From On Air - Spring 2003

Training in Tanzania
Creating a New Radio Show for Social Change

In February 2003, PCI, at the invitation of Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam, worked with the Africa Youth Alliance (AYA) in organizing and implementing a two-week workshop in Dar es Salaam on the technical aspects of creating a social change radio program.

The AYA is a five-year initiative funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and spearheaded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Program for Appropriate Technology for Health (PATH), and Pathfinder International, to improve adolescent reproductive health and to reduce the spread of HIV/ AIDS among the youth in Botswana, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania. The alliance works with local governments and NGOs to implement its strategies which include policy and advocacy interventions and forging behavior change through communication and education programs.

One of AYA’s projects is producing and airing a youth-oriented variety radio program in Tanzania. The program is designed to educate and affect positive behavioral change among adolescents regarding sexual and reproductive issues. In addition to tackling HIV/AIDS, the radio show will address harmful traditional practices such as early marriage and teen pregnancy which greatly threaten Tanzanian youth today. In collaboration with Radio Tanzania, PCI was asked by AYA to provide technical assistance for this project.

The workshop participants were a diverse set of people that included scriptwriters, producers, actors, choreographers, journalists, students and researchers.

The first week of the training covered the principles of PCI’s entertainment-education methodology. The purpose of this session was to equip the participants with an understanding of social learning theory, research techniques, behavior change communication, and other theoretical tools. These sessions were presented and facilitated by PCI’s Africa representative Dr. Kimani Njogu, program coordinator Lillian W. Chege, and consultant Nancy Ali.

The training sessions were organized and tailored to address the diverse social problems that face the Tanzanian youth. “Discussions and feedback on the different themes were very lively and fostered quite a number of debates,” says Nancy Ali. “The participants were interested in clarifying information about the modes of transmission of HIV/AIDS and a lot of discussion revolved around the lack of in-depth knowledge about the disease and the myths and taboos that are still prevalent about the virus.”
Other presenters provided participants with comprehensive information on the teen issues that will serve as themes for the radio show. AYA National Coordinator, Dr. Cuthbert Maendaenda, provided up-to-date research on the situation of youth in Tanzania. UNFPA/AYA Technical Program Officer, Ms. Halima Shariff, discussed existing Tanzanian laws and policies that affect the youth, including the Early Marriage Act of 1971 that allows girls to be married as early as 15 years old. Ms. Amina Ali from PATH emphasized how positive behavior change can only be sustained if the person has a supportive environment in the home, school, and community. Lastly, Mr. Nassoro Ally of Tanzania Youth Aware Trust Fund presented an overview of the HIV/AIDS situation in the country and existing health services.

At the end of the first week, the participants were given a tour of Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam, facilitated by its manager, Martha Swai. Here, they had a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of a radio station and were introduced to various recording and broadcasting equipment.
The second week of the training focused on designing and developing scripts for the radio program. The participants attend-ed training sessions on hosting, interviewing guests, and mixing music with radio talk. In addition, there were sessions on character development, plot design, melodrama, and others.

“The participants absolutely enjoyed the workshop,” says Lillian Chege, PCI program coordinator. “They are a very dynamic, creative and talented set of people with a real commitment to the issues. I have no doubt they will be effective peer educators.”

The workshop culminated in the production of two pilot episodes recorded at Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam. The radio show is titled Mambo Bomba (Cool Stuff) and is a weekly 30-minute interactive program. The show covers a wide range of adolescent sexual and reproductive health matters through panel discussions, testimonials, news, music, and a short drama titled Kijiweni Chetu (Our Space).

“In early April, the pilot episodes were pre-tested in three locations,” says Ms. Chege. “The responses from focus groups were very positive and indicated that the messages are getting through. This radio show is going to be a great success!”

Mambo Bomba began airing in April.

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