Wizkid, Banky W Win Edutainment Award

Shuga: Love, Sex, Money, an African sex-and-relationships radio and television drama featuring Nigerian singers Banky W and WizKid, on 1 December won the Best Overall Edutainment award at the Edutainment Africa Awards, EAA, held in Kampala, Uganda.

The drama addresses head-on, issues such as promiscuity, transactional sex and rape within the family – all in a modern African context. The judges rated it high for its constructive role in educating and entertaining society.

“We are delighted to receive this award that recognises Shuga’s ground-breaking resonance among youth audiences, thanks to its subtle blending of educational, safe-sex and HIV awareness messaging with high quality contemporary drama and world-class acting,” said Georgia Arnold, Executive Director, MTV Staying Alive Foundation.

Louise Ashley, MTV’s Marketing and Programming manager, accepted the award from Halima Namakula, Executive Director, Women at Work International-Uganda on behalf of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and Viacom International Media Networks Africa, VIMN Africa, before a large crowd that included Raila Odinga, Kenyan Prime Minister, and Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni.

Shuga: Love, Sex, Money launched in February 2012 as a six-part TV series and subsequently aired on 60 TV stations in 65 countries, reaching an audience of approximately 120 million people.

Filmed in Nairobi, Kenya, Shuga was co-sponsored by MTV’s Staying Alive Foundation, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR; Partnership for an HIV-Free Generation, HFG; and UNICEF. It was produced by MTV Base and directed by South African directors Angus Gibson and Teboho Mahlatsi,

–Funsho Arogundade