Entertainment Education (EE)—the use of entertaining media to engage audiences and deliver life-saving health messages—is one of the key approaches used in JHU∙CCP’s behavior change communication programs. Building on the foundation of great EE leaders such as Miguel Sabido, Everett Rogers, and others, JHU∙CCP continues to push the boundaries and lead the field in EE programming, research and evaluation. JHU∙CCP recently created a Global Program on Entertainment Education [1] and its faculty teach one of the only courses [1] in the world where students learn how to develop, manage, write, produce and monitor an EE program.
Members of a Radio Listeners Group in Nepal listen to a health communication radio program while using a comic book for discussion. © 2005 Saroj Nepal Upadhyaya, Courtesy of Photoshare
EE is not a new concept. For millennia, people have been using creative art forms to teach lessons. What is more recent is a hard look at the art and science of EE. The art is in the creation of wonderful stories and characters, music, dance and more that touch audiences’ emotions. The science is the application of analysis and theory to shape a compelling narrative or activity that moves audience members to examine a given issue in their own lives, motivates them to change and provides the skills to do so. The science is also the measurement of an EE program’s impact on audience’s knowledge, attitudes and behavior as well as its cost effectiveness.
Current EE programs at JHU∙CCP are embracing emerging technology and social media trends and are competing favorably with the best of commercial programming—becoming more creative and focused to capture audience attention in increasingly competitive media environments.
Prime Time TV
In 2012, JHU∙CCP’s South African drama Intersexions won the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award [1] for excellence in electronic media, joining winners such as CNN, NPR and BBC1. The Peabody judges called Intersexions “public service as educational serial entertainment” because it succeeded in inserting HIV into public discourse while encouraging viewers to continue the discussion personally and through social media networks. Audience members said Intersexions was like “watching my life on TV: it was so close to me.” A 2012 survey found that Intersexions was viewed by over nine million South Africans – 28 percent of men and 38 percent of women. Among other positive survey results, Intersexions changed the audience’s attitudes around sexual partnerships—those who watched had less favorable attitudes towards multiple sexual partners and felt more able to reduce the size of their own network.
The much anticipated second season of Intersexions made its debut on February 12, 2013. Viewers can tune in to SABC1 on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m or watch it on the web at www.intersexions.co.za [1].
Swahili speakers can tune into the new Tanzanian TV series, Siri ya Mtungi (The Secret of the Gourd) produced under the USAID-funded Tanzania Communication and Capacity Project (TCCP). Premiering in December 2012 and covering topics from HIV to malaria, Siri ya Mtungi already has the third most popular Facebook page in Tanzania with over 50,000 fans. Take a look at the first episode [1].
Feature Length Films
Full-length feature films can change lives as well. In Pakistan, Bol [1](“Speak Up”) not only spurred national and international dialogue around gender roles, family planning and maternal health issues, it also grossed more at the box office than any other movie in Pakistani history. Bol also has had an impact on national health policy: Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate unanimously passed two pro women bills [1] aimed at protecting women from negative customs and traditions and seeking severe punishments for violators. Bol features popular Pakistani film stars and was written and directed by Shoaib Mansoor, the celebrated Pakistani filmmaker. Bol was named the Best Film of 2011 at the London Asian Film Festival and swept Pakistan’s Lux Style Awards by taking home an award in every film category.
In Tanzania, over three million people have been captivated by the love story in the award-winning film Chumo [1]. Almost all of them also recall the film’s critical message about malaria control and prevention. Chumo was nominated for numerous awards including Best Film in at the 2012 Africa Movie Academy Awards. The film won Best Short Narrative and Best of Projections (film) awards at the Northwest Projections festival in the US and Best Actress and Best Directorat the Zanzibar International Film Festival.
Further investments in Tanzania’s fledgling film industry are underway. “We launched the Swahiliwood project because we felt that the young film industry in Tanzania represented untapped potential,” explains John Riber, Director of MFDI, an organization working with JHU∙CCP in Tanzania. “Film has long been used as a means to convey social and behavior change messages. But no one is working with Tanzanian filmmakers and distributors to make films with social messages that speak directly to local audiences.”
The Swahiliwood initiative [1] is working to strengthen the skills of local scriptwriters to write compelling and dynamic stories with behavior change goals. After an intensive writing workshop and mentoring process, three films will be selected for development. “Through this initiative, JHU∙CCP has given filmmakers in Tanzania an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen our script creation and production skills and bring deeper meaning and the potential for greater social impact to our work,” says participant Abdu Simba. The films are slated for release in 2013.
Reality Radio puts a new spin on EE
Moving from film to radio, the JHU∙CCP BRIDGE project [1] in Malawi is putting a community-based spin on EE. Chenicheni N’chiti? (“What is real?”) is a national weekly radio program that has become the go-to place for current information on HIV/AIDS in Malawi. Chenicheni N’chiti? links intimate real life stories of Malawians from all walks of life talking about controversial issues in HIV/AIDS such as MCPs, male circumcision, risk reduction, positive prevention and treatment. Listener demand for the show has risen exponentially. It was initially broadcast three times a week on the national local language radio station; in just a few months it expanded to nine radio stations, including the most popular stations in Malawi, and is aired up to 15 times a week. More than 80 percent of the national population has been reached through the broadcasts and listeners from as far away as Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe have sent the show feedback.Jongo Love, produced and aired in urban Kenya, is another interactive radio program that addresses love, relationships and family planning. Each episode is followed by a phone-in discussion during which listeners, DJs and experts continue the conversation started during the show. Produced by Well Told Story under the Tupange project [1], Jongo Love has just received a nomination for a 2013 International Digital Emmy Award and has been short listed for a One World Media Award.
Learning and Sharing
JHU∙CCP’s commitment to learning and sharing is at the heart of its work in EE. Aside from formal classes and training, JHU∙CCP is working to seed the EE film industries in Nigeria, Tanzania and elsewhere. We continue to move the field forward through convening experts and publishing results. In November 2011, JHU∙CCP hosted the fifth International Entertainment Education Conference (EE5) [1] in New Delhi, India. “EE5 opened my eyes to the world of Entertainment Education and its potential to reach people effectively in a whole new way,” explained one enthusiastic EE5 attendee. “It is amazing how EE taps into mainstream media to educate entire populations within their local context.” Planning for EE6 will begin in 2013. JHU∙CCP’s staff of practitioners and researchers publish regularly on EE. In the past year two papers and a book chapter have been submitted for publication.
The future of EE remains bright at JHU∙CCP. Stay tuned!
