Research has shown that adolescents, the world over, perceive their peers to be among the most legitimate, trustworthy sources of information. How better to address sexuality and behaviors that lead to the transmission of HIV than by training youth to train one another?

The theater group in Manda Darou Salam has been independently working for years to do just that. With no outside funding, they have been able to deliver comedy, music, and accurate health information to hundreds of people at a time.

Over the next 5 months I will be working with the group to bring their act to 10 villages in the Kolda region. Several are smaller than a few hundred people, one has the largest weekly market in West Africa. Recordings of performances will be sent to radio stations to advertise the events. More than 100,000 men women and children will be exposed to performances on HIV transmission, unwanted pregnancy, forced marriage, and malaria, through live performances and radio broadcasts.

The following video clips were shot in the first village of our tour. The performances were carried out at the primary school, and coordinated with the primary and middle school principles’ enthusiastic support. The event went so well the theater group has been asked to return for a repeat performance.