IMAGINE AFRIKA
First authentic African reality show kicks off on TV sets across Africa

Television audiences across Africa witnessed the first ever uniquely African inspired and produced reality television show – Imagine Afrika – as more than 50 African broadcast companies began airing the 13 part series that pits 12 young African achievers, chosen from more than 10,000 nominees from across the continent, in a series of tough challenges tackling some of the most intractable problems affecting local communities across Africa.

The primary goal of Imagine Afrika is to demonstrate the power of personal initiative, self esteem and leadership in achieving an HIV-free generation and a better future for all Africans. Contestants focus on factors driving the HIV/AIDS epidemic such as poverty, lack of opportunity and services. Audiences are drawn into the thrill of solution solving and decision-making as the teams demonstrate their talents and leadership to promote the vision of an HIV-free generation and challenge all Africans as individuals and as part of families, communities and nations to think how they can contribute to that goal.

Each week audiences across 31 African countries will vote for their favorite teams and a special panel will score the teams efforts. All the scoring will be tallied and the teams will come together for a thrilling finale.

This show is a program of the African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS and has been developed as part of its YOU campaign, a multi-year pan-African HIV/AIDS public education program launched in December 2006. With a potential audience of more than 200 million viewers, this show marks the first time that such a broad-based coalition of African broadcast companies have come together to share programming rights free.

In addition member companies have pledged a minimum of 5% of daytime programming (approximately one hour daily) to HIV/AIDS related programming and are devoting their own personnel, production and budgetary resources in developing HIV/AIDS-related programming across different program formats.

For more Information go to www.imagineafrika.com
For more Information on the ABMP go to www.broadcasthivafrica.org
For more information on the YOU campaign go to: www.itbeginswithyou.org

Can Tru Love Withstand The Test?

An exciting new Radio mini-drama series from the ABMP

Beginning in October, the ABMP also kicked off its new radio edu-drama series, called Can Tru Love Withstand The Test? The first three part edu-drama series features the real-life choices and consequences people face in their day-to-day living as they face decisions about relationships, sex and HIV/AIDS.

The edu-dramas have been developed to better utilize radio to help drive the YOU campaign and to communicate more substantive information regarding HIV/AIDS prevention. The edu-dramas are intended to provide material for radio talk shows, and, over time, it is hoped the main characters of the series will become well known
and listeners will identify with their real life challenges and tough choices.

For more Information on the ABMP go to www.broadcasthivafrica.org
For more information on the YOU campaign go to: www.itbeginswithyou.org

3rd ABMP Annual Executive Summit holds in Nairobi Chief Executives reiterate their commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS Over 65 chief executives gathered at the Windsor Hotel in Nairobi on September 5 to participate in the 3rd Annual Executive Summit of the African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (ABMP). The meeting offered the opportunity for the ABMP leadership to examine and discuss the progress, impact and public response to the YOU campaign since its launch on World AIDS Day 2006. The chief executives’ agenda also identified additional priorities moving forward, including the introduction of a TV reality show series and a radio edu-drama mini-series. Both shows have since kicked off on television and radio stations across the continent. These shows are geared towards facilitating and enhancing local programme development and production capacity regarding HIV/AIDS prevention for TV and radio audiences. Outgoing Chair of the Steering Committee, Mr. Solly Mokoetle, presented the annual report to the members, where he elaborated on the work and progress of the Partnership since its last annual meeting in Maputo, including the increase in membership which has since grown to 32 countries and 53 public and private companies. Further development in the following areas were also noted by Mr. Mokoetle: Coordinated the first ever continent-wide simultaneous broadcast on World AIDS Day 2006 Launched and continued development of first ever pan-African HIV/AIDS public education campaign: the YOU campaign Initiated development of first-pan African reality show for launch in October 2007 Significant additional funding has been secured to support core content development Member companies have substantially increased their commitment of air-time and programming resources Collaborative relationships have been established with the African Union, World Health Organization and UNAIDS. Other issues of the summit agenda included the election of new members of the Steering Committee, who are responsible for overseeing day-to-day implementation of the initiative and who will serve for 2 years as well as the presentation of the 2nd ABMP Members Scorecard report. Launched in October, 2005, the ABMP is an historic pan-African coalition of broadcaster companies across African countries for the purpose of reinvigorating and increasing the effectiveness of broadcast media’s pivotal role in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. This role continues to make contributions to the realization of a comprehensive pan-African framework for the development of HIV/AIDS-related broadcast content. Agenda - English Agenda - French Agenda - Portuguese Annual Report - English Annual Report - French For more Information on the ABMP go to www.broadcasthivafrica.org For more information on the YOU campaign go to: www.itbeginswithyou.org

Ms. Joyce Mhaville was nominated at the Chair of the Steering Committee at the just-concluded Executive’s Summit in Nairobi. Ms. Joyce Mhaville is the Managing Director, ITV-Independent Television Limited and Radio One, Tanzania, a private broadcasting station where 62% of its programs are locally produced and has an actual share of 63% of viewership of the Tanzania population. Ms. Mhaville manages all television and radio operations for the company as well as oversee news and current affairs content. Ms. Mhaville, who has over 20 years of media industry experience, is also a qualified news and current affairs reporter, producer, presenter and photojournalist. Her media repertoire include the Tanzania Standard Newspaper (Daily and Sunday News), the Mwananchi & Express Weekly Papers, Radio Tanzania External Services, the BBC World Service (Swahili and Russian Services), and Reuters. Ms. Mhaville has a Masters of Art degree in Journalism. She is the current Vice President of Media Council of Tanzania. She is fluent in written and spoken Kiswahili, English, Russian and a bit of French. See list of members of the Steering Committee.

Upcoming Meetings and Conferences:

• GBC Media Workshop for Business Journalists on the Private Sector Response to HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. October 26, 2007. Nairobi, Kenya
  While the media in Africa have made great strides in building awareness about the effect of HIV/AIDS on the community at large, journalists have largely not addressed the impact of HIV/AIDS on business. This workshop will target business and news editors of major media houses in order to enable more focused reporting on how the AIDS pandemic is affecting business and how the private sector is responding to the disease.
  
  Contact: Patricia Mugambi, pmugambi@businessfightsaids.org
  For more, click here
  
  
• 3rd Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights: Sexuality, Poverty & Accountability in Africa. 4-7, February, 2008, Abuja, Nigeria
  
  The Third Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights is being convened by Action Health Incorporated (AHI) under the auspices of the African Federation for Sexual Health and Rights – the regional representative body of the World Association for Sexual Health.
  
  This conference will look at the issue of accountability from all perspectives including, but not limited to: fiscal responsibility in sexual health and rights work, ensuring equality of access to sexual health information, education and services, participation of target populations in programming, support to and rehabilitation of victims of rights abuses, sustainability and community ownership of programmes and the empowerment of disenfranchised and vulnerable populations. The goal of the conference is to examine the interrelationships between poverty and sexuality and also how the issue of accountability affects sexual health and social well-being in Africa.
  
  For more on the conference, go to www.africasexuality.org
  
  
• Communique on ICASA 2008, 8th - 11th December, Dakar Senegal
  
  The Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) hereby announces the change in the venue and date of the 15th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA), which was originally scheduled to take place in Libreville , Gabon in December 2007. The next ICASA is now scheduled to hold in Dakar , Senegal from 8-11 December 2008. This decision was taken by the Executive Council of the SAA in conjunction with the International Steering Committee during the meeting held in Libreville , Gabon in January 2007 after it became clear that it would be impossible to hold the ICASA in Gabon owing to logistical problems that could not be overcome by December 2007. It therefore became necessary to appoint a new chair for the 15th ICASA in the person of Professor Souleymane Mboup who has already put all machinery in place to ensure a highly successful ICASA in 2008.
  
  We apologize for any inconvenience hereby caused to all stakeholders, and well wishers. We wish to thank the Gabonese government for the effort made to host ICASA 2007. We also thank the Senegalese Government for accepting to host the conference in 2008.
  Announcer: Professor Femi Soyinka. The President, Society for AIDS in Africa
  
  The 15th ICASA will take place in Dakar from December 8-11, 2008.
  Registration opens November 2007.
  
  For more information on ICASA Dakar, go to www.icasa2008.saafrica.org