Lucky The Hero!, the first production of
the Educational Theatre Company of the Africa Institute
for HIV/AIDS Management, has gone from strength to
strength since its first performance in 2006. This
mini-musical, full of facts, humour and emotions,
was originally aimed at farming communities, who are
often cut off from educational initiatives about HIV
and AIDS because of illiteracy and their geographical
location. Today, Lucky The Hero! has reached thousands
of people from almost every sector, successfully spreading
the facts about HIV and AIDS.
The play tells the story of a young man, Lucky, who
learns about HIV and AIDS from information given on
a radio programme and, after going for testing, finds
out he is HIV positive. He shares the news with his
best friend, who gossips his status to the whole community.
Lucky is then ostracised. As he learns more about
HIV and AIDS, Lucky realises that his life still has
great value. He disguises himself as a Captain AIDS
fighter and informs the community about HIV and AIDS,
changing their thinking for good. The musical is presented
in a combination of Afrikaans and English.
Just as performances of Lucky The Hero! are followed
by a monitoring and evaluation protocol, the DVD includes
a training manual. This creates the possibility of
an interactive experience for presenters as well as
viewers, addressing various aspects of HIV and AIDS.
These include the basics of how the virus works, prevention,
stigmatisation and living with HIV. The DVD is divided
in sections that coincide with the sections of the
training manual, ensuring optimal user-friendliness.
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