Case Study: Gama Cuulu in
Following the success of Makgabaneng in Botswana, Media Support Solutions teamed up again with US Centers for Diseas Control (CDC) to develop a Zambian radio soap using the MARCH methodology.
MSS is assisting teams based in the towns of Livingstone and Mongu, to produce a radio serial drama in two languages and organize peer education and community drama performances where listeners can discuss and gain skills for behaviour change. The drama in Southern Province is called Gama Cuulu (meaning straight to the point - say it as you heard it) in the Tonga language. Again focus on social issues, including HIV/AIDS which in 2005 claimed almost 100,000 lives.
Life expectancy has fallen to below 40 and one in six people in the country is living with HIV/AIDS. As in Botswana, MSS’s job has been to give technical and management support to the local team. In the past two years, a number of scriptwriting and production workshops have been held, a new studio designed, built and equipped, and the project expanded to Zambia’s Western province. Evaluation surveys have been undertaken and the results are currently being analysed.
Two years after its launch, the local team and Media Support HQ worked together on a successful bid to win a cooperative agreement with CDC which provides five years funding for the project. During that time, MARCH Zambia will become a fully independent local development communications company similar to Makgabaneng Ltd.
