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Ombetja Yehinga (The Red Ribbon) - Namibia
CountryBurkina Faso, Japan, Namibia RegionGlobal, Africa, South East and East Asia
Programme Summary
Ombetja Yehinga (which means "the Red Ribbon") is an initiative to produce short films, plays, newsletters, and books by and for young people. These materials are intended to reach young people with informational and educational messages about sex, relationships, and HIV/AIDS. Ombetja Yehinga reaches out to 62 schools in the Kunene, Erongo, and Khomas Regions of Namibia.
Communication Strategies
Ombetja Yehinga uses art to create awareness. Through a participatory process, teachers and learners are sensitised to the threat of HIV/AIDS, as well as to the need for care and support of the affected. Through the programme, students form clubs that devote time to writing songs, dramas, and poems about HIV in order to reach other youth. The groups also produce short video films using students as actors.
Specific activities have included:
- Five short films featuring music:
- Amanda: This film is structured like a Greek tragedy with a chorus providing direction to the protagonists, three young women named Amanda who attend school together in a small rural community called Sesfontein. Amanda 1 meets a young boy on her way to school; he tries to convince her to have an affair with him, but she does not feel ready and eventually refuses. Amanda 2 has been living with Edison for a long time. They feel ready for a commitment and discuss marriage. Amanda 3 often goes to local bars where she meets prospective sexual partners. She only gets involved with those who are ready to use a condom. The film originated from a song created in 2001 by students in the Elias Amxab Combined School, Sesfontein. It was first performed in English but is included in the film in Khoekhoegowab, the local language. It is now a well-known song in the region and is often heard at various gatherings.
- Can Love Cry?: Based on a song featuring traditional rhythms that was created in 2002 by students at Braunfels Agriculture High School, this film features a traditional dance largely appreciated among young people, called the Zak. The film consists of 5 short clips, each addressing some aspect of HIV/AIDS in Namibia. In the film, Remember is a young teenager attending the isolated Braunfels Agriculture High School, which admits only boys. While Remember is walking to school with 3 friends to perform with the choir, he meets a lady in red. He seems, however, to be the only one able to see her. As the concert begins, the viewer sees images of Remember dating the young woman - but is this happening only in his dreams, or is it a dream come true? The film highlights the choices available for young people to protect themselves, the role youth can play in raising awareness within their own communities, and the pain of losing parents to the disease. Can Love Cry? was launched in Windhoek and shown on national television for World AIDS Day (2002). In addition, it was one of 20 films shown at the Panafrican Film and Television Festival in Burkina Faso in February 2003 and one of 100 films shown at the Tokyo Africa Film Festival in Japan in September 2003. It is expected that the film will be distributed to schools throughout Japan along with a teaching guide for use in the classroom.
- I Can't Imagine: This documentary features the work of a teacher at Alpha Combined School, which is located in a part of the country with a heavy population of Ovahimba people. Ovahimba have strong traditional values and customs. Most of them do not speak English and many of their children do not attend school. As a result, they are often deemed uneducated. They are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. In order to help these communities understand the threat posed by HIV/AIDS, this teacher encouraged a group of students aged 14 to 16 to create a club and to learn more about the disease. She joins this group as they visit rural communities to present facts about the disease, demonstrate the proper use of condoms, and distribute condoms. Students also create songs that they teach to the communities in an effort to create unity in the fight against the disease in this region. The song used in this film is in the local language, Otjiherero (Hina Kuripura, "I Can't Imagine"). The words are along these lines "I can't imagine the world without you, despite the AIDS pandemic."
- It Is Me and You: Based on a song created in 2001 by students at Outjo Secondary School, the film has a message of hope and solidarity. The rhythm has been re-worked for the film in order to integrate it to the religious environment of the funeral that occurs. Specifically, Jones and Foxy are brother and sister. Both of their parents have died from AIDS-related illnesses. During their father's funeral, they ask themselves what will happen to them, as life seems suddenly unfair and difficult. Two of their friends, after the ceremony, respond by organising with other young people in the town of Outjo a massive awareness campaign on HIV/AIDS. They distribute condoms and pamphlets about the disease to their peers and to adults.
- The Days are So Long: This film, based on a song created in 2001 by students in Outjo Secondary School, tells the story of Tasha, a student at that school. She continues engaging in sexual activity with her many boyfriends, despite the advice of her brother Pandu. One day, she discovers that she is HIV-positive and commits suicide in front of her brother. Some time later, Teddy, another student at the same school, discovers that she is also HIV-positive. She feels lonely and stigmatised. Thanks to Pandu, she will find hope and love again. The message in the song, performed by Teddy is: "Take my hand, I'm tired and lonely, Give me love, Give me hope". This song has been adopted as the slogan for the celebration of the World AIDS Day in Namibia.
- The bi-monthly newsletter Ombetja Yehinga - 5 issues have been printed so far.
- The show The Hyena's Disease, which was produced in Windhoek in March 2002 and performed throughout Oshakati in June 2002. A documentary prepared with NBC of the same title was broadcast several times.
- Book projects published by Gamsberg MacMillan, including The Hyena's Disease (featuring photos and poems by students) and Challenging the Namibian Perception of Sexuality: A Case Study of the Ovahimba and Ovaherero Culturo-sexual Models in Kunene North in an HIV/AIDS Context.
- A fashion show on self-esteem called Isolation conducted in collaboration with textile art students at the Visual Arts Department of the University of Namibia. Models included students, people living with HIV, gay people, people with hearing impairments, expatriates, and people from different cultural groups. A gala evening was held in Windhoek in November 2003.
Ombetja Yehinga informs young people and others about its activities through newspapers, especially The Namibian and The Allgemeine Zeitung.
Development Issues
Youth, Children, HIV/AIDS, Agriculture.
Key Points
The 2002 antenatal statistics indicate that 22.3% of the Namibian population is HIV positive. The programme currently operates in Kunene Region because HIV prevalence there is comparatively very low (9%); thus, organisers think, there is still a possibility of containing the pandemic.
Partners
French Service for Co-operation and Cultural Affairs, UNICEF, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID, the Kunene Regional Council, the Commercial Bank of Namibia Theatre School, the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture, and the Take Control Campaign.
Source
Letter sent from Philippe Talavera to The Communication Initiative on December 2 2002; and letter sent from Rianne Selle to The Communication Initiative on November 28 2003; and "Success Stories" on the USAID site.
Placed on the Communication Initiative site December 21 2002
Last Updated December 15 2003
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