Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision (Kampala) - August 23, 2009
Elvis Basudde
James Kigozi, the spokesperson of the Uganda AIDS Commission, says "as a result, the number of youth engaging in unprotected sex is on the rise, while many couples are having extra-marital sexual relationships."
He says the epidemic has evolved significantly, yet the prevention campaign messages and target groups have not.
Kigozi says there was a decrease of messages on risk avoidance due to lack of innovation. The deterioration in sexual behaviour has mainly affected the youth.
It is against this background that the Young Empowered And Healthy (Y.E.A.H) initiative of the Uganda AIDS Commission designed a campaign to fight the disease - puppet theatre.
Puppet is being used as part of the communication strategy, targeting young people aged 15-24. It is doing this through its newly launched multi-media campaign dubbed 'True Manhood.'
"Puppets are likely to attract young people and encourage them participate in the campaign. This way, key HIV prevention messages will be communicated in an interactive, lively and entertaining way," says Emebet Wuhib-Mutungi, the advocacy and marketing manager.
Denis Agaba, the puppet trainer says: "The magic behind puppetry is that people feel they are interacting with non-living things that are neutral, so they are freely inclined to ask questions and discuss pertinent issues."
At recent contests in Mbarara, Jinja, Gulu and Luweero, the puppets were used to test the audience's lifeskills to be able to resist alcohol abuse, violence in relationships and sex in exchange for gifts - a behaviour that puts young people at risk of HIV.
Kigozi describes the campaign as innovative, bold and one of the best alternatives in reaching out to communities.
"Originally, we would go to meetings and talk. People are tired with that kind of approach. Some of the messages were not sinking in. Using entertainment to fight HIV/AIDS is a strong weapon of communication," Kigozi says.
Many young men do not take an active role in HIV prevention, yet they are usually the dominant partners in sexual relationships. The 2004 Sero-Behavioural Survey, by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, found that young men are four times more likely to have multiple sexual partners than young women, yet only one third of them use condoms.
The 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey found that 18% of men aged 15-19 who had sex in the past 12 months had also exchanged gifts for sex.
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