Botswana

UNDP Botswana TV programme wins an award

Gaborone , September 2004: A UNDP sponsored television programme recently won international award at the fourth Highway Africa New Media Awards annual ceremony.

	Highway Africa Award 2004

Talk Back, a Teacher Capacity Building television programme was entered for the Highway Africa Awards for Innovative Use of the New Media, where it won the overall prize for the innovative use of New Media Award.

Talk Back - a live interactive television program that broadcast weekly on Botswana Television is the brainchild of Mark Malloch Brown, UNDP Administrator. It is the main communication vehicle of the Teacher Capacity Building for HIV/AIDS Prevention in Botswana implemented by the Ministry of Education, with support from UNF, UNDP and ACHAP.

"Not only is the programme interactive, it also employs technology by using short message service (SMS) aspect of cellular phones by viewers to interact with the presenters in the studio during presentation", said Adonai Rocha, TV director and multimedia producer of Talk Back. He received the Innovative Use of New Media Award during the ceremony.

The award giving ceremony, held in Grahamstown , South Africa , was attended by journalists from all over the world, university professors as well as corporate South Africa , was broadcast on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) last night.

This year's event attracted over 250 entries from 30 countries across the continent.

"I am glad to note that Talk Back is making an impact not just locally, but also in the region as a whole", said UNDP Resident Representative, Mr Bjoern Foerde.

Talk Back is a very popular television program in Botswana , particularly among teachers and students.

"Ever since TCB was launched, it has helped us teachers a lot.  We now have more knowledge to infuse HIV in our classes. Our teachers have shown a lot of interest in the programme.  Even our kitchen ladies, cleaners and security guards watch Talk Back. We hardly miss a programme," said Ms. Seele Molaodi, HIV/AIDS Coordinator, Ledumang Primary School , Gaborone.

During the live awards ceremony, a video clip was presented, showing the website and SMS integration developed by Talk Back

Producer, Adonai Rocha, a Brazilian national employed by UNDP under South-to-South Cooperation to assist with capacity-building in the use of multimedia to fight HIV/AIDS scourge.

Professor Tawana Kupe, Head of Media Studies at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg,  and convenor of the judges, presented the three Highway Africa New Media Awards to the winners of three categories: Individual, Non-Profit and Corporate. These awards celebrate the creative, innovative and appropriate use of New Media and ICTs, and are the premier awards recognizing excellence in New Media in Africa.

Recently some of Talk Back staff attended and presented materials at the HIV/AIDS conference in Bangkok , Thailand.