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Soul City Instutute for Health and Development Communication
South Africa’s Premier Edutainment Project
The Soul City Philosophy and Methodology
| The Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication (SC IHDC) is a social change project which aims to impact on society at the individual, community and socio-political levels. SC IHDC is South Africa’s premier edutainment project. A non governmental organisation, it was established in 1992 at a time when South Africa was on the cusp of democratic change. It is a health promotion organisation, subscribing to the principles of the World Health Organisation’s Ottawa Charter. According to the Ottawa Charter, health is a product of a range of intersectoral actions that include building an enabling environment, advocacy for health public policy, community action, developing personal skills and reorientating the health services towards the health promotion approach. |  |
While many health projects focus on
influencing the individual alone, Soul City IHDC views good health as a
product not simply of individual choices, but as the product of an
enabling environment in which the structural barriers to achieving
health and development are removed.
Soul City IHDC also views health and development as integrally related: poor health impedes development and development is central to improving global health.
The diagram below represents the edutainment model that The Soul City IHDC uses to inform its programming. Edutainment has been defined as the art of integrating social issues into popular and high-quality entertainment formats, based on a thorough research process. SC IHDC uses prime time television and radio dramas to engage mass audiences in a powerful way.
Soul City IHDC also views health and development as integrally related: poor health impedes development and development is central to improving global health.
The diagram below represents the edutainment model that The Soul City IHDC uses to inform its programming. Edutainment has been defined as the art of integrating social issues into popular and high-quality entertainment formats, based on a thorough research process. SC IHDC uses prime time television and radio dramas to engage mass audiences in a powerful way.
Key Principles Of Our Approach
Developing effective educational
media is not just about what you do but how you do
it. Two elements, research and the
creation of partnerships are at the heart of our
approach.
- Research. Through vigorous research SC IHDC consults both audiences and experts. All materials are thoroughly tested with audiences to ensure that the materials are effective. Through formative research the lived experiences and voices of the communities are captured, giving the materials resonance and credibility.
- Partnerships. Materials are developed in partnership with organisations active in the issues dealt with. This ensures shared ownership and involvement ensuring the material are both appropriate and will be used. Where possible, programmes are integrated into wider local initiatives and strategies to achieve maximum impact.
Additional principles that govern our work
include:
- Drama can teach! Human beings have always learnt through stories which can provide positive models for behaviour. Drama creates identification and gives a human face to issues such as HIV/AIDS.
- Use media to access maximum audience. This means prime time for radio and TV.
- A mix of media (multi-media) works well. Different media reach different audiences and have different strengths. For instance radio tends to be more accessible to rural people than television although these trends are changing.
- Create a sustained intervention or ‘ongoing vehicle’ which brings popularity and credibility over time. This reduces lag time and draws in audiences at the outset of the dramas. It also allows the project to deal with a range of issues over time.
- Promote and market the intervention to ensure the maximum audience.
- Brand all material with one core identity to tie the different media together.
The Soul
City IHDC edutainment model is divided into inputs and outputs. The
inputs are those elements necessary for optimising the core mass-media
vehicle. The outputs are the results that are expected from the core
vehicle.
INPUTS
1) The Edutainment
Vehicle - The Power of Drama
The edutainment vehicle is at the core of the model. Edutainment is the process whereby entertainment formats are used for educational and health promotion purposes. Soul City IHDC has two edutainment vehicles -- the Soul City project aimed at the general public of all ages, and the Soul Buddyz project, aimed at 8 to 12-year-olds, their teachers and caregivers. These vehicles consist of prime time television and radio dramas as well as print material that are all operationalised in synergy with one another.
Soul City IHDC chose the dramatic genre for its many advantages as a development communication tool.
The edutainment vehicle is at the core of the model. Edutainment is the process whereby entertainment formats are used for educational and health promotion purposes. Soul City IHDC has two edutainment vehicles -- the Soul City project aimed at the general public of all ages, and the Soul Buddyz project, aimed at 8 to 12-year-olds, their teachers and caregivers. These vehicles consist of prime time television and radio dramas as well as print material that are all operationalised in synergy with one another.
Soul City IHDC chose the dramatic genre for its many advantages as a development communication tool.
- It can attract primetime audiences
of millions in a way that didactic educational programmes are unable
to. Didactic programmes -- if broadcast at all -- tend to be relegated
to time slots when very few people are listening or viewing.
- Drama can attract advertising revenue for the broadcaster, providing an incentive to place the programmes on primetime. The dramatic genre entices people and keeps them coming back for more, guaranteeing a regular audience. Because it attracts primetime audiences, it is also attractive to funders and commercial sponsors, who are guaranteed a high profile through their association with the project.
Through personal identification with characters, as well as through moving storylines, the dramatic genre is emotive and persuasive. This enables it to shift social norms, impacting on deeply held negative attitudes, and practices. Audiences often relate deeply to certain characters and even experience their life stories vicariously. This phenomenon is referred to as "parasocial interaction".
- Drama programmes get people talking -- not only about exciting storylines, and interesting characters, but also about the issues that are woven into the programmes. It is also often easier to speak about certain issues, such as AIDS or sex in the third person. Drama allows one to do this. Stimulating constructive public debate is thought to be a powerful change agent in development communication. It creates a supportive environment for social change.
- Successful drama has the potential to be ongoing. Both the Soul City and Soul Buddyz series have achieved this, having consistently attained top audience ratings since their inception. One series promotes and markets the next. The lessons learned from one series can also inform the formative research and implementation of the next series. Soul City has pioneered the use of the ongoing edutainment vehicle and has won numerous awards for its excellence in this regard.
- Drama can attract advertising revenue for the broadcaster, providing an incentive to place the programmes on primetime. The dramatic genre entices people and keeps them coming back for more, guaranteeing a regular audience. Because it attracts primetime audiences, it is also attractive to funders and commercial sponsors, who are guaranteed a high profile through their association with the project.
Through personal identification with characters, as well as through moving storylines, the dramatic genre is emotive and persuasive. This enables it to shift social norms, impacting on deeply held negative attitudes, and practices. Audiences often relate deeply to certain characters and even experience their life stories vicariously. This phenomenon is referred to as "parasocial interaction".
- Drama programmes get people talking -- not only about exciting storylines, and interesting characters, but also about the issues that are woven into the programmes. It is also often easier to speak about certain issues, such as AIDS or sex in the third person. Drama allows one to do this. Stimulating constructive public debate is thought to be a powerful change agent in development communication. It creates a supportive environment for social change.
- Successful drama has the potential to be ongoing. Both the Soul City and Soul Buddyz series have achieved this, having consistently attained top audience ratings since their inception. One series promotes and markets the next. The lessons learned from one series can also inform the formative research and implementation of the next series. Soul City has pioneered the use of the ongoing edutainment vehicle and has won numerous awards for its excellence in this regard.
The Soul City IHDC has chosen to use
more than one edutainment medium because multimedia has several
advantages:
1. The same audience can be reached in different ways
2. Some audiences can be better reached with certain kinds of media. For example, in South Africa most rural audiences are best reached by radio, while urban audiences are best reached by television.
3. Different mediums have different strengths. The electronic media is a powerful tool to shift social norms and attitudes but cannot communicate detailed information. Print media can carry more detailed information that can be read at the reader’s own pace and then kept as an ongoing reference.
1. The same audience can be reached in different ways
2. Some audiences can be better reached with certain kinds of media. For example, in South Africa most rural audiences are best reached by radio, while urban audiences are best reached by television.
3. Different mediums have different strengths. The electronic media is a powerful tool to shift social norms and attitudes but cannot communicate detailed information. Print media can carry more detailed information that can be read at the reader’s own pace and then kept as an ongoing reference.
2) The Formative Research Process
This formative research process is
central to the Soul City IHDC’s methodology. It is what creates the
difference between edutainment and pure entertainment and is a hallmark
of all quality edutainment projects. Too often health and development
communicators assume they know what is best for audiences, but get it
all wrong. Experts are often out of touch with the very people they
hope to communicate with. The Soul City IHDC’s formative research
process - outlined below -- combines the inputs from experts as well as
the audience at large to develop material that is meaningful, effective
and appropriate.
Step one: Consulting
widely with experts and key stakeholders on the topic issues. This
includes government as well as civil society and (including
non-governmental and community based organisations, activists and
academics).
Step two: Consulting audience members about what they know, their concerns, their attitudes to the issue and the barriers that exist to positive change.
Step three: Role players and experts are brought together. They are presented with the findings from the first two steps. They then help define the issues to be included in the edutainment product and the way in which these issues will be dealt with.
Step four: A message brief that defines these messages is produced. This forms the blueprint for the creative team (producers, directors and scriptwriters) to work off in developing the TV and radio dramas.
Step five: The creative team use the message brief to integrate the issues into the entertainment vehicle. This is done in a creative workshop where the creative team is briefed and brainstorms how best to do this.
Step six: A draft outline is produced. This is tested with the experts, role players and audience members. After this, full scripts are produced.
Step seven: The scripts go through a writing and testing process until the issues are have been well integrated while ensuring the product maintains its entertainment value.
Step eight: The material is produced, broadcast, printed and distributed.
Step nine:The materials are evaluated. Lessons learned are integrated into future productions.
Step two: Consulting audience members about what they know, their concerns, their attitudes to the issue and the barriers that exist to positive change.
Step three: Role players and experts are brought together. They are presented with the findings from the first two steps. They then help define the issues to be included in the edutainment product and the way in which these issues will be dealt with.
Step four: A message brief that defines these messages is produced. This forms the blueprint for the creative team (producers, directors and scriptwriters) to work off in developing the TV and radio dramas.
Step five: The creative team use the message brief to integrate the issues into the entertainment vehicle. This is done in a creative workshop where the creative team is briefed and brainstorms how best to do this.
Step six: A draft outline is produced. This is tested with the experts, role players and audience members. After this, full scripts are produced.
Step seven: The scripts go through a writing and testing process until the issues are have been well integrated while ensuring the product maintains its entertainment value.
Step eight: The material is produced, broadcast, printed and distributed.
Step nine:The materials are evaluated. Lessons learned are integrated into future productions.
3) Forging Partnerships
The success of an edutainment project relies on a committed group of
partners. These include:
- People who produce the edutainment. They include researchers, scriptwriters, producers, funders, marketers and actors.
- People whose buy-in is needed to ensure the edutainment vehicle is accessed by the audience. These include the gatekeepers for the topics being addressed, and the media owners. Soul City series media partners include (www.sabc.co.za) - South Africa’s most popular television channel and nine of South Africa’s regional radio stations. The Soul Buddyz series partners include (www.sabceducation.co.za) and SABC 1 as well as nine of South Africa’s regional radio stations. The project also has print partnerships with the following newspapers: The Sunday Times, The Burger, The Sowetan and The Ilanga.
In Soul City IHDC’s experience, these
partnerships work best when both parties have something to gain – that
is, a win-win relationship. The complete buy-in of all partners is
crucial to create top-class edutainment. This means, for example,
giving scriptwriters the creative challenge of creating top-class drama
with social messaging, but paying them well to do it.
It is important to include all partners as early in the process as possible. The more they understand the process and its goals, the more they will be motivated to see the project achieve its aims and objectives.
It is important to include all partners as early in the process as possible. The more they understand the process and its goals, the more they will be motivated to see the project achieve its aims and objectives.
4) Promotion and Marketing
The power of edutainment lies in its
popularity, and this can be maximised with a good promotion and
marketing strategy. The Soul City IHDC invests heavily in this part of
the strategy.
Promotion usually consists of two phases:
- Initiation: This phase tries to get people to watch/listen to the first few performances;
- Maintenance : This phase aims to keep the audience interested.
OUTPUTS
5) Building on Brand
Opportunities
Soul City and Soul Buddyz have become household names in South Africa. The brands are well loved, credible and trusted and this has provided the Soul City IHDC the opportunity to build on these successful brands of popular edutainment, extending the impact of core vehicle and further creating an enabling environment for social change.
Interpersonal Educational materials
The Soul City IHDC produces “interpersonal”, “face-to-face” educational materials for use in groups. Based on the edutainment story these materials explore issues raised in the series in greater depth. Because they are linked to the vehicle and use the brand as well as the well known, popular characters these materials have been found to be more powerful and credible than unlinked materials. The Soul City IHDC has produced adult educational material linking literacy and health outcomes as well as lifeskills material for youth. Training is available for many of the Soul City IHDC’s packs of education material.
Advocacy
As a health promotion project, advocacy forms a key pillar of the Soul City IHDC strategy for social change. Advocacy focuses primarily on policy change to create an enabling environment for health and development. The credibility of the Soul City IHDC’s edutainment vehicles has provided a powerful platform for the organisation to conduct this advocacy work. The Soul City IHDC’s advocacy projects address the broader structural issues that present barriers to change.
Soul City and Soul Buddyz have become household names in South Africa. The brands are well loved, credible and trusted and this has provided the Soul City IHDC the opportunity to build on these successful brands of popular edutainment, extending the impact of core vehicle and further creating an enabling environment for social change.
Interpersonal Educational materials
The Soul City IHDC produces “interpersonal”, “face-to-face” educational materials for use in groups. Based on the edutainment story these materials explore issues raised in the series in greater depth. Because they are linked to the vehicle and use the brand as well as the well known, popular characters these materials have been found to be more powerful and credible than unlinked materials. The Soul City IHDC has produced adult educational material linking literacy and health outcomes as well as lifeskills material for youth. Training is available for many of the Soul City IHDC’s packs of education material.
Advocacy
As a health promotion project, advocacy forms a key pillar of the Soul City IHDC strategy for social change. Advocacy focuses primarily on policy change to create an enabling environment for health and development. The credibility of the Soul City IHDC’s edutainment vehicles has provided a powerful platform for the organisation to conduct this advocacy work. The Soul City IHDC’s advocacy projects address the broader structural issues that present barriers to change.
Awards
Soul City’s Health and Development Worker of the Year competition
Soul City’s Health and Development Worker of the Year competition links Soul City’s credible name to a competition that acknowledges people who make a difference in the field of health and development. This name lends glamour, popularity and credibility to the competition. By publicising the work that finalists do, The Soul City IHDC encourages others to make a difference.
Search for the Star
Soul City IHDC also runs a Search for the Star Competition which helps identify new and exciting acting talent in the country.
6) Actors as Advocates
The actors from the Soul City and Soul Buddyz series are popular and loved throughout South Africa. They often make appearances at public events on behalf of Soul City IHDC - helping to spread the messages of the series. Some of the actors have personally experienced the issues dealt with in the series. This includes for example, experience of violence against women and HIV/AIDS. They have been willing to speak out on their personal experience in the public domain. Their courage and commitment to the objectives of the Soul City IHDC has helped to extend the impact of the Institute’s work.
Soul City’s Health and Development Worker of the Year competition
Soul City’s Health and Development Worker of the Year competition links Soul City’s credible name to a competition that acknowledges people who make a difference in the field of health and development. This name lends glamour, popularity and credibility to the competition. By publicising the work that finalists do, The Soul City IHDC encourages others to make a difference.
Search for the Star
Soul City IHDC also runs a Search for the Star Competition which helps identify new and exciting acting talent in the country.
6) Actors as Advocates
The actors from the Soul City and Soul Buddyz series are popular and loved throughout South Africa. They often make appearances at public events on behalf of Soul City IHDC - helping to spread the messages of the series. Some of the actors have personally experienced the issues dealt with in the series. This includes for example, experience of violence against women and HIV/AIDS. They have been willing to speak out on their personal experience in the public domain. Their courage and commitment to the objectives of the Soul City IHDC has helped to extend the impact of the Institute’s work.
| Patrick Shai Speaks Out "I have been an actor for 27 years,
playing a variety of roles with distinctions, and honored with four
Best Actor Awards. When playing an abusive husband in the Soul City IV
series, I first-hand experienced the pain and scars I was inflicting on
my wife and children.
The events of filming that day are
deeply etched in my mind. I was beating my co-actress and as she
screamed her face was transformed into my wife’s face. Her pleading
sounded just like my wife's and the screams of the children actors
became those of my children. Mixed emotions swelled inside me. The
performance was too real.
I shouted ‘Cut!’ Then I ran outside
and cried. I have never experienced so much pain while performing a
character. But this was not just another performance. I had a rare
opportunity to see myself in a state of anger. Only this time, I could
control my anger.
What really pained me that day was
the realization that inflicting violence is a choice. When I fought
with my wife, bringing her pain and fear, I did not make the right
choice. I now know that violence with women is wrong. Thanks to Soul
City, today I am a crusader against domestic violence."
Yours truly, For all the victims of domestic violence, Patrick Molefe Shai Excerpt from “No Short Cuts in
Entertainment-Education: Designing “Soul City” Step-by-Step”.
1. Usdin, S., Singhal, A., Shongwe,
T., Goldstein, S., & Shabalala, A. (in press). No Short Cuts in
Entertainment-Education: Designing "Soul City" Step-by-Step. In M.
Cody, A. Singhal, E.M. Rogers, and M. Sabido (eds.)
Entertainment-Education Worldwide: History, Research, and Practice.
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
|
7) Achieving Project’s
Social Change Objectives
All these elements combine to impact on society at three levels: the individual, the community and the socio-political environment.
8) Evaluation
Evaluation is an essential part of the Soul City IHDC strategy. It helps determine impact and is important for accountability to the public as well as to funders. Lessons learned are fed back into the development of the IHDC’s future projects. All Soul City projects are independently evaluated.
(Footnote) Papa, M.J., Singhal, A., Law, S., Pant, S., Sood, S., Rogers, E.M., & Shefner-Rogers, C.L. (2001). Entertainment-education and social change: An analysis of parasocial interaction, social learning, collective efficacy, and paradoxical communication. Journal of Communication, 50(4): 31-55.
All these elements combine to impact on society at three levels: the individual, the community and the socio-political environment.
8) Evaluation
Evaluation is an essential part of the Soul City IHDC strategy. It helps determine impact and is important for accountability to the public as well as to funders. Lessons learned are fed back into the development of the IHDC’s future projects. All Soul City projects are independently evaluated.
(Footnote) Papa, M.J., Singhal, A., Law, S., Pant, S., Sood, S., Rogers, E.M., & Shefner-Rogers, C.L. (2001). Entertainment-education and social change: An analysis of parasocial interaction, social learning, collective efficacy, and paradoxical communication. Journal of Communication, 50(4): 31-55.
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