Intersexions

The first season of this TV drama series comprises 26 episodes that examine how that which remains unsaid in love, relationships, and sex may place us at greatest risk of HIV infection. In the first season each of the episodes built on different characters forming a romantic or sexual link in a chain binding all South Africans. It focused on love, loss, heartbreak, joy, friendship, hatred, honesty and deceit. Believable characters acted out situations anyone could relate to, with each episode teasing you with what might come next.

The series was extensively supported through weekly discussions on 10 SABC radio stations, public relations to promote the show, a blog featuring weekly updates on the show, and social networking through Facebook and Twitter. Surveys were conducted by the Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation (CADRE), involving a post-broadcast, qualitative audience evaluation conducted in six provinces between April and June 2011. Results found that the viewers found the stories believable and relatable, and that the shows prompted discussions among viewers.

The show is the product of a collaborative partnership between SABC 1, SABC Education and Johns Hopkins Health and Education in SA (JHHESA). JHHESA interviewed over 2,000 people in 39 communities to understand their stories and their perceptions on current issues. It combined that research with a national communication survey of 10,000 people and fed the results to the Intersexions creative team.The show won 11 South African Television and Film Awards, a Peabody Award, and an Africomnet Best Mass Media Award 2012.

Source: Johns Hopkins Health and Education South Africa

Date of Publication: May 26, 2021