Nearly three-quarters of Uganda’s population is under the age of 25. Half of Ugandan women and nearly four in 10 men aged 15–19 have had sex. (Guttmacher, 2006). 25% of girls age 15 to 19 either have a child or are pregnant (UBOS & ICF International, 2017).
Young people more than anyone need sexual and reproductive health information and services. But social and cultural norms have largely prohibited parents and children from directly discussing sex, and SRH education in school is deficient. Harmful myths and preconceptions are rife, there is stigma around adolescent sexuality. Young people, especially women, are seen as promiscuous and shamed for seeking SRH information and services. In marriages, traditional gender roles prevail, prohibiting constructive dialogue about SRH issues.
The go-to format for promoting sexual health on TV is talk-shows, which tend to be tedious and unappealing to young audiences, likely to switch the channel to an upbeat music video show with higher production values and more entertaining content.
Chicken & Chips is a novelty pop culture show that focuses on relationships and combines music, journalism, puppetry, animation and reality TV to create the freshest blend of edutainment for young people in Uganda. Programming is research-driven and dynamic, fine-tuned based on audience feedback.
The show aims to achieve the following goals:
Show segments include:
Katwe Corner: Recordings of unscripted and uncensored live discussions among peers are brought to life with puppets!
Popcorn Video: Trivia, humor and useful factoids ‘pop up’ in your favorite Ugandan hit videos.
Talk on the Town: People in the streets answer personal questions and reveal their love life secrets.
Social Experiment: Using hidden cameras, we observe and comment on how ordinary people behave when they are confronted with dilemmas that require them to reveal their attitudes and make difficult choices.
Kiki Love: The female puppet host engages the audience and introduces different segments. The character has been created by Muppet Show veteran puppeteers in New York and is voiced by celebrity comedian and radio presenter, Tindi.
Adungu Life: A Ugandan 5 piece band who play home-made electrified traditional instruments scored the theme song for Season 2, “Looking for Love” and perform it in every episode. Rap vocals by MC Yallah, UG Hip-Hop Awards Winner.
Season 1 aired on NTV Oct 2016-Jan 2017 and generated over 1,000,000 views per episode!
Season 2 aired on NTV Feb-Jun 2018 and generated over 1,500,000 views per episode!
