The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Aiisseee! (I Say!) Radio Relationship Game Show

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Launched in January 2014, Aiisseee! (I Say!) is a radio-based game show in Tanzania designed to improve couple communication and promote couple connectedness by giving contestants and listeners the chance to discuss serious relationship issues in a humorous way. Topics covered include issues relating to sexual networks, HIV counselling and testing, family planning, and maternal and child health. Aiisseee! is an initiative of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs’ Tanzania Capacity and Communication Project and is produced by Khanga Rue Media in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Communication Strategies

In each 30-minute programme, three couples compete against each other to see which couple knows each other the best. "In a series of three rounds, couples are asked questions that reveal how well they communicate, the transparency of their relationship, and how attentive they are to each other as partners, with the goal of winning a romantic getaway for two." Pre-recorded sound bites from men and women on the street, speaking on related topics, are interspersed with the contest rounds.

Co-hosted by two of Tanzania's top radio presenters, the approach of the show is to be "subtle yet provocative", in order to create a comfortable forum for addressing hard-to-discuss issues in a humorous and non-confrontational way. Season One of Aiisseee! launched on Clouds FM in January 2014. The 26-episode season aired weekly on Sundays between 6:45 and 8:00pm. Season Two started in August 2014, with plans to rebroadcast Season One on regional radio stations in Tanzania towards the end of 2014.

People can also interact with the show through the Aiisseee! Facebook page and can listen to recorded episodes online. A Facebook app was developed so couples can also play the game at home. As of September 2014, the show was in the process of being adapted for television.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS, Family Planning, Maternal and Child Health

Partners

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs' Tanzania Capacity and Communication Project, Khanga Rue Media, Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, United States Agency for International Development, US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Sources

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs website on September 3 2014.