As a part of its activities, Internews in Tunisia produced “Familia GRANDE,” a miniseries addressing Media Literacy and promoting critical thinking.
Produced by Internews in Tunisia, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), directed by Mr. Heifel Ben Youssef, and starring Manel Abdelakoui, Ridha Barhoumi, Marwene Bouzaine, and Feynen Mansouri, “Familia GRANDE” is a comedy miniseries that presents the daily life of a Tunisian family and the way deal with misinformation on different digital and traditional information channels. It also discusses the way information is received, how it affects their behaviors and emotions, and highlights how it should be discussed and analyzed.
“Familia GRANDE” is a sitcom consisting of five episodes of five to seven minutes each, balancing humor, trending issues, and real-life situations. It portrays how information is “consumed” within households and communities. It uses humor to critically analyze media consumption behaviors and understand the impact of misinformation on individuals’ mindsets and actions.
The mini-series aims to promote a more informed and engaged society. This would help individuals to critically evaluate and assess the credibility of the information they encounter and enable them to distinguish between facts and false information. It also allows individuals to develop critical thinking, use media constructively, and make informed choices.
The series is part of a Media Literacy Campaign that aims to strengthen community resilience to misinformation and improve critical thinking skills.
Media literacy is the critical understanding of accessing, analyzing, evaluating, and creating media messages. It has become more important than ever with the digital media becoming increasingly integrated in our daily lives. Media literacy involves developing skills to analyze and critically evaluate media messages, including their construction, purpose, and impact. This includes understanding how media messages are produced, distributed, and consumed, and how media shapes individual beliefs and societal norms.
Internews in Tunisia is engaged in supporting media partners and in empowering individuals to be informed and be active participants in a democratic society, where information is easily accessible. Over 1000 citizens were engaged in Internews Media Landscape Assessment, over 100 journalists across the country were trained in misinformation and fact-checking, and more than 25 journalists representing six different media outlets were trained in media marketing, digital information, and mobile journalism.
Promoting diversity and inclusion is incredibly important for several reasons. First, it helps all members of society feel seen and heard. People feel validated and represented when they find themselves and their experiences reflected in the media. Also, diversity and inclusion are one of Internews’ most important values. Therefore, all the episodes of the sitcom have been interpreted into sign language giving the opportunity to the vulnerable population to follow the sitcom and understand its messages.
“Familia GRANDE” was launched on the Tunisian streaming platform, Artify, on May 3rd, 2023, which happens to be World Press Freedom Day. Physical screening will also take place in May and June 2023, in collaboration with Internews local and media partners and civil society organizations (CSOs). The Screening Days engage diverse groups, including women, youth, students, and people with disabilities.