Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - January 1, 1999
David Gough in Dar es Salaam
Mashaka became ill a few weeks ago and Tanzanians are holding their breath as his health deteriorates by the week. He coughs a lot, is covered in a rash and complains that his friends are keeping their distance.
Knowing that his promiscuity puts him at risk of contracting the Aids virus, his friends fear the worst. Despite the fact that Mashaka is a fictional character in the popular radio soap opera Geuza Mwendo, his plight is the talk of some six million people who tune in every week.
Since the programme Let's Move with the Times first broadcast warnings about the dangers of Aids in 1993, radio soap operas have featured similar messages to good effect. In a recent survey, 75% of respondents said they had been made aware of Aids, and its prevention, through radio programmes.
At the moment, four such dramas are playing on Radio Tanzania. Some aim to educate listeners about a range of issues including family planning and drugs. Dr Edith Ngirwamungu, information co- ordinator for the health ministry, said the programmes were started to combat ignorance about Aids. In 1993 a survey revealed that up to 20% of Tanzanians believed they could protect themselves from the virus by using insect repellent. A similar number believed condoms caused the virus.
"There is a strong tradition of education through storytelling in Tanzania," Ngirwamungu said, adding that soap operas are the perfect format to get the message across because, while few people can afford newspapers, most households own a radio.
The radio shows have gone a long way towards raising Aids awareness, but rates of HIV infection continue to rise. Up to 10% of Tanzania's 30- million people are HIV positive and in urban areas the figure is as high as 25%.
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