Sweet tales of the Sarangi: creative strategies and 'cosmopolitan' radio drama in Nepal

Abstract

This paper examines the production of a development-oriented BBC World Service Trust Nepal radio drama entitled Katha Mitho Sarangiko (Sweet Tales of the Sarangi). It positions this drama as an example of cosmopolitan cultural practice in that its writers and editors engage explicitly in a negotiation or a 'working through' of cultural differences as they strive towards their twin drama and development goals of communicating 'positive' social and behavioural change, such as conflict reduction, good governance and the observance of human rights. The paper identifies a range of creative strategies employed by the producers in their attempts to link a wide range of culturally, linguistically and geographically distinct locales and situations deemed representative of contemporary Nepal. It is suggested that such 'linking strategies' mobilise transnational cultural capital and a range of professional competencies, the most notable of which is a willingness to interpret and represent diverse castes, cultures and ethnicities.