Unplanned: A large number of teenagers fall pregnant and health services are being blamed. But is this the cause?
The African continent reveres good stories and storytellers. From the earliest times, we have used storytelling as a means of making sense of the world, a way of connecting as a people and as a way of learning. We may have become more sophisticated but little has changed.
Instead of telling those stories around a fire to the beat of a drum, they’re now told over a screen. The effect remains the same — it’s by listening attentively, observing prudently and reflecting on the lessons learnt through storytelling that we can change our behaviour.
That’s the premise of edutainment and the reason why programmes that show viewers certain exemplary modes of behaviour are so successful. Back in the 1970s, children who regularly sat down to watch Sesame Street were shown to achieve record-high scores at school, in areas ranging from performance on maths tests to school readiness and even increased vocabulary.
It stands to reason that, if schoolgoing children can enhance their academic scores because of edutainment, older youths might acquire life skills in the same manner, and there’s a proud track record to prove it.
The idea of social and behavioural change communication first came about in the 1950s when it was used to support issues like education in developing countries. Over time, the medium changed — instead of simply promoting messages through development communication (as it came to be known) messages needed to be carried through a compelling force for encouraging dialogue around key issues and, through this debate, bringing about change.
The effects were phenomenal. In Peru, a 1969 soap opera called Simplemente Maria told the story of a girl from the farmlands who found employment with a rich family before learning how to sew, a simple step which saw her ultimately set up her own business. Peruvian women found this story so inspiring that they signed up for sewing lessons. Coincidence? Not according to the sewing machine manufacturer Singer, which attributed net profits of $20 million that year to the series.
It’s easy to understand how storytelling can have such a profound impact when you look at how we learn. Almost any learning theory states that we are highly influenced by watching the behaviours of those around us, especially those we believe to be successful.
We imitate them, in the hope that we will enjoy similar success. This is all the more true if you can relate in some way to the person you are observing — if you feel that their circumstances are similar to your own, perhaps, or if they are facing a similar challenge.
This is just one of the reasons people take to heart the dramas faced by their favourite television characters. Plus, there’s a strong emotional component. As we watch them overcome obstacles, and become entangled in situations, we become more and more invested in the ultimate outcome. This emotion also works to entrench the lessons they eventually learn in our own psyches.
There is a “but”, however. Edutainment isn’t always effective in its aims. Only well-researched, carefully crafted programmes succeed in changing behaviour. Characters who aren’t believable won’t draw an audience nor will shows of poor production value — they must be just as enjoyable to watch as any other series on offer. Shows that preach to their audiences will fall flat, as will those that place greater emphasis on entertainment than education.
MTV focuses on creating content with characters that engage, storylines that are relatable and campaigns that start conversations. We believe in a media-first approach to social change, as evident in MTV Shuga.
To date, MTV Shuga programmes have been independently evaluated. The British Medical Journal, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the World Bank have found that MTV Shuga viewers in South Africa and Nigeria were twice as likely to test for HIV.
What’s more, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that viewers in South Africa were twice as likely to be aware of HIV self-screening than non-viewers (68% compared to 28%) and twice as likely to have used an HIV self-screening kit (29% of viewers, compared to 10% of non-viewers).
These results reflect the power of MTV Shuga’s amplified media approach complemented by outreach programming. Watching an episode of the TV drama reminds us of when we, too, were adolescents trying to navigate through the bloom of youth. Watching as a young person, we can see ourselves, or someone we know, going through a similar journey.
We see how poor decisions can result in dire consequences but it does not mean it is the end of the world, that it is okay to be different and proud of our diversity, and that it is possible to thrive after experiencing abuse or personal trauma. MTV Shuga builds self-worth, reminding each of us that we matter as individuals.
The outreach component, the MTV Shuga peer education programme, provides positive role modelling, peer support and personal development to beneficiaries. This is achieved through a structured programme based on a cognitive-affective-motivation model of learning and sexual emotional intelligence development.
The MTV Shuga peer education programme is delivered through our network of NGOs across South Africa and Botswana. It is delivered in high schools, institutions of higher learning, community centres and other safe spaces.
In 2022 alone, 248 volunteers working through community-based organisations and NGOs have changed the lives of over 74 000 young people for the better, using MTV Shuga peer education. We are looking forward to seeing what impact will be made through the MTV Shuga initiative in 2023, MTV Shuga Down South season 3.
Social issues such as HIV, sexual violence, teen pregnancy, mental health and the like are not issues in and of themselves. These are issues about people. The most significant factor affecting young people is a deep lack of self-worth. If you don’t value yourself, will you really care to protect yourself by taking an HIV test or respect your responsibility not to harm others through sexual violence?
It is through MTV Shuga that we seek to remind young people that they do matter. They are important. They are worth making the effort to take the means available to them, to protect their bodies, to have the backs of their peers now, so that they can change the narrative and live healthy, meaningful lives in years to come.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Mail & Guardian.