21 April, 2010

Jesse Jagz, an ENR star

Posted by worldservicetrust under Enhancing Nigeria's Response to HIV and Aids | Tags: , , , , , , |
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While the youth radio programmes are integral components of the ENR project, I have never had a chance to see the teams in action. I have participated in their script sessions as well as their listen-backs (the final feedback sessions), but only a few weeks ago did I get a chance to see how they actually create their content.

Interviewing Jesse JagzRecently a Nigerian artist named Jesse Jagz had an album release party. It took place in the Sheraton and nearly all my colleagues in Nigeria were fans of his – some took photos, some helped with the guests, and the two youth shows both recorded the event.

When I learned that both the youth teams (one in Hausa, the language of north Nigeria, and the other in Pidgin English) would both be recording, I immediately had two grave doubts: one, how does a hip-hop artist talking about how hot he is have anything to do with HIV and AIDS? Two, won’t the two youth production teams replicate each other’s shows?

What proceeded to happen blew my mind.
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8 April, 2010

Finding the gap

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During a recent ENR conference to build the capacity of local community service organizations, I found myself sitting on a bench in a shed that was a resting spot for transport drivers. We were in Benue state and it was hot – close to 38℃. Besides the scorching heat, Benue is also widely recognized as the state with the highest HIV prevalence rate, close to 7%, according to Nigeria’s National HIV & AIDS Reproductive Health Survey.

Project leaders from states around the country were about to conduct a survey to evaluate the knowledge of this “high risk” group. This practice focus group would test the project leaders’ ability to create conversation, draw answers from participants, and facilitate a discussion. Since research showed most of the new HIV cases from Benue result from transport workers, and since the state had a series of major transport hubs, we were all keen to hear the answers from this group

I was stunned by how much they knew. They could not only list different STIs, but also the symptoms and where to get them treated.
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