Chronicle Editor
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
HIV/AIDS awareness series MTV Shuga Down South is set to break new ground with its second season, as it goes beyond cinema, making its debut on Bulawayo’s first commercial radio station, Skyz Metro FM.
In addition, this season of MTV Shuga, will be screened for students in tertiary institutions, the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and the National University of Science and Technology (Nust). The screenings at UZ will run for three consecutive Fridays, starting on 6 March. The next screening will be on 13 March before the drama series ends its run at the university on 20 March at the Diamond Lecture Theatre at 5pm.
Developed by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, MTV Shuga aims at raising awareness among young people about the dangers of risky sexual behaviour in the age of HIV/Aids. Approximately 1.5 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa are infected with HIV each year. Zimbabwe in Southern Africa’s top ten of countries with people living with HIV/Aids. Four in 10 infections in Sub-Saharan Africa occur in people under the age of 25.
Announcing the project’s expansion, MTV Shuga consultant and socialite Gilmore Tee said they excited to be giving audiences a taste of MTV Shuga’s unique mix of education and entertainment.
“MTV Shuga has become a form of entertainment-education or “edutainment” that uses mass media to educate people and promote positive behaviour change, often with impressive results. We are super excited to be partnering with Oktopus Media Trust & Paper Bag Africa in facilitating the screenings at the University of Zimbabwe,” said Gilmore Tee.
Moyo said that they were equally elated to be taking the series to new broadcast platforms, particularly radio.
“We are already screening at the National University of Science & Technology and Ster Kinekor and also, we have the radio drama series versions playing on Heart n Soul and Skyz Metro FM. All screenings are for free and we encourage young people to attend,” he said.
The free screenings are aimed at conscientising young people on the impact of HIV/Aids across Zimbabwe, inviting young people from all walks of life to understand and learn more about the effects of HIV/Aids, educating them to also make the right choices in their daily lives.
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