Work on Learning by Ear’s new dramatic radio series in Kenya, Crime Fighters, had already begun in early April when militants attacked Garissa University in the northern part of the country killing 147. A few weeks before the attack, DW Hausa‘s Pinado Abdu finished writing a section of the series titled The Radical Journey, which focused on what would make a young person turn to terror. Even before its first broadcast, Crime Fighters was already touching on an unfortunate reality – but the series also provides many positive lessons.

Crime Fighters is aimed primarily at young Africans and encourages them to understand their problems in a more conscious and courageous light. The stories center on young investigators who solve challenging cases that affect young Africans like terrorism, property theft, poaching and counterfeit drugs. The stories were written by a team of African authors. In total, Crime Fighters is made up of 32 ten-minute episodes that are divided in to four fictional criminal cases taking place all over Africa.

DW’s Head of Programming for Africa, Claus Stäcker, said that the crime series allowed the Learning by Ear tradition to continue highlighting current conflicts across Africa in a more “exciting and entertaining” manner. “We provoke the listeners into taking a position on issues and provide food for thought without coming across like a school teacher.”

Recording for the series was completed in May at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development in Nairobi. Crime Fighters is now being broadcast in English, Kiswahili, Hausa, French and Portuguese in 30 African countries.

Crime Fighters is part of the educational radio series produced by Learning by Ear,  which has been a big hit in Africa. Like the successful series Crossroads Generation , Crime Fighters is broadcast by over 250 partner stations across the continent. It is also available by podcast on AfricaLink and will be heavily featured on social media.