Scenarios from the Sahel Selection

Factors to bear in mind during the selection process

SCENARIOS FROM THE SAHEL is now entering into the phase of the production of audio-visual materials designed to support you in your efforts to raise awareness among the people of the Sahel.

You are well informed as to the efforts of prevention workers aimed at slowing the spread of HIV and countering the negative consequences of the epidemic in the Sahel.

You are familiar with the audio-visual materials that are currently available.

Aware of the shortcomings in those audio-visual materials, you have a clear idea of the kind of new audio-visual materials you need...

Right now, you are reading a scenario_

Does the scenario correspond to your needs with regard to audio-visual materials in a creative, constructive and original way?

Does it have the potential, in audio-visual form, to have impact, to stir debate and to play an educational role?

Impact

Could the peoples of the Sahel identify personally with a video based on the scenario?

Could that video touch people_s emotions in such a way as to trigger a change in behavior?

Might the scenario be of particular value for a specific target group?

Creative

Does the scenario have an original approach, perspective or tone that would allow it, in audio-visual form, to attract and keep the audience_s attention, to give rise to constructive debate in a family or a community, and eventually to influence social norms?

Potential

We have a profound moral obligation to the participants of the contest. They invested a great deal of effort, imagination and time. It is up to us to honor their efforts by taking the time to read carefully each and every scenario with an eye to discovering the entirety of its potential.

The young participants often have difficulties expressing themselves clearly. This can have to do with spelling, grammar, word choice_. No scenario is to be excluded because of such errors.

You might find scenarios in which a participant has managed to present merely the germ of an idea without fully developing it. Might that germ of an idea serve as the basis of a new audio-visual resource?

Please bear in mind the techniques that professional _script-doctors_ can use to adapt and refine a given text. For example, if a scenario ends with a scene of horrific slaughter, it is possible to cut the text before reaching that point and leave it up to the audience to imagine how things might turn out. Or, if the action in a scenario stretches across years and decades, a vast array of techniques are available to tighten up the scenario and render it concise (flashback, voice off, mentioning a past event_).

The selection juries in Mali and Burkina Faso found veritable treasures among the contributions of the youngest participants. By bearing in mind the potential of a given scenario, we give the youngest a chance to compete on equal footing with older participants.

Educational

If a scenario is deemed to have a great deal of potential, it should not be rejected simply because it contains mistakes with regard to basic facts on HIV/AIDS.

Do not forget that it will be possible to correct such mistakes, or even to use them for educational effect in a video. You will be invited to discuss the most common errors you come across during the plenary meeting on July 19.

Among the 50 finalist scenarios selected by the jury in Mali is one presented in the form of a series of riddles. Those riddles contain a number of errors with regard to the basic facts of HIV/AIDS, but the originality of the approach was such that the jurors felt that the scenario deserved to be among the finalists.

A didactic approach is often not the appropriate approach if one aspires to bring about a change in behavior.

Constructive

If the overall message of a given scenario runs counter to efforts to foster solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS, it is to be excluded. The same goes for scenarios that might offend individuals or groups involved in HIV/AIDS work or scenarios that could lead to conflicts among them.