MTV Suga puts focus on teen girls ahead of Aids conference
MTV Base will stage a special event based around HIV and AIDS drama MTV Shuga at Durban's Denis Hurley Centre this Sunday afternoon.
AS delegates descend on Durban for the International AIDS Conference next week, the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, Viacom International Media Network (VIMN) Africa and MTV Base (DStv channel 322) will stage a special satellite event based around HIV and AIDS drama MTV Shuga at Durban’s Denis Hurley Centre this weekend.
The newest series of MTV Shuga, to be set and filmed in South Africa, will highlight the topic of adolescent girls, and their vulnerability towards HIV infection, and unintended pregnancy.
MTV Shuga will take over the Denis Hurley Centre in Cathedral Road, this Sunday, 17 July for an afternoon of outreach activities targeted at adolescents from the local community and delegates from the conference. Activities will include a screening of MTV Shuga’s fourth season for Durban teens, and a Question and Answer session with MTV Base VJ Sizwe Dhlomo and actress Mohau Mokoatle Cele, who plays the role of “Bongi” in the MTV Shuga TV series.
The day will be rounded out with a panel discussion on findings of a recent poll focusing on adolescent girls by Dr Jim Lees of the University of Western Cape HIV and AIDS programme. The study explores the social impact MTV Shuga has had on behaviour and attitudes towards safe sex among South African adolescent girls (between 15 and 19 years old), among whom HIV prevalence is up to eight times higher than adolescent males.
Georgia Arnold, Executive Director, MTV Staying Alive Foundation, Dr Granville Whittle, Deputy Director General, Department of Basic Education (Government of South Africa), and Dr Fareed Abdullah, CEO of the South African National AIDS Council will be among the panelists.
The session will conclude with some summary remarks from Professor Peter Piot, Director, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and ex-Director, UNAIDS, and Sandy Thurman, Chief Strategy Officer, PEPFAR; and a networking braai with participants from the local community.
Joining them will be two students from Umbilo Secondary School, who will be talking about what life is really like for an adolescent schoolgirl, and how MTV Shuga has positively influenced their behaviour.
Visit www.mtvshuga.com or www.mtvbase.com, for more information or join the conversation about the event using the hashtag #MTVShugaSALaunch.
