Q & A
Mpho Mutula, 22, co-presents South Africa’s first youth sex talk show, Jika Jika, on SABC 1, with Pule Hlatshwayo. Mutula, who grew up in Soweto, studied environmental health at the Pretoria Technikon. She has worked as an environmental coordinator and presented the late-night music show, Channel O.
What is Jika Jika’s aim?
It is the first programme of its kind that combines frank talk about sex, sexual health, love and relationships with music, entertainment and humor in a way that will break stereotypes. Jika Jika is a forum for young people to openly talk about sex and responsibilities in life. It is only a 13- series programme and each show differs from the previous ones. While it is a studio audience show, which invites guests to talk about their experiences, it uses cinema clippings and drama inserts to explore relationship issues that concern the youth of today. Jika Jika is just one of the projects set up by the Love Life campaign.
What is Love Life?
It is a national collaborative programme set up by the NGOs in partnership with the Department of Health, the National Youth Commission and other private organisations. The primary goal is to positively influence adolescent sexual behavior to reduce teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/Aids. Love Life is using radio and television to get South Africans to talk about sex, sexuality and gender relations.
What fascinates you about TV?
The fact that I enter people’s living rooms uninvited, in their television sets, I entertain and give them information. When I relate to the camera I picture the millions of people that are watching me and I know that I’m talking to people who relate to me.
Do your parents approve of you talking about sex in public?
My parents have recently opened up and have no problems with what I’m doing. During my teenage years it would have been a problem. They were very strict with me and I would not dare mention the word sex in front of them. In fact my adolescent stage was the most horrific. It is when my body started changing and I developed into a woman. I discovered many things about my body through friends and that can be dangerous as some information could be misleading. Jika Jika addresses such problems, it challenges parents to open up and talk openly to their children about such issues.
Are there enough informative talk shows that are targeted at young people on TV?
No. Young people watch a lot of TV and I think the industry should be focusing on reaching the younger market.
Mpho Mutula spoke to Luvuyo Kakaza