She was far more than just a man. She was an aspiring woman

Broadcast by RFI last summer and now available as a podcast, “Dianké” tells the story of its aspiring eponymous heroine – the tale of an Africa seeking independence.

Dianké tells a story about a young, independent African woman with a strong personality who enters politics to fight against corruption and the patriarchy, with the full support of young people dreaming of change. As she discovers family secrets, love and the reality of electoral campaigning, Dianké grows into a pugnacious and committed woman, a new kind of whistleblower, who gains support across generational divides.
Aïda Sock, the actress and singer who excels in the leading role, says that "to play Dianké is to play a strong woman who chooses to sacrifice herself in the name of greater justice".

He thinks I am too young to have my say, too feminine to be sensible, too rough to hold down an office job… , line taken from Dianké.

Far from being mere entertainment, this radio drama, which was adapted by the Senegalese non-governmental organisation RAES as part of its Bruits de tambours project with the support of the French Development Agency (AFD) and CFI, aims to start a discussion about challenging stereotypes.

In October 2020, the series received a nomination in the “Best radio series” category at the Prix Europa, the annual European Broadcasting Festival awards that have recognised the best audiovisual productions since 1987. The series was also honoured at the most recent Paris Podcast Festival which gave the prize for best original composition to singer songwriter-composer Karim Bourouaha.

I think it’s a great success. Dianké’s charisma inspires me greatly. And one thing that I thought was perfect, more than anything else, was Dianké’s defeat in the elections. She may well have lost them. But she did not lose her dignity.
Sagna Békaye, listener.

In order to stimulate debate, the episodes in French and a series of 6 discussions that address the series’ main themes have already been broadcast by 4 MédiaSahel project partner radio stations in Burkina Faso ahead of the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections. In a few weeks, the series will shift to Niger and then to Mali for the same type of discussions with other MediaSahel project partner radio stations.

Translations in Mandinka, Fula and Hausa will follow the existing Wolof translation of the episodes. They will coincide with the launch of a new wave of broadcasting for the series and of public debates with young people and MediaSahel’s partner radio stations..