Popular TV drama series by MTV – Shuga, is scheduled to be back on Kenyan TV series with its prequel. The highly successful drama that highlights the lifestyles of young Kenyans is making its comeback with the first installation in the late 2009 and that was so successful that it received airplay on all major national TV stations.
It was thought of to be a highly controversial drama series, especially with the senior generation of Kenyans who suggested that it was too explicit for a highly conservative society. The series that has renowned actors in the likes of, Lupita Nyo’ngo, Tony Mwangi, Simon Muthama, Valerie Kimani, among a host of others, had scenes that were said to contain sexually explicit content. However MTV networks and their sponsors staying alive networks said they are using the series to instigate behavior change. Among the issues likely to be explored in Shuga: Love, Sex, Money are HIV testing, stigma, condom use, gender inequity and the role of multiple concurrent partnerships in driving the HIV epidemic.
Shuga: Love, Sex, Money. Is the title of the prequel and is due to begin production from August and will contain additional new casting. The series will be in six episodes unlike the previous series that had three episodes. The anticipated date of launch is February 14th 2012 – Valentines day.
The predominantly Kenyan cast for Shuga: Love, Sex, Money will be announced in July 2011. The series will introduce new characters and storylines while additionally endeavoring to motivate and realize specific changes in sexual behaviors’.
First aired in Kenya in November 2009 on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and terrestrial stations Citizen TV, KTN, NTV and KBC Channel One, Shuga reached viewers in 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and more than 70 TV stations worldwide. It continues to be widely viewed in countries such as Zambia, South Africa and Jamaica, among others, together with a facilitator’s guide for peer educators to engage young people in open discussions and to motivate behavior change.
The global success of Shuga as a vehicle for HIV and AIDS messaging for youth consumption was undeniable. In May 2010, Shuga won a prestigious Gold award at the World Media Festival in Hamburg, Germany in the “Public Relations: Health” category, for its vivid and uncompromising focus on love, emotions and sexual behavior amongst Kenyan youth.
“Shuga had a profound impact on the attitudes of Kenyan youth,” commented Lydia Murimi, Country Director, HFG Kenya. “Research conducted by Johns Hopkins University/Centre for Communications Programs reported increased intentions for HIV testing, decreased intentions for multiple sex partners, improved attitudes towards people living with HIV and AIDS and increased usage of accessible health and social services among the youth. We hope to be able to replicate that with the sequel as well as well as introduce new elements that will emerge from youth studies.
The first series of Shuga was filmed in Kenya in August-September 2009. Starring a young cast of upcoming Kenyan actors and actresses, Shuga told a bitter-sweet tale of love, loss, sex, heartbreak and relationships, set in the clubs, bars, campuses and hangouts of contemporary Nairobi. With a raw and uncut view on the lives of sexually active young Kenyans, Shuga spot lit the risks associated with unprotected sex and the party-hard lifestyles of urban Kenyan youth, told through the interlinked tales of characters Ayira (Lupita Nyongo), Ty (Pepe Haze), Felix (Tumisho Masha), Violet (Sharon Olago), Skola (David Omwange), Sindi (Valerie Kimani), Leo (Nicholas Mutuma), Kennedy (Antony Mwangi) and Virginia (Eva Kanyang'onda).
