JAPAN PRIZE International Contest For Educational Media

JAPAN PRIZE 2006 : Program Details

Building on Takalani Sesame’s HIV/AIDS curriculum, in December 2004 a national call-to-action campaign called “talk to me…” was launched to help encourage conversations about HIV/AIDS. The campaign, consisting of a television special and a multi-language radio series, served as a catalyst to break the silence around HIV and AIDS. It promoted communication between caregivers and children, provided knowledge to help ease fear, discrimination and stigma about the disease, and helped children cope with and protect themselves against HIV.

This innovative program featured three families: Bev, a 38-year-old HIV-positive mother of five from Durban; Tsietsi, a 17-year-old who is the head of her family; and Kelina, a mother of four children from Soweto. They all have one thing in common – they need to have a conversation.

Video reports show family problems regarding HIV/AIDS and actual conversations among family members. For example, Kelina faces a talk talk with her youngest daughter, who complains Kelina expects too much of her, and shows her strong wish that she does not want to lose her to HIV/AIDS as she did her two sisters. In the studio, three families gather and exchange opinions and feelings with others, including social workers, as they deepen their knowledge and response to HIV/AIDS.

Families are often expert at avoiding difficult situations and most of them could create better relationships through learning to communicate constructively. This program offers a clear, accessible and unpatronising insight into how family conversations could be different.

It`s a straightforward program with an informal feel, but through its four separate stories of families who try out a “brave conversation”, it weaves a complex portrait of modern family life.

The program sheds new light on the issues I discussed. It offered effective, realistic, and practical advice The format felt comfortable and inviting for a wide general audience, ensuring that its vital messages would reach the families who needed to hear it. The program also gave an accurate and unsensational depiction of issues which are more often prone to headline exaggeration. An uplifting and helpful look at a universal problem.

Naila Farouky
Producer

The impact of the HIV and Aids epidemic has reverberated among families and communities throughout South Africa. Even with the disease's widespread effect throughout the region, a culture of silence surrounds the disease. Expanding upon the success of incorporating an HIV/AIDS curriculum into the Sesame Street coproduction Takalani Sesame, a multimedia national call-to-action campaign was developed to promote communication between adults and children on the crucial subject of HIV and AIDS. "talk to me" was developed to encourage effective communication, cooperation, pride in one's culture, and respect for others. The campaign also provided information for viewers on how to protect themselves, and how to find support in facing this epidemic and its consequences. The campaign included this one-hour special; the show has continued making a measurable impact with children and families affected by HIV and AIDS in South Africa. Research has shown that those who have seen even just a few segments of this television special were more than 2 times as likely to talk with children in their households about HIV. It is through programs like "talk to me" and Takalani Sesame we are making strides towards long-lasting changes that we hope will give children a chance to reach their highest potential.

We thank the NHK for recognizing our efforts to make the world a better place for our children.