾LCIv]sµn½

Written by: Thorng Sot

The drama told a story of a young son, Chamnan, who built a bio-gas at their backyard. The parents were surprised because they do not know about it. Curiously, they asked their son, who then explained that bio-gas can provide many benefits, with less expenses. Chamnan explained that it is built only once but can be used forever, He further explained that they only need cow’s and pig’s dunk to produce it and they will no longer need charcoal and wood to cook food. And with the bio-gas they can produce electricity without producing smokes and will not pollute the air, he said. He further explained that the dunk can be used for the fertilizer.

3. Our Land dIeyIg

Written by: Im Rachna

“Our Land” talks about using chemical fertilizer which the people don’t know how to use it properly, and it affects the people’s health and also contributes in the climate change. The story centers on the life of a farmer, Sok, who has used insecticides for many years and now his health becomes weak like he easily get tired. The income from selling the vegetable is not enough for his treatment. Sok’s villagers also have the same problems particularly Mr. Chhon because of using insecticide, Mr. Chhon was unconscious one day. After confining relaxing at hospital for a few days, Mr. Chhon is invited to attend a training course on the disadvantages of insecticide by Ms. Chan, a student coming from agriculture department in Phnom Penh. Mr. Sok and the other villagers also attend this course, and they gain some new knowledge about the insecticide from Ms. Chan’s team.

4. Prosperous Village -PUmiRtCak;RtCMu

Written by: Touch Thearith

One morning, when Mr. Sam is free from his work, he is repairing his motorbike, while his wife Chan is coming back from the market angrily because the weather is hot. While they are discussing the reasons why the heat increases, a group of mature women including their daughter and the village chief Chamnan’s daughter appear, and they try to explain them about the cause of climate change, the increasing of the greenhouse gases. On the same day, in the afternoon, while Mr. Chamnan is going to the village office, Mr. Heng’s pig runs out, and Mr. Chamnan nearly have an accident. However, Mr. Chamnan comes up an idea to advice Mr. Heng to build Lor bio-gas,which can reduce using wood and keep the house clean. This advice makes Mr. Heng very happy. Having known that the demands have caused the climate change in Samaky village, Mr. Chamnan, the village chief, arranges a program to plant trees and dig a lake in the village on the planting day to deliver a message to the people to unite to save the environment and to cut down the climate change. In this time, the Heng’s and the Sam’s, who are friends, meet each other, and they show the outcomes that they have made according to Mr. Chamnan’s advice about the environment. In addition, according to Mr. Chamnan’s speech, all the people are very happy, and they will cooperate together to protect the environment in their village.

5. Spend Less, Gain Much -cMNayeBltic cMeNjpleRcIn     

Written by: Neang Channet

Dany and Rithy are sweethearts. They both study in Law Faculty. Dany has just graduated this year. Have attended a workshop on the climate change, she is very much interested in Lor Bio-gas because she thinks that Cambodia is an agricultural-based country, and most people living at the rural areas have cattle and because she wants to cut down the global warming and educate the people to love the environment. Thus, she selects Thmey village, Born Say Treng commune, Thmor Kol district, Battamborn province, which is her hometown, to build Lor Bio-gas to produce electricity, but Rithy does not allow her to go, and he threatens her that if she goes, they will break up. Because she is patriotic and she wants to fulfill a good citizen’s duty, she decided to contribute in building this Lor Bio-gas. Due to Rithy’s selfishness, he took another girlfriend Ravy to hurt Dany’s feelings. For Dany, she works hard to build the Lor Bio-gas without caring she is a woman, also she explains the villagers to live in good environment and hygiene and to plant trees around their houses. A month passed, Lor Bio-gas has been completed. Dany’s villagers and Rithy, who now is conscious, are very happy about the achievement which is beneficial to the country and cut down the climate change, which is a hot issue in the world.

6. Youth and Nature - yuvCnnigFmµCati 

Written by: Pol Seiha

This drama tells about one person named Samrach who was arrested together with a businessman because of doing logging in their village. Cambodia is full of natural resources and the people in the village depend on the natural resources like tar, fruits and so on.  Before Samrach’s arrest, he had an argument with his fellow villagers and he was pursued by them to stop cutting trees as it affects the villagers and the environment. The villagers said that they cannot get anything when they go to the forest and the weather is changing which makes them difficult to do farming during dry season. Samrach only scolded them not to blame him because of his logging business and challenged them to follow him to increase their income. When Samrach was released, his friends visited him and he asked for forgiveness and promised to join in protecting the forest in the village.

7. Changes of Kachon Villagers -karpøas;bþÚrrbs;GñkPUmikacUn 

Written by: Ky Piset

This drama describes the effort of a poor villager named Seam of Ka Chon village situated along Se San River near Virak Chey National Park in Vern Say district, Ratanakiri province who left his village to study at the town and at the same time work as a security guard at night of an organization. In this organization he was able to do voluntary work such as educating the ethnic minorities. He was also able to attend a workshop organized by this organization about climate change. After the workshop, his friends and Seam became interested and initiated projects to contribute in finding solution to the global warming. An organization, GERES, helps to educate the villagers about climate change and global warming. The villagers became aware that flood, storm, diseases, and crop yield reduction are not because of the angers of the spirits but they are because of the greenhouse effect which increases due to the improvement of the industry in the developed countries. Seam’s group encouraged the villagers to join hands to reduce the increasing of the global warming by using the power economically, particularly using gas, wood, and coal for electricity. They encouraged them to use stove which uses renewable power like biomass. Finally, Seam’s villagers know the ways to use the forest for sustainability and to prevent the impact of the natural disasters.  Also, the foreign tourists contributed solar power equipment to the school. The villagers are proud of this change.

8. Whose Fault -kMhusGñkNa        

Written by: Nov Sakarach

Em Sam is a youth who has just graduated from agriculture department. He was sent to BornTeay Meanchey province to complete his mission. At first, he found many problems relating to the environment because the people there cut trees for their living, even the village chief involved in these, so it was hard for Sam to deal with these problems. However, because of his hard working and while this area faced draught due to the deforestation, the people believed in Sam and admitted to do as Sam advised.

9. Even Far Will Never Change -Xøatesñh¾minERbcitþ 

Written by: Soy Saron

Because of he loves the environment and he wants to make the country out of the threat of the climate change, Sameoun left his hometown, his beloved wife and his child Soben in grief, and let both of them live in suffering because of the poor and there is no supporter. His wife, Chenda, is very angry with her husband, Sameoun, and she thinks that her husband loves the environment more than her. However, days pass by day, Sameoun comes back home bringing a lot of knowledge about the environment to let his villagers know and to educate them: Nowadays, many countries are worrying very much the climate change such as unusual rain, flood and storm which are caused by the exhaust fume and smoke from the vehicles like motorbikes, cars, the factories, the deforestation. Also, Sameoun makes the people know about the protection against this change: We should conserve the forest, use common traveling, walk if we can, reforestation, recycle the waste to use again, and especially Sameoun shows the advantages of using new stove which saves up to 30% of wood and coal, and it helps the environment and the climate change. Because of his devotion, and his love to the environment, Sameoun get the sweet words and good manner from his wife, Chenda, and in the end, Chenda understands her husband’s heart, her husband is far away, but his love toward her never changes.

10. Let’s Use Natural Fertilizer - eyIgnaMKñaeRbICIkMb:usþ× 

Written by: Im Rachny

Theary, a woman character, takes Tola, a man charater, to a party at her house which is a place where the illiterate farmers use a lot of chemical fertilizer leading to death, unconscious, and chronic illness. Along the way, Tola passes one pagoda, and he sees an emergency that a female teacher who teaches the farmers about the danger of using chemical fertilizer and the advantages of using decompose fertilizer is unconscious. Tola takes her to hospital, and he accepts her request that he will substitute her and teach the people. Because of his acceptance, Theary is jealous, and she does not allow him to do so. However, he tries to explain his girlfriend to allow him to do so because he thinks that in short or long time the direct and indirect impact of using the chemical fertilizer will happen to the people, the animal and the environment. At last, Tola decides he must teach, which causes the argument between him and his girlfriend. Tola spend nearly all of his party time that his girlfriend’s family celebrates to strengthen their love to teach the villagers to know about the disadvantages of using chemical fertilizer and insecticide and the advantages of using decompose fertilizer (natural fertilizer) and especially to educate them about the ways to create decompose fertilizer. After understanding, the villagers return to use decompose fertilizer. Tola is also happy because his wish is successful, and Theary excuses Tola for misunderstanding and believing the other’s words.