Using drama to tackle mental health in the Rohingya camps

Aa’rar Kissa (Our Story) was a radio drama series we produced and designed for use in listening groups to address mental health issues for the Rohingya community living in camps in Cox’s Bazar.

Publication date: June 2024

Author: Mrittika Deb Purba, Sifati Tamanna, Shams Tazi, Mahmuda Hoque

BBC Media Action radio drama Aa’rar Kissa (Our Story) was the first audio drama series produced by BBC Media Action for the Rohingya community living in Ukhia and Teknaf camps in Cox’s Bazar and was designed for use in listening groups.

Aa’rar Kissa seasons three and four aimed to increase the Rohingya community’s knowledge and understanding of mental health, by recognising key symptoms and identifying when someone might be struggling with their mental health.

This briefing summarises the findings from our evaluation of the drama series Aa’rar Kissa, and outlines how audiences’ high engagement with the characters and storylines had an impact on their knowledge and attitudes. The briefing provides recommendations for future programming on mental health.

Full details about this research can be found in the documents below.