On 28 May, the SABC Education drama “Tsha Tsha’, produced by Curious Pictures and the Centre for Aids Development, Research and Evaluation, was proclaimed Uganda’s AfriComNet Best Mass Media winner at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.
The African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development (AfriComNet) honours individuals and organisations for innovation and excellence in HIV and Aids communication in Africa.
An emotional Pontsho Makhetha, SABC Education’s Acting General Manager received the plaque, saying: “We are humbled. Uganda has fought drastically to reduce the HIV and Aids infection in its country, so to be acknowledged and awarded by that country is an honour. Credit goes to the collective teams that are behind making “Tsha Tsha’ such a credible initiative’.
“Tsha Tsha’ focuses on young people living in a world affected by HIV/Aids and other social problems. The series was broadcast between 2003 and 2006 during prime-time on SABC1. Although produced for a youth target audience, the series drew viewers across age and language groups, and achieved an audience share of around 50% for the broadcast timeslot.
The AfriComNet awards acknowledge six categories; Mass Media Campaign, Folk Media Initiative, Multi Channel Communication, Community-based Communication and Best HIV or AIDS Related Article.
Support for “Tsha Tsha’ is provided by Johns Hopkins Health & Education in South Africa, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Centre for Communications and the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief through the US Agency for International Development.
