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Plans are underway to put Kenya's campaign against HIV/AIDS on the airwaves via 'Heart and Soul', a soap opera for television and radio, a UNDP statement announced on Monday. Street theatre performances are also in the works.
Kenyan television and radio stars have signed on to the project, which has gained support from all the UN family in Nairobi and local and international sponsors. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is administering the project.
'Heart and Soul' was previewed at UN Day ceremonies recently in Nairobi, with Marsen Madoka, minister in the Office of the President, whose docket includes HIV/AIDS, presiding. Pilot radio broadcasts in English and Kiswahili are scheduled for December and January. Television production will start in April if funding is secured, looking towards regular weekly broadcasts by the end of 2002.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that 'Heart and Soul' seems "an excellent venture and a valuable vehicle by which to raise awareness about issues such as HIV/AIDS prevention," in a message to Klaus Topfer, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme and head of the UN Nairobi Office. Annan saluted the collaboration among the 24 agencies based in Nairobi in promoting the initiative.
A main theme of 'Heart and Soul' is the need to reduce promiscuity to stop the spread of the HIV virus. One plot, for example, depicts an aging husband yielding to the charms of a much younger, attractive woman who also seduces his son. The drama also plans to bring in other issues of concern, such as poverty, corruption, environmental protection, governance, human rights and gender.
The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation will shoot the episodes with technical assistance from the BBC, carrier of the long-standing and popular soap opera 'East Enders', the inspiration for 'Heart and Soul'. The UN Nairobi Office is seeking $750,000 to fund the first phase of the project.
Click here www.heartandsoulafrica.org to visit the 'Heart and Soul' web site.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions