Why use an audiocassette?

In 2000, discussion groups with truckers in Burkina Faso evaluated existing and potential communication materials. The truckers favoured the concept of an audiocassette combining entertainment and information on HIV/AIDS, which they could listen to while on the road. They recommended combining music, sketches and spots adapted to their taste and needs. Based on this information, PSAMAO decided to produce a cassette that would simulate a radio transmission with several sections and two radio presenters. The cassette was then to be distributed to long-distance truck drivers in the six countries involved in the project.

During previous communication campaigns targeting truck drivers, the focus was on condom use. Radio PSAMAO aimed to encourage the truckers to also recognise STI symptoms, seek treatment and use condoms consistently. Specific objectives were to:

• increase the truckers' risk perceptions concerning STIs and their severity (symptoms, complications)
• alert them to the fact that STIs favour the transmission of HIV
• emphasize the necessity of protecting oneself
• raise awareness on the importance of seeking professional treatment instead of self-medication
• encourage voluntary counselling and testing for HIV.

Careful selection of messages

A communications agency was hired to produce the cassette in French and local languages (Moré, Dioula, Mina, Fon, Haoussa and Bambara). The production process lasted more than six months because the selection of appropriate messages had to be done carefully for this largely illiterate and less educated target group. The social marketing programme Population Services International assisted with this.

The project communicated the gist of the messages to the agency, which in turn called upon scriptwriters for the sketches. The sketches were sent to the project partners in the different countries for their opinions and contributions, so as to take into account specific cultural sensitivities. Two "radio presenters" were selected on the basis of their voice qualities to serve as cassette disc jockeys. The cassette also featured three sketches played by professional actors well-known in Côte d'Ivoire and seven songs on AIDS sung by famous African artists, including Meiwey and Tiken Jah Facoly from Côte d'Ivoire, Black So Man from Burkina Faso, King Mensah from Togo, Madou from Benin and Le Groupe Rage from Mali. All these artists gave up their copyrights so that the project could use the songs for free.

The cassette was pre-tested with a group of 200 truckers in Côte d'Ivoire of different nationalities; this led to an adaptation of the messages. Radio PSAMAO was then finalised and produced in French. The second step consisted of translating the cassette into local languages, so that all the versions had the same content. Local versions are currently being produced in Cameroon under the PSAMAC project.

In September 2001, 15,000 copies of the cassette were distributed to truck drivers at main truck stops in the six countries involved in the PSAMAO project. In Niger, the cassette is also being used by rural radio stations, as it is seen as a meaningful addition to their low-budget programming. Given the good quality of the production, the cassette has even been duplicated illegally by street vendors and sold to the local population.

Evaluation

The efficiency of the communication material was measured in Côte d'Ivoire in August 2002 with the help of 385 truckers who regularly drive on major roads leading to bordering countries. The goal of the evaluation study was to determine the intervention's success, as measured by the penetration of the messages among the target population and their level of retention of the gist of the messages. The study showed that 21% of the interviewed truck drivers had listened to the cassette and 9% owned the cassette. Almost all the respondents had memorised the prevention messages regarding STIs and the importance of testing.

The interviewed truckers mentioned that there were not enough cassettes available. In fact, most of them had not received a copy and expressed the wish of greater distribution of Radio PASAMO. The cassette will most likely be re-released during the next project period after September 2003.