Standing by Love: A Story for Valentine’s Day from Mozambique

February 13, 2011
By Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Once upon a time, in Mozambique…

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl get married. Boy has sexual relations with other women.

This “love story” is widespread in Mozambique where andar fora (stepping out) is commonplace. Andar fora is the term used by Mozambicans to refer to sexual partnerships outside a marriage.

Seeking to discourage the practice of andar fora, promote partner reduction and strengthen couple communication, CCP, in partnership with the National AIDS Council (CNCS) in Mozambique and with the support of USAID and PEPFAR, developed a media campaign. The campaign, unified by the slogan: Andar fora e maningue arriscado (Stepping out is very risky), was launched in June 2010 and aired for two months.

Three radio spots, seven short radio programs on MCP, print materials and community discussions supplemented the centerpiece of the campaign: a TV spot trilogy that depicted the story of a young couple.

As their story unfolds, Rosa and Alberto, the young couple, resist the advice of their friends and family who state that engaging in multiple concurrent partnerships is simply a normal part of life. Rosa and Alberto each insist: “Os tempos são outros” (Times have changed), and explain that they aspire to a different kind of relationship, one that is based on trust and respect. The trilogy concludes with the portrayal of the happy married couple and their two children, a couple who has been able to resist the temptations of andar fora and has stayed free from HIV infection – the times have certainly changed.

The Andar fora media campaign had high visibility across Mozambique. The TV spot trilogy was broadcast during primetime programming, including during the World Cup football games, on all major local TV stations, and the radio spots and programs were broadcast on both national and community radio stations.

Our story for Valentine’s Day…

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl get married. Boy and girl remain faithful to each other, and live happily ever after!

View TV spot 1.