OneLove Campaign - Namibia

The mass media for the OneLove campaign include a range of activities. Besides film and print, campaign tools include a radio drama, billboards, public service announcements (PSAs), and media advocacy.

Specifically, Desert Soul produced a radio drama of 35 episodes in Otjiherero, one of the local languages. This drama was broadcast on the Otjiherero radio station of the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation between September 2009 and January 2010. The drama, titled "Tjitjikutuara kepembe kotjii", deals with the complex issues of having more than one sexual partner at the same time and the HIV risk posed by this behaviour. It touches on some of the reasons why people engage in multiple concurrent partnerships, the gender dynamics involved in such relationships, risk reduction strategies such as condom use, and couple testing. The ultimate aim of the drama is prevent HIV infections by creating awareness about the benefits of reducing one's sexual partners and by promoting consistent condom use. The story is set in urban Namibia, and tells the tale of a married man, Mr. Kamaizemi, who works in the city but has a wife in the village looking after the cattle and managing a tailor shop for traditional gowns. Mr. Kamaizemi has a number of sexual partners, one of whom is a female cousin whom he is allowed to date because of the cultural acceptance of such relationships. He does not shy away from promoting this behaviour to his tenant (Kavii) who has a great relationship with his girlfriend (Noko). Various characters are involved in creating awareness about the risks associated with having multiple concurrent partners and the importance of women encouraging condom use with their partners in order to prevent the spread of HIV and to protect themselves.

One stand-alone episode of 24 minutes deals with intergenerational sex and open communication between parents and their children. It forms part of the regional series titled Love: Stories in a Time of HIV. This series airs on Namibia Broadcasting Corporation every Monday at 17h30 with a repeat of the week's episode on Sundays at 09h30.

Desert Soul also produced a printed booklet, "Life And Love With One Partner", which deals with relationships and multiple and concurrent partnerships. The booklet was translated into Oshiwambo and Afrikaans, and 300,000 copies were distributed throughout the country between March and May 2010. The booklets are being distributed in clinics, hospitals, New Start Centres, British Petrol (BP) service stations, and branches of the Namibia Red Cross Society.

OneLove Namibia also produced a 24-minute film called "Against the Odds" that deals with intergenerational sex and open communication between parents and their children. The story is set in Windhoek's Khomasdal township, where the main character, Granny Mouton, survives by barbequing meat on the streets. It is a dream come true when the owner of a successful car wash offers her a place to cook for his customers. As the story unfolds, it turns out that his real motive is to pursue her beautiful and innocent granddaughter, Jenny. The film forms part of the "Love Stories in a Time of HIV and AIDS" series, a collection of 10 films from 10 southern Africa countries under the OneLove Campaign. The series started broadcasting on national television in Namibia in April 2010. Click here to watch a short trailer of "Against the Odds".

Marketing for the OneLove mass media included radio and TV promos, as well as strip adverts for both the booklet and the television series, which were placed in three prominent daily newspapers between March and April 2010. A billboard for advertising the Otjiherero radio drama was placed in two regions - Omaheke and Kunene - between September 2009 and January 2010.

Other activities under the OneLove banner included the broadcast of the "Meet Joe" animated PSA in all branches of First National Bank between October 2009 and March 2010. A locally produced PSA was broadcast on the FNB internal screens, with the aim to market the "Love Stories in a Time of HIV and AIDS" - being broadcast on television by the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation.

As part of its advocacy activities, Desert Soul hosted a one-day journalist training workshop in April 2010 to sensitise journalists, editors, and producers on how to report about MCP in the media.

HIV/AIDS

Desert Soul is a multimedia, community-driven communication project that focuses on health issues such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, gender-based violence, and alcohol and substance abuse. The organisation aims to achieve social and behavioural change through use of media such as television, radio, and print materials, in line with the mandate to improve the lives of Namibia's most vulnerable people. The overall objective is to promote social behaviour change through discussions sparked by the topics addressed in mass media, thus mobilising communities to develop positive societal norms and practices for better health.