This project used face-to-face interaction to expose young deejays in Nigeria (who hold positions of authority amongst their listeners) to HIV/AIDS-related issues, in an effort to shape the way they disseminate preventative education through their musical productions.

The premise is that music can be a means of sharing information and raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and other issues; the strategy is based on the idea that participants would pass messages and memories from their experience in this training session to listeners through their nationwide broadcasts.

The project was geared toward participation: involving young musical artists in an experience that was designed to provide them with an understanding the issues that people living with HIV/AIDS face.

Specifically, the training sessions included personal interaction with people living with HIV/AIDS as well as a visit to Wuse General Hospital in Abuja, where all of the participants experienced HIV testing and counselling firsthand.

The deejays came from 10 radio stations in Lagos, Kano and Abuja and were joined by a group of rap artists/musicians known as “the Black Family & Skufaze.” The organisers sought to use the Black Family as an example of an urban youth-oriented music group that is dedicating their work to HIV/AIDS awareness. The organisers also invited internationally known DJ Georges Collinet to help the trainees integrate the information they had learned creatively into their rap between songs in a way that appeals to their young audience. Subsequently, during the training session, the Black Family wrote a song, whose chorus echoed, “Umh-ha Alele. Go-um-ha Alele…oooh, you’ve got to know your status…” The band is working on a music video of this song which encourages young people to get tested for HIV.

Youth, HIV/AIDS.

According to the organisers, "The training helped to improve the deejays' knowledge of HIV/AIDS issues, with a particular focus on voluntary counselling and testing, and sensitised them to the key role they can play in reaching their young listeners with life-saving information."

Internews has carried out similar work to that described here with radio DJs in Kenya.