Scenarios from Africa Team

"[...] the synergies created or inspired through the Scenarios process are very real."
External evaluator, Senegal, 2001

"[...] The diversity of the organisations involved was also a source of [the contest's] richness and a factor in its success: neighbourhood youth associations, school youth groups, information centres, support centres of people living with HIV/AIDS, representatives of educational establishments, the communal authorities of the city of Ouagadougou and the town of Dapaong..."
External Evaluation Report, Burkina Faso/Togo, 2003

"The contest has allowed me to weave together a network of contacts which will allow me to put my organisational skills and all my know-how into practice. Our members [used] the contest as a means of making their work more credible [at community level]."
CBO partner, Louga, Senegal

"The contest gives our organisation a special kind of aura."
SIDA-Service, NGO partner, Tambacounda, Senegal

"In such a short time, I have been able to update myself on the stop-AIDS campaign in Africa [...] This is a precious forum for exchanging information and resources on HIV-related communications."
A member of the international jury from Niger

"[...] the knowledge gained of other organizations through the course of this project will be passed on for generations of [Peace Corps] volunteers to come. I can see the impact that Scenarios has had on the anti-AIDS community: for a few months [during the contest] we had a rallying point and a reason to talk to each other. We listened to where the other organizations were doing their work. We saw where services lacked; we filled holes; we saw where we need to go [...]. The creation of the films is only half the battle, the other half is using the humor, pain, strength and inspiration of the young contest winners to show all young people that they count, that what they say matters, that AIDS is about them and that they can change the future of this epidemic."
Peace Corps volunteer, Mataam, Senegal

"With some of the partners we met [through Scenarios], we have gone on to develop strong collaborative relationships that have given us access to powerful resource people who have contributed immeasurably to our awareness raising efforts and to our efforts to stop stigmatization and discrimination… In the process of helping to create these films, designing questionnaires, organizing distribution, working with other organizations, participating in juries, we have met extraordinary community-based partners and bilateral and multilateral donor partners who have expanded our network and reach, brightened our lives, and inspired us with their commitment, devotion and insight."
ACI, NGO partner, Dakar, Senegal to external evaluator

The Team

Photo from the shoot of "Just Once" The essence of SCENARIOS FROM AFRICA is broad-based partnership. The project focuses on generating, maintaining and continually expanding a network of committed partners and on fostering synergies between them. People living with HIV/AIDS play a central role in all aspects of the SCENARIOS process.

The project brings together in one collaborative effort people of all ages, working in highly diverse fields.

The Contest Teams

The contests to date have been implemented by hundreds of organisations and individual outreach workers working in partnership - youth groups, schools, women's groups, and specialised NGOs and associations. The team includes, to cite a few examples, organisations working on behalf of street kids or young people in prisons, networks of school teachers in disadvantaged areas, structures involved in combating substance abuse or fostering the well-being of individuals and families directly affected by HIV.

The Contest Participants and Winners

Photo of young women in Dakar, pre-testing an adapted film script Over 105,000 young Africans have participated in the SCENARIOS contests since 1997. They came from 37 African countries, ranged in age from 5 to 24, and lived in rural, urban and peri-urban areas throughout their countries.

Contest winners often become key resource people in subsequent phases of the project, and are called upon by local partner structures to serve as specialist outreach workers in community-based prevention activities.

The Jurors

Photo of jurors Olga Ouedraogo and Cheick Oumar Sissoko The winners of the SCENARIOS contests are selected at the national and international levels by juries made up of people living with HIV, filmmakers and other specialists in audio-visual production, youth workers, experts in the area of HIV prevention or treatment and care, and young people (especially winners of previous contests).

So far, representatives of over 300 different organisations have served as jurors. Those individuals often point out that SCENARIOS jury duty is particularly conducive to the development of lasting professional contacts and synergies, frequently founded in friendship.

The Film Production Teams

Photo of shoot of "The Warrior" in Ouagadougou: bystanders Specialists from a wide range of scientific and artistic fields collaborate on the adaptation of an original scenario. The adapted script is then pre-tested with the help of community-based organisations, especially organisations of people living with HIV. Then, celebrated filmmakers from the region, working in tandem with African producers, direct teams made up of some of Africa's top acting talent and most accomplished technicians to create the SCENARIOS films. Leading musicians and other celebrities are often involved. Wherever possible, the young author plays a central role in the process.

Film Distribution Partners

Photo from shoot of "Just Once" The films are made available to television broadcasters, always on a non-profit basis. This process has been facilitated by a number of organisations, including the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, Television Trust for the Environment (all United Kingdom), CFI (France), Abraço (Portugal) and Reporters sans Frontières (France and international).

Two primary strategies are used to ensure that the SCENARIOS films are widely distributed at community level in Africa. First of all, shipments of the films on DVD or VHS cassette are sent to SCENARIOS national team leaders, who then get the films into good hands in their respective countries. And secondly, shipments are sent to the headquarters of organisations and businesses in Europe and the United States for subsequent distribution to their offices in Africa. Examples include the Swiss Tropical Institute, the German development organisation GTZ, US Peace Corps, Abraço (Portugal-based, reaching out across Lusophone Africa), CRIPS (France-based, helping to deliver the films across Francophone Africa), PLAN International, the International AIDS Alliance, IPPF and the Royal Tropical Institute of the Netherlands (KIT).

Evaluation Partners

Qualitative and quantitative evaluation activities are designed and implemented in collaboration with international specialists and local partners. Independent consultants are responsible for external evaluation.

Funders and Sponsors

Primary financial support for SCENARIOS FROM THE SAHEL and SCENARIOS FROM AFRICA has been provided by: Comic Relief (UK), The Department for International Development (UK), PLAN International (Burkina Faso), The National Lottery Charities Board (UK), The Pfizer Foundation (USA), UNFPA and Canal + Horizons (France).

Sources of additional support (financial and/or in kind) include: Abraço (Portugal), Academy for Educational Development, Accor, Action Duplication (USA), Africa Consultants International (Senegal), Africare (Tanzania), Air Afrique, Air Burkina, American Red Cross (Tanzania), amnesty international (Togo), Belgian Technical Cooperation, British Council, CFI, Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, Commonwealth Secretariat, Creative Associates International (Benin), CRIPS (France), Deutsche AIDS Stiftung (Germany), DHL (UK, Portugal and USA), Duplication Company (UK), Edward Thompson Group (UK), Emory University (USA), Fine Cut Facilities (UK), Focus on Young Adults (Washington D.C.), Futures Group International (Mali), German Technical Cooperation (GTZ; various countries), Humphries Video Services (UK), Initiative Jeunes (Niger), ITN (UK), Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (Ghana), Kellmatt (UK), Kinkos, Médecins sans frontières, Mister Video (Portugal), National Alliance Against AIDS (ANCS; Senegal), Newcastle Sporting Club (UK), Newcastle University's Audio-Visual Centre (UK), Peace Corps (numerous countries), Planète Jeunes (France), PLAN International (Senegal, Burkina Faso), Rainbow of California (USA), Red Cross (Senegal), Reuters, Royal Tropical Institute of the Netherlands (KIT), Santa Claus (Portugal), Student Partnership Worldwide (Tanzania), Swatch (Switzerland), Swiss Tropical Institute, Television Trust for the Environment (UK), TV5 (France), UNAIDS, UNDP (New York, Togo, Swaziland), UNICEF (Madagascar), UPHOLD (Uganda), USAID, WHO (Burkina Faso).

Project Coordination

SCENARIOS FROM AFRICA is coordinated by The Global Dialogues Trust (UK registered charity no. 1071484).

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