Underplayed Gems

Shuga (2009)

Shuga poster
Original title
MTV Shuga Naija
Genre
soap opera
Country
Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya
Length
4 seasons, 17 episodes
Rating
1.7 of 10 from 3 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

The series follows young people in Kenya and later Nigeria as they navigate love, relationships, and sexual behavior. It aims to promote responsible choices and tolerance around HIV and sexual health.

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What happens

Shuga, also known as MTV Shuga, is a drama television series that first aired in November 2009 on MTV Base as part of an initiative dubbed "MTV Staying Alive Ignite!". Its first two seasons were commissioned by MTV Networks Africa in association with The MTV Staying Alive Foundation, PEPFAR, the Partnership for an HIV-Free Generation (HFG) and the Government of Kenya, as part of a multimedia campaign to spread the message about responsible sexual behaviour and tolerance. The term Shuga is derived from the pronunciation of "Sugar" in Kenyan English. The series later became a hit and was aired in 40 different African countries before it was aired internationally in over 70 television stations. The drama was thought to be a very controversial series by the senior generation of Kenyans because it contained some scenes that contained sexually explicit content. It received a Gold award in May 2010 at the World Media Festival in Hamburg, Germany in the Public Relations Health category for its focus on love, emotions, and sexual behavior amongst Kenyan youth. In 2013, production of the series was moved to Nigeria, where the third and subsequent seasons are set. Dubbed "Shuga Naija", the new version is a multimedia campaign which educates youths on HIV/AIDS, safe sex and teen pregnancy. Shuga also touches on maternal and child health, family planning, gender-based violence, and women empowerment. It was produced in partnership with Nigeria's National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA). Season 5 of the series was unveiled in partnership with Unitaid, the Global Innovation Fund, and Paramount. Season 3 of the series was broadcast via 88 television stations across the world, with estimated household viewers of over 550 million. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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