: : CLEEN FOUNDATION. Justice Sector Reform

CLEEN FOUNDATION is proud to present Constable Joe, a 15-minute radio drama series on police community relations in Nigeria, currently being aired on 13 radio stations in the country. If your computer is equipped with speakers and RealAudio software, you can also listen to Constable Joe via Internet or retrieve it for re-broadcasting .

Concept

CONSTABLE JOE derives from a calypso music recorded by a Nigerian artist in the late 1950's which speaks volumes on the conceptions and misconceptions that shape the often hostile relationship between the Nigerian police and the populace, which has continued to the present time. It holds a mirror onto police-community relations in Nigeria, exploring events and scenarious that shape perceptions. Its messages are encapsulated in a sit-com genre so that bitter truths may be acceptable to all listeners- the police and the community. The drama series is a police case file of sorts, presenting police community interaction from start to finish. It tells the story of a society, its values, organisation and organs, the stories of the vital but often tempestuous relationship between the rules that should create harmony and the enforcement of these rules. In other words, Constable Joe presents a meeting point between the Nigerian society, the rules that govern it and those charged with their enforcement.

Setting

Constable Joe is set in the fast growing sub-urban community of Kombi. Kombi itself is neither a village nor city but is a hybrid of both and give the series the widest scope possible in terms of story lines, themes and characters. The language of the series is English and sometimes phrases, expressions or exclamation in local languages are used as they may be relevant to characterisation. Stories and storylines are largely human angles stories that give opportunity to explore and provide insight into human behaviour and the often fuzzy borders between one man's rights and another's, and the role of the police in maintaining that delicate balance.
The series use humour and other elements of drama such as language, special effects, suspense and imagery in educating listeners through entertainment.

CLEEN FOUNDATION would appreciate it if you could spend sometime and listen to the drama series on the radio station nearest to you or from the website. Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the drama series and airtime. Your feedback would assist us improving on it.