Badariyya, a new Hausa drama for Northern Nigerian audiences, launched in Abuja on 29 September. Its promise is simple: stories that look and sound like the lives of the people watching. The series brings together creatives from across the north, media partners and local collaborators. It is part of a wider storytelling initiative that will reach viewers on television, radio and digital platforms.
A young woman building a future on her own terms
The story follows its title character, a young woman who wants to shape her own future. Family expectations, friendships, romance and community life all press on her plans. As her ambitions take shape, she faces choices that force her to weigh what she wants against the traditions around her. The drama is set in contemporary Northern Nigeria and treats these tensions as everyday ones rather than grand conflicts.
Jacob Arback, Executive Vice Chairman of AREWA24, says the strongest stories are the ones that feel close to home. He describes Badariyya as rooted in Northern Nigerian culture and daily reality, while offering fresh characters.
Built with the communities it portrays
The series was developed with Northern Nigerian creative talent. The team also consulted government stakeholders and faith and cultural leaders in Kaduna and Kano States, and their input helped shape the characters and situations on screen. The health commissioners of both states, Hajiya Umma K. Ahmed in Kaduna and Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf in Kano, welcomed the project. They said that seeing familiar experiences on screen gives viewers something to connect with.
Ayo Abosede, Project Director at BBC Media Action, which developed the series with AREWA24, calls it an entertainment drama first. She hopes viewers will recognise their mothers, fathers, neighbours and friends in it, and take from the story whatever speaks to them.
Where and when to watch
The drama premieres on AREWA24 on Sunday, 4 October at 8 p.m. Radio versions will run on partner stations in Kano, including Arewa Radio, Radio Kano, Freedom FM, Vision FM and Express FM. In Kaduna they will air on Vision FM, Invicta FM, Freedom FM, Alheri Radio and Kaduna State Media Corporation Radio.
Online, extra content will appear on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube under BBC Media Action Arewa. A companion site, Badariyya’s World, lives at DuniyarBadariyya.org.
AREWA24 launched in 2014 as a Hausa-language entertainment and lifestyle network serving Northern Nigeria and wider West Africa. Its schedule includes dramas, films, talk shows and programmes for women, children and young people.
Whether the series finds a loyal audience will become clear in the weeks after 4 October. The approach is a clear bet, though: local writers, local consultation and three platforms working together to keep the story close to real life.
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