OneLove Campaign - Tanzania

The campaign messages focus on making people aware that by reducing partners, they will reduce their risk of HIV infection. Most of all, the campaign highlights the need for partner communication and carries the tagline: "mlinde, mheshimu, mhusishe" (which is a Swahili adaptation of the slogan "protect, respect, talk"). The message on the importance of partner communication is seen as a way to curb sexual dissatisfaction which research has shown is one of the reasons sited for the need for multiple concurrent partnerships (MCPs).

The campaign in Tanzania involves a segment on the existing weekly Fema TV Talk Show which is dedicated to the messages of the Onelove Campaign. It consists of a 3-minute vignette on partner communication featuring the characters of Bwana Ishi & Tuli. The audience of Fema TV Talk Show can follow how this young couple takes on the challenge of partner communication - committing to talk, respect and protect each other. In August 2009 a second season of the show was broadcast in which topics covered included partner communication, self-control, trust, testing, a woman’s ability to assert herself, condom use, and side partners.

The campaign also involves billboards and posters which are being distributed nationwide promoting the concept of couples in dialogue. Onelove branding and messages will also be made visible on buses.

The campaign and its messages are also being promoted in other existing media materials and projects developed by Feminia HIP. These include the quarterly Fema magazine, the bi-monthly Si Mchezo! magazine, and the chezasalama.com project.

The campaign works closely with partners who give their input and provide opportunities for collaboration. For example, the Onelove campaign in Tanzania is working with Mediae to integrate OneLove MCP messages into an existing radio soap called Pilika Pilika. The campaign contributes to the show with guidelines on messaging related to sexual and reproductive health and an MCP storyline has also been woven into the soap. The storyline involves a woman whose husband goes away to jail. She is faced with the advances of another man in the village (who already has two wives) who keeps on trying to seduce her, insinuating that she cannot wait for her husband forever.

Campaign activities also include community mobilisation, with a OneLove team traveling throughout the regions of Tanzania. As part of the launch of the campaign a roadshow took place in the Ifakara, Morogoro region of Tanzania.

In February 2010, the OneLove Campaign in Tanzania started broadcasting the "Love Stories in a Time of HIV and AIDS" series, a collection of 10 short films produced in 10 SADC countries as part of the regional OneLove Campaign. The series started with the Tanzanian film "Chaguo" (The Choice). Chaguo is the story of a young couple whose relationship is shaken by conflict, mistrust, and risky sex. The protagonist is a man who has had unprotected sex outside the relationship and then faces the dilemma of whether or not to protect his girlfriend and risk losing her.

Each broadcast of the 10 films was introduced and concluded with the Fema TV Talk Show OneLove vignette characters, Bwana Ishi and Tuli. The couple was seen on a sofa watching TV together and then reflecting and commenting on what they saw. According to Femina HIP, the strategy here was to tie the films in with the campaign and also bring out the messaging after each broadcast.

To promote the series before its launch, Fema TV Talk Show featured a special on "The Making of the film Chaguo", which involved a studio discussion with the scriptwriters, the director, the two main actors, and the principal cameraman. Also present was a Femina HIP representative. Discussions covered the OneLove campaign, the capacity-building elements of the production (training workshops on scriptwriting, film production, and acting by Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication, a partner of Femina HIP), as well as a general discussion of the film.

Since the broadcast, several partner organisations have shown interest in using the Love Stories series in their outreach activities, which include travelling mobile video units and libraries.

In 2010, a second MCP related storyline was introduced into the Pilika Pilika series. The storyline deals with the issues of cross generational and transactional sex between a young man and an older woman. The storyline is about a young penniless man with few skills and no job prospects. He approaches an older successful woman in the community and asks to work odd jobs for her while her husband is away. She accepts but negotiations of his compensation are murky and harsh rumours of an indecent relationship fly around the village. There are plans to also include a story line on couple communication, which is considered an important part of reducing MCP.

HIV/AIDS

The Onelove regional campaign was formed in response to the high rates of HIV/AIDS in Eastern and Southern Africa. It includes nine Southern African Development Community countries, including Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In each country the One Love campaign is localised and adapted to fit the social and cultural environment of the country.

Research in the Morogoro and Iringa regions of Tanzania conducted by Femina HIP revealed that a major reason why people have multiple sex partners is a lack of communication. "Some people have sexual preferences but they are either afraid or ashamed to communicate this with their partners. As a result, they look for other partners," Femina HIP Executive Director, Minou Fuglesang, said. According to Femina HIP, the cultural dimensions of MCP is also a sensitive issue in Tanzania because of the traditional practice of polygamy in the context of Islam and a tribal society. The campaign therefore needs to be sensitive when these aspects are addressed.