Township bio-scopes: Tackling sexual reproductive health through film

THE subject of adolescent sexuality remains a forbidden topic in most township societies in Bulawayo. In as much as these are locations found where it is perceived people are knowledgeable on health issues, there remains a barricade of cultural norms that make it taboo for young people to talk openly about sexual matters and makes it difficult for them to access information on TB, HIV and Aids.

African norms and values make talking about sex at home unthinkable. It is an issue that does not freely cross over the classroom wall. Now, realising that being mute on pertinent adolescent sexual reproductive health issues is deterring progress, a group of young people has devised a plan to use film and video to bring the topic to the public sphere.

Mduduzi Moyo, a community health communication advocate, leads a group of young people in educational awareness campaigns on adolescent sexual reproductive health in the city’s townships. This group is largely composed of school going youths and a few high school graduates.

For the past ten years, Moyo, through Amakhulu Consultants — a youth oriented health advocacy institution has been at the fore of the fight to end HIV, TB and sexual opportunistic infections in Bulawayo’s townships of Magwegwe, Lobengula, Emakhandeni, Mpopoma, Njube, Luveve and Cowdray Park. These are some of the city’s health risk hotspots, as indicated by the City of Bulawayo’s community health department.

Bulawayo’s townships are no different from other high density locations in sub Saharan Africa that are tagged home to a huge population of young people who grow up to face hurdles of a society ridden with vice, unemployment, poverty, teenage pregnancies and serious health conditions.

At present, statistics from the National Aids Council (Nac) show a 21,5 percent infection rate in the 14-24 year age group. The past three years have witnessed a decline in the prevalence rate but a close look into the micro indicators reveal a different story. Young people are still engaging in unsafe sex, there are new TB and STI cases. This is a shocker that pushed Moyo and his crew to use film to get young people talking.

More than a 1 000 films and documentaries have been screened since 2015. Some of the movies include the popular Zimbabwe-produced Yellow Card, Phumla’s Getting Ahead, When life is sweet, Bring it On and My Wedding Dress.

For the younger audience, cartoons and easy to understand sitcoms are available in the health communication project.

Besides the bias on adolescent sexual reproductive health themes, the project also touches on talk shows that delve on life choices, promiscuity and alcohol abuse.

Films beamed on a large white screen using a projector present a scenario that Moyo says is what excites young people to come spend the day watching these educational motion pictures.

“In 2017 we have had more than a 1 000 youths attending the health communication film expo. There are those who learn outside the formal system yet are not often targeted by some stakeholders. We saw a gap there and infiltrated colleges in western suburbs such as Vits Academy, Nutbank, Excel and St John’s. The numbers are increasing and people are thankful.”

The health campaign has tried to adopt the use of technology but was met with a hurdle at first. Cellphone use is still low in the ghetto. Those fortunate enough to own smartphones do not use the devices fully owing to high data charges and unreliable internet network. So the best was to use film.

Moyo reckons they opted for film because it was the only medium that reached a bigger number of youths at once.

“Using films to reach out to youths about issues pertaining to health has revealed to us that there is more that this form of media can do to instil behaviour change in society. We have seen tremendous change for the better in the lives of young people we have worked with. Surprisingly, more of them are becoming interested in the project. The films bear on their socio-cultural background. Just because we put up movies with local languages of IsiNdebele and Shona makes the youth more comfortable.”

A youth educator who has for long worked with youths at Lobengula and Magwegwe Youth Centre, Maqhawe Mlalazi reveals that through the film project, they have realised changing patterns in youth behaviour.

“HIV infection among young people is alarming. We have realised that this scourge also heavily affects even Form Ones. We have recorded facts of young fathers too. There are boys forced to swap classes for jobs in a bid to earn a living,” observes Mlalazi.

Mr Donald Mkhize, a parent from Njube suburb said: “Our kids are indulging in sex but we turn a blind eye. I have seen that these films take them off the streets and teach them basic life skills. From our experience of using film and video, we have witnessed a decline in adolescent pregnancy in Njube. When information barriers are cut and young people are accessed the right way; Zimbabwe is on the right path with regards to educating our youth in adolescent sexual reproductive health.”

Since 2009, Nac with the support from the Expanded Support Programme (ESP) and European Union (EU) has scaled up efforts to encourage behaviour change in twenty six districts in the country.

After its inception in 2006 with support from Expanded Support Programme (ESP) and EU the programme covered twenty six districts up to 2009 after which the programme was scaled up to cover all the districts in the country including Bulawayo and Harare urban districts with support from Global Fund Round 8.

The film project fits in well in the National Aids Council’s behaviour change strategy where the focus in on encouraging young people to adopt safer sexual behaviour and reduction in risk behaviour.

If it expands and the film project is to be copied to other health campaigns, health professionals envisage a decline in opportunistic infections.

Dr Zibani Dube, a medical practitioner in Bulawayo said a thorough campaign that targets young people is the only panacea to stop new HIV infections.

“We have to send the message to the young people. Simple messages about safe sex practices and behaviour change are sure to bring change for the better,” he said.