- Public Awareness
Consent is Sexy
The Consent is Sexy! Campaign is a campaign with a vital message around the importance of consensual sex, respect and open communication. This campaign consists of three public service announcements that highlight the importance, not only of communication around sex within a relationship, but also to be aware of one’s self and one’s physiological sexual desire versus emotional readiness. It emphasises that we need to respect our partners not only when in a casual relationship but also in a marriage. Sex is always better when both partners want it.
Change the Tune
Change the Tune! is a radio programme consisting of two 26-episode series. Each episode runs for 30 minutes, and deals with a different aspect within gender and gender-based violence.
mehlo-maya (eye-to-the-sun) was commissioned to produce the radio programme, and designed the programmes to be cutting edge, informative and innovative. The objectives of the programme are to encourage honest and open discussion around gender and gender-based violence, and educate listeners.
As reported previously, Nisaa entered into a partnership with Channel Africa in the production of the series, and this resulted in the full series being broadcast over Channel Africa, going out to 54 African countries and an approximate 6.5 million listeners. The series is also on the Internet.
During the past year Nisaa has been extending the programme into community radio stations. Following a research initiative conducted in 2009, the strategy with community radio stations has been to develop a workbook that accompanies the series. This workbook suggests that the programme be slotted into a 1 hour or 1.5 hour slot, and that some of the issues raised in the programme are then highlighted by the presenter, and can be discussed in the language in which the station broadcasts. The workbook suggests phone-ins, interviews with gender NGOs in the province, poetry competitions, drama competitions, etc. It also suggests out-of-studio activities that can be developed around the programme. The workbook has been completed, and stations have agreed to use the material.
The workbook covers Series One, and there are plans for the coming financial year, to implement Series Two in the same way.
Five stations in five provinces have come on board, and are in the process of signing a Memorandum of Agreement, with a Monitoring and Evaluation component. The stations are:
- Alex-fm in Gauteng,
- Unitra Community Radio in Eastern Cape,
- Teemaneng in Northern Cape,
- Mafisa Community Radio in North West, and
- Barberton Community Radio in Mpumalanga.
These radio stations have revealed quite positive feedback and outstanding outcomes as a result of the programme.
- The programme is well packaged and topics are good as they are relevant to their community, however language posed a problem, as the presenter felt that they would have gotten a better response had the programme been in Setswana
- They felt that the workbook was helpful and that it helps explore what’s in the episode.
- In general Change the Tune, has added value to their programming as it teaches them about gender and gender based violence and what to do if they are faced with such a situation. It also brings reflects things that have really happened. “It is education and at the same time our listeners are being entertained.”
- Feedback from listeners has been positive
- “Yes, the programme is working, we practice what we have been taught”. Another comment open to interpretation is “what we hear is what we engage”. In my opinion it suggests that if the audience hears more positive messages that are informative and driving communities away from accepting gender based violence as a norm, then this is what the community will engage in.
- “People have learnt that women have the right to live like anyone else.”
- It was also commented that the programmes have helped the community to speak out
- “Too many women don’t know that they can speak out about abuse, but the programme is changing attitudes”
- It was highlighted that the jingles used made it easy to follow
- Callers who revealed that they were being abused were referred to local NGOs for assistance
- Barberton Community Radio in Mpumalanga would like to start a listeners’ association where after each programme is aired a group of people would sit and discuss the episode and link it with key issues faced within the community. This would then be aired after he programme making it more appealing to the community.
- Barberton Community Radio also ran a sexual abuse awareness campaign, and the programme on childhood survivors for rape (Tumelo’s Story) supplemented their campaign nicely.
- From the comments made by the presenters it is clear that the content and concepts are well understood by them
- Some stations would like to rebroadcast all of the programmes
- The fact that the programmes use the voices of survivors makes the programme a more appealing feature. “It is easy to relate to”
- At Teemaneng Stereo in the Northern Cape, the programme has prompted the station to apply for a toll free-line. Secondly the programme has influenced gender dynamic within the station as well, from interpersonal relationships at the workplace to a change in attitude of all presenters in their programmes. Thirdly, the station has decided to hold gender workshops once a month
- The station manager at Teemaneng is the head of the provincial community radio station forum in the Northern Cape and he would like to copy the programme and have it aired in the other stations. The forum has seven members. The station manager has also requested the two presenters of the programme to go into studio and speak about the making of the series.
There are also plans to implement this programme in the other four provinces.
Date Rape Campaign
Nisaa’s Date Rape Campaign is a long standing campaign that addresses Secondary School learners with the aim of increasing awareness and informing them about date rape. The campaign makes use of a workbook that provides learners with reading material, and the opportunity to debate around the issue. An information booklet is also distributed to make the necessary information available to learners. On completion of the workshop, learners are asked to complete a survey that assesses their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes about gender and sex.
In September 2008, Nisaa’s date rape booklet was updated to include information from the amended version of the Sexual Offences Act. It contains information about the way in which survivors of rape should be treated at the police station and by medical professionals. In addition the booklet provides information that looks at:
- Signs of an abusive dating relationship;
- Types of abuse;
- Rape, date rape, drug related rapes;
- Myths and facts about rape and date rape;
- HIV and AIDS;
- Protective measures to guard against being the victim of a drug related rape;
- How you might feel after being raped;
- A list of national agencies that can be contacted for help (for females and males).