NAIROBI, July 6 (AFP) - Africa's airwaves are a new battleground in the war against AIDS, with Kenyan television stars and a supporting cast of numerous UN agencies, as well as other international backers, integrating forces in a new soap opera for the continent.
"Heart and Soul" will hit African radio and television airwaves in a matter of weeks, as well as street theatre performances across the continent, project director Clive Haines said.
"It is hoped it will have a powerful persuasive effect on public opinion, empower people and communities, and galvanise positive social behaviour change," Haines added.
The soap opera, expected to reach as many as 80 million homes across Africa, would help Africans reflect real lives, hopes and dreams, frustrations and day-to-day problems, while learning how to cope with consequences of HIV infections or AIDS diagnosis, he added.
A sneak preview shown to journalists during its launch at the leading state-owned KBC film studios here, gave a taste of one of the principal "edutainment" themes of the programme.
"Heart and Soul is an idea whose time has come," proclaimed Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and director general of the UN office in Nairobi, who launched the soap opera here on Tuesday night.
"The Heart and Soul can reach the parts we (UN) find it hard to reach, illuminating issues such as AIDS, poverty and development through drama and stories," Toepfer told journalists.
"A soap opera made in Dallas, Texas, or London's East End, can appeal to the whole world that share the same humanity and loves a good tale. We enjoy seeing the goodies and the baddies, the flawed personality, an accident waiting to happen.
"But Africa also has its own tale, and its perspective on the world. That is why Heart and Soul is important," added Toepfer, while spilling his personal passion for soap operas.
"Heart and Soul" portrays an ageing husband succumbing to the charms of a younger, voluptuous woman, who has already managed to seduce the old man's son.
Reducing promiscuity has been one of the cornerstones of campaigns against the rapid spread of HIV and AIDS in Africa.
The soap opera is also expected to address other issues of concern to the UN, such as poverty reduction, environmental protection, governance, human rights and gender.
The soap opera features Kenyan actors and is shot by the KBC, with technical assistance from its British counterpart, the BBC.
Matthew Robinson, veteran producer of the BBC's long-running and hugely successful soap opera, "EastEnders", was instrumental in the success of "Heart and Soul".
Twenty-four UN agencies with offices in Nairobi, the British Council, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Ford Foundation were also involved in the project, whose budget for the first phase was around 750,000 dollars.
"Heart and Soul" takes its inspiration from a South African TV show, "Soul City", which focuses on public health.
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