By Olu Victor
The sex and relationships drama series, Shuga, has won the prestigious Gold Award in ‘Edutainment’ at the World Media Festival.
Shot in Lagos, the series which was produced by MTV Staying Alive Foundation and MTV Base (Africa) is an awareness flick on the dangers of HIV/AIDS.
The drama highlights the valuable role that ‘edutainment’ and multimedia communications can play in the battle to reduce the number of HIV infections among Nigerian youth. Shuga is part of a far-reaching multimedia campaign that fuses sexual health messaging with gripping storylines to raise awareness among young people about HIV prevention and reproductive health in Nigeria.
The series stars top celebrities like Ice Prince, Iyanya, Maria Okanrende, Tiwa Savage, Chris Attoh, Ikubese Emmanuel Ifeanyichukwu, Nick Mutuma, Okezie Morro, Dorcas Shola Fapson, Leonora Okine, Sharon Ezeamaka, EFA, and Timini Egbuson among others.
This is the second time that Shuga has won the award. The first series had won Gold in the Public Relations Health Award category in 2010.
The World Media Festival Gold Award recognizes true excellence in modern media communication. Judged by industry experts, the 2014 awards saw 700 entries critiqued for writing, sound, editing, creativity, visuals, insights, and above all the extent to which the programme meets its stated goals and communicates with its intended audience.
“We are honoured to receive the World Media Festival Gold award for Edutainment, recognizing the value ofShuga as a vehicle for communicating messages about public health, as an entertainment experience, and as a grassroots teaching tool,” said Georgia Arnold, Executive Director, MTV Staying Alive Foundation.
According to Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa, although Shuga is set in Nigeria, it follows universal themes. “Shuga showcases the creativity of Nigerian writers, directors and actors. We are delighted that these talented individuals had this mainstream opportunity to demonstrate their talents on TV and other content platforms around the world, using authentic Nigerian voices to paint a new picture of the continent on the global stage, while simultaneously fulfilling important public health goals.”
The third series of Shuga, which was filmed in Lagos was written by Kemi Adesoye and directed by Biyi Bandele. The drama premiered to 52 territories in sub-Saharan African on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) on Sunday 1 December 2013, and was said to have aired to viewers in over 500 million households worldwide.
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