18 March 2008
South Africa’s most popular soap opera, funded by the UK Government, is helping to save lives. Gillian Merron, Minister for International Development today visited the set of Soul City, the South African equivalent of Eastenders, which is watched by over 70% of South Africans - more than 34 million people.
Not just a soap opera, Soul City and the youth spin-off Soul Buddyz are dramas with a heart. With the majority of their funding from the UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID), they tackle serious issues head-on. In a country where 5.5 million of the population have HIV/ AIDS, ‘edutainment’ can play a huge role in encouraging people to change their behaviour.
Gillian Merron said:
"The UK Government is proud to support such innovative mass ‘edutainment’. Soul City and Soul Buddyz have the popularity of Eastenders or Coronation Street, and it is their hard-hitting, realistic storylines that are their biggest asset. In a country where more than one in ten of the population is infected by HIV, Soul City and Soul Buddyz make HIV/ AIDS and other issues central to their storylines. From always using a condom to never sharing needles, these television, radio and information campaigns are making people sit up and listen.
"Although it is early days, for some of the target audiences of Soul City and Soul Buddyz infection rates are falling. For South African women under 20, HIV prevalence has declined. On its own, this isn’t going to stop the epidemic, but it is a real step in the right direction.
"I am delighted that the UK is going to support the roll out of Soul City and Soul Buddyz across the Southern African region with a commitment of £14 million. Young people deserve to have access to the information that could save their lives, and Soul City does just that."
Soul City and Soul Buddyz aren’t just soap operas - they are radio shows, advertising campaigns and information packs for kids and their parents. They address some of the most serious health and development challenges facing Southern Africa, with topics ranging from HIV and AIDS to maternal health care, xenophobia to domestic violence.
As part of a recent evaluation of the impact of Soul City, young people indicated that they had changed their behaviour or attitude as a result of watching Soul City.
DFID has been supporting Soul City and Soul Buddyz for the last 13 years. We will provide £14 million over four years to support the roll out of the Soul City package across the Southern Africa region, to countries including: Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Swaziland, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
1. Soul Buddyz is aimed at 8-12 year olds and is designed to promote their health and well being. It has a TV and radio show as well as accompanying booklets for children and parents. There are 3600 Soul Buddyz clubs spread through South Africa.
2. Soul City is a TV and radio show, as well an advertising campaign and information booklets. All series address HIV/AIDS, as well as issues such as maternal and child health, violence, rape, disability.
3. The Behaviour Change Communication programme, part of Soul City and Soul Buddyz, is designed to achieve the following:
4. For more information about DFID’s programme in South Africa, please visit www.dfid.gov.uk
For further information, contact Helle Nordberg on 020 7023 1722 or 020 7023 0600, e-mail h-nordberg@dfid.gov.uk or call our Public Enquiries Point on 0845 300 4100.
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