MTV is committed to alter young people’s thoughts, attitudes and behaviours about HIV/AIDS. It was announced today that there will be a part two of the television drama - Shuga. Shuga is a television production for young people, which aims to disseminate HIV prevention and education messages.

New research, revealed by MTV’s ‘Staying Alive Campaign,’ illustrates the positive impact on Shuga (part I) in Nairobi, Kenya. The campaign reached 64% of the Kenyan population and 80% of the viewers believed that this television-drama changed their thinking.

While MTV’s Ignite Campaign focuses on Kenya, due to its impact on the youth, there are possibilities for future productions in the Caribbean.

Tribes was aired in on World AIDS Day in December 2009 and is a drama set in Port of Spain. It aims to shine a spotlight on stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Unlike the Shuga production in Kenya, statistics from the John Hopkins research shows that only a mere eight percent of youth had viewed the Tribes television drama in Trinidad and Tobago, as an extremely small budget was awarded to this show. There was still a small impact among young persons in Trinidad and Tobago regarding their attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA). Reports also illustrate that there was a decrease in intentional concurrent relationships.

For more information on Shuga and the associated MTV Staying Alive campaign, got to www.staying-alive.org/ignite.

Youth Journalist - Rachel-Ann Charles (Trinidad and Tobago)
Right Here, Right Now!
Vienna, Austria
July 20, 2010.