Country/region: Africa/Sahel region
Project focus
Scenarios From The Sahel/Scenarios From Africa is a film and video project designed to improve the lives of those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, reduce the spread of the virus, and help local organisations develop their capacity for effective HIV/AIDS communication.
Background
Scenarios from the Sahel was originally designed as an HIV/AIDS prevention project carried out with and for adolescents and young adults in West African countries, which aimed to contribute to a sustainable reduction in risk behaviour for HIV/AIDS in Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso and throughout sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the under-25 age group. Scenarios from Africa is the demand-driven scaling-up of Scenarios from the Sahel.
The project’s objectives were:
- to improve young people's access to appropriate information about sexual and reproductive health;
- to help develop an environment more open to discussion of these issues;
- and to promote responsible sexual behaviour.
Level of cultural intervention
Culture as method (film) – both tool and process-based
Activities
Contests in 1997, 2000 and 2002 invited young people up to age 25 to submit ideas for short films on subjects related to HIV/AIDS. The contests have attracted 42,252 participants. The contests promoted dialogue, encouraged young people to seek out information about HIV/AIDS, and promoted reflection. Evaluations, both external and internal, suggested the number of people influenced by the contest and associated debate would be considerably higher than the number of participants.
13 short fiction films, based on ideas in the first two contests, were produced by African directors. The films, available in 19 languages, have been widely distributed to broadcasters throughout Africa and around the world. They have been broadcast on at least one state-run or private television station in almost every country in sub-Saharan Africa, and on twenty stations in Nigeria. Broadcasts on over 75 television stations in or serving Africa have been confirmed.
Over 12,000 copies of a compilation cassette (and a video CD) of the films for use in schools and communities across the continent have been distributed in a range of languages. A companion Users’ Guide, is available in electronic format in English and French.
The 2002 edition of the Scenarios contest used as central partners HIV/AIDS organisations and individuals most closely affected by the epididemic. In several countries, people living with HIV/AIDS served as outreach workers and discussed the scenarios with participants. 7,249 scenarios were submitted to the contest.
Outcomes
- 12,000 copies of the compilation video are currently in circulation in Africa and the audience so far is believed to run into hundreds of thousands.
- Near-universal approval by respondents.
- High levels of dialogue: 82-87% spoke with someone about the films.
- Mali/Senegal: 80%+ of those who spoke about it did so with a girlfriend, boyfriend or sexual partner.
- Made them reflect on HIV/AIDS within their lives (93-100%); made them inclined to find out about HIV/AIDS (92-97%); buy/use condoms (78-96%).
- Made them more inclined to support people living with AIDS.
- Made them more inclined to wait until married/older before they had sex.
- Contests have encouraged teachers, participants and parents to find out and learn about HIV/AIDS; have increased dialogue and reflection on HIV/AIDS
- Helped jurors identify areas within their country which needed greater awareness-raising on HIV/AIDS, and compare the relative strengths and weaknesses of HIV-related efforts in various countries.
Beneficiary feedback (reported)
No feedback directly from beneficiaries is available.
External evaluators, assessing the use and impact of the films in Senegal, Burkina Faso and Togo in Spring 2003, concluded:
“Every partner met expressed tremendous appreciation of the films. The Scenarios films are perceived as valuable tools in HIV/AIDS awareness raising campaigns and programmes because they are high quality films that reflect everyday situations in West Africa in general and Senegal in particular. The films are also greatly valued for their humor and sensitivity, which serve to attract viewers and hold their attention. In addition, the Scenarios films stand apart from other HIV/AIDS awareness raising films because of their relatively short duration of two to nine minutes.”
“The films are widely distributed and their success is real, as they have become the primary awareness-raising resource used by the actors in the field of prevention and care whom I met. Young people say they are moved by the stories recounted in the films and many of them say that their behaviour has changed or is going to change after seeing ‘Scenarios from the Sahel’. They have contributed to raising the awareness of the general public and particularly young people – while entertaining them – about the modes of prevention linked to realistic and feasible behaviour change.”
Sources
- Global Dialogues annual reports to Comic Relief
