Published: April 28, 2011, 12:00 am
Annie Anopheles is a malaria-transmitting mosquito. She tries to befriend Kinara and his friend Maua by feeding them misinformation about malaria. PataPata, a radio program aimed at children in Tanzania, follows the adventures of Kinara, Maua and Annie Anopheles as they learn about malaria in a dramatic and entertaining manner. PataPata – 44 10-minute episodes in total – is broadcast on four national and six regional radio stations across Tanzania.
PataPata promotional poster.
The radio program was developed by the Communication and Malaria Initiative in Tanzania (COMMIT), a USAID and PMI-funded project that is led by CCP. Seeking to change the prevailing attitude toward malaria in Tanzania – that malaria is a fact of life and thus there is little reason for individuals to take actions toward preventing the disease – COMMIT has leveraged the existing Saturday children’s radio programs to deliver malaria messages to children. The goal of the program is to change perception about malaria and build a culture that supports the Malaria Haikubaliki (“malaria is not acceptable”) campaign.
PataPata uses an enter-educate approach to deliver key malaria messages on net use, malaria diagnosis and treatment as well as other issues of interest to children. Initial reaction to the show has been very positive.
Listen to the PataPata promotional spot [1].
Learn more about the Communication and Malaria Initiative in Tanzania (COMMIT) [1].
