PMC produced Zoukoutap 2 ("To Limp") in Haiti. The 156-episode radio serial drama aired from May 2015 to June 2016 in Haitian Creole, a language spoken by over 90 percent of Haitians.
Zoukoutap 2 followed its hugely popular predecessor, Zoukoutap 1, with 156 episodes–double the number of the original series. The sequel reinforced the health and human rights themes that were introduced in the inaugural season, devoting particular attention to restavek, an exploitative child labor structure.
Like the first season, Zoukoutap 2 aired on more than 40 radio stations across Haiti, and additionally was featured on Radio Mega, a station based out of Miami, Florida. It is also available to listen to online at: www.soundcloud.com/zoukoutapofficiel. While Zoukoutap 2 presents a new unique storyline and new set of issues addressed, the production team was able to harness the popularity and acclaim of the original Zoukoutap series by reprising the show's name, theme music, and a few of the same characters.
Zoukoutap truly brings to light our local way of living. Long live Zoukoutap. Long live the Haitian Culture.
I am a devoted Zoukoutap fan and never miss an episode. I really love the show. It makes me laugh just like it sometimes makes me cry.
Zoukoutap brings a lot of positive change to my home and I believe that I will keep moving forward and become a better person.
Zoukoutap taught me not to mistreat your child or any child. The right thing to do is to put them in school and to always treat other children as if they were your very own.
Ti Anklin's story touches me greatly. She is the victim of great physical violence. It is a great violation of human rights.
PMC used qualitative in-person surveys to evaluate the impact of Zoukoutap II. This involved focus groups of men and women from both rural and urban areas answering questions about how Zoukoutap II impacted their lives. Focus groups allow PMC to gather rich narrative information from participants through a discussion about the show and issues it addresses.
When asked "what do you listen to on the radio and why?" the third most common answer was Zoukoutap II.
When asked questions about what grabbed their attention when listening to Zoukoutap II, participants overwhelmingly responded that they felt it closely reflected the hidden truths of their country and reflected their reality. A participant stated "What grabs my attention […] it's the reality it shows, it opens my eyes to what's going on in my country. When I listened to Zoukoutap it showed me a reality I never knew or cared about in Haiti, which is Ti Anklin's situation of the restavek." The Restavek system in Haiti, a form of indentured child labor that equates to child slavery, was one of the primary issues addressed in Zoukoutap II.
Participants took away three general messages from the show, the first being the positive actions that Zoukoutap II demonstrates, such as child welfare, family planning, and sexual health. The second was having greater awareness about issues in Haiti that they hadn't known about previously, such as child slavery. The third was an understanding that they could be agents of change in their own lives and the lives of others.
Writers: Charles Raphael Francillon, Joel Fanfan, Martine Fidèle, Joeanne Joseph.
Actors: Fen Josil, Madeline Pierre, Kathiana Milfort, Loudy Mezima, Mideline Richardson, Mitchella Larochelle, Martine Fidèle, Richard Vieux, Pinas Alcera, Cynthia Jean-Louis, Krystelle Tropnas, Emmanuel Didis, Jasmine Augustin, Claude Junior Cangé, Thaliana Lindor, Marie-Christophe Vallon, Dickens Princivil, Dieula Alexandre, Mackenson Brutus, Yvenie Paul, Louis Valdano, Samantha Normil, and over 20 secondary actors.
Bob is 24 years old with four children: three from Chantale, his girlfriend of five years, and one from a secret past fling. His father, Pey Moy, owns and operates a brothel in the city of Fourrier and frequently engages in other kinds of criminal activity. Bob idolizes his father and tries to emulate him. Bob's brother, Carl-Henry, is a wise and responsible young man who is well aware of his father's unscrupulous behavior and chooses to keep his distance. With Pey Moy as a role model, Bob shrugs off Chantale and her suggestion they seek out family planning services at the local clinic. When Chantale's fourth pregnancy tragically ends in miscarriage, it is clear that Bob couldn't care less about her well-being.
Eventually, Bob leaves for good, abandoning his brother's house, where he, Chantale, and their three children lived. He takes to the streets, where his bad judgment and morally bankrupt father get him into trouble. In time, Bob comes to his senses and sees the error of his ways. From thereon, he begins to turn his life around, using Carl-Henry as a model of upstanding behavior. Bob eventually finds employment and enters into a relationship with a woman named Gaelle. In his new frame of mind, recognizing the value of family planning, he and Gaelle decide not to have any children, enabling him to become a better parent and a steadier financial provider.
15-year-old Stephanie lives in Côte des Iles, the capital city of Manik, under the tyranny of her mother. Monica, a greedy and cruel woman, exploits her daughter, "auctioning" her off to the highest bidder. Hoping to benefit from Stephanie's relationships with wealthy suitors, she forces her daughter to start seeing Abelard, a much older man who is able to supply financial support to both women. Stephanie reluctantly agrees, only because it provides cover to continue seeing her boyfriend, 19-year-old Jonathan, on the side. But Stephanie's life is suddenly turned upside-down by a series of shocking revelations: Stephanie is pregnant and Jonathan is HIV-positive.
Shunned by friends and cast out by Monica, Stephanie suddenly finds herself alone in the world—until her cousin, Jerry, comes along and brings her back from the brink of ruin. Jerry, a young medical student, helps Stephanie through her pregnancy, counseling her on safe sexual behavior and proper prenatal care. Thanks to Jerry's sage advice, Stephanie feels more confident and empowered than ever. Despite pressure from both families, Stephanie—now the mother of a young boy—refuses to marry Jonathan. She instead gets her life back on track by taking charge of her sexual health and returning to school, where she begins to carve out a bright future for herself.
Wisline and Thomas, a young couple, live in the city of Cap-Marin. Their neighborhood is a turbulent area that teems with life, but with large families and little space to go around, there is not much in the way of privacy. Wisline and Thomas frequently witness the abuse their neighbor Ti Anklin, an 11-year-old abandoned by her mother who suffers at the hand of her surrogate mother, Nadege. But they are hesitant to meddle in another person's affairs and turn a deaf ear to Ti Anklin's suffering.
Tamara, a good-intentioned teacher who works at a local school, tries to take Ti Anklin under her wing, but Nadege cracks down even harder on her adopted child and prevents Ti Anklin from leaving the house. Ti Anklin faces grave danger, but Wisline still refuses to get involved, even though, as a friend of Nadege, she has the power to soften Nadege's iron fist. Wisline has her own family dysfunctions to contend with, but eventually sets her own struggles aside and makes a timid appeal to Nadege to stop mistreating Ti Anklin. But the abuse only worsens, and the child dies from a horrific beating. Jolted from complacency by this tragic turn of events, Wisline and Thomas rise to the occasion and publicly denounce the perpetrators of the crime. With Tamara's encouragement, the young couple, determined not to let this crime happen again, intervene to save another child from a similar fate. Wisline and Thomas are now more motivated than ever to continue their crusade against domestic abuse in the community.
Manno is a young man who works in a phone shop in the small town of St. Plonquette. Manno lives with his girlfriend Roselande, but he constantly suspects she's hiding things from him and one day loses his temper and slaps her. She leaves him, taking with her their unborn child. He regrets his actions and begs her to return, but to no avail. His friends try to get Manno to work on his temper, but he turns away from them and begins a relationship with Félienne.
His abusive tendencies worsen, and unlike Roselande, Félienne doesn't leave Manno. Eventually he beats her badly enough to need hospitalization. Manno's friends step in again, and this time Manno's himself is frightened by his own actions. He wants to learn to behave differently and begins attending a support group for men, as well as couples therapy so that he and Félienne can live together happily. His new behavior also allows him to become present in the life of the son he had with Roselande, who will now allow him to spend time with him.