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Despite the notable and commendable efforts directed towards the relentless national wide struggle to combat and contain the notorious HIV/AIDS this struggle is still to make full use of the printed visual media. The printed visual media such as posters, bill boards, wall charts, flipcharts, fliers, stickers, leaflets as well as books and booklets can only contribute tremendously in education when they are researched on, designed and used meaningfully. These visual media are apparently not fully given their respectable role and place in the current HIV/AIDS campaigns in Tanzania. In urban Tanzania (let alone the rural side) public places such as pubs, restaurants, liquor stores and supermarkets are filled with fiercely contesting market promotion printed visual media and very few, if any, are for the HIV/AIDS campaigns. Why? It is true that many efforts have and are being made through various governmental and non-governmental initiatives to use the printed visual media in HIV/AIDS campaigns. But the application of these materials is not widely visible. Coca cola and Pepsi, alongside many brewery companies, together with numerous producers of other consumer products make excellent use of the printed visual media to win their customers. The HIV/AIDS campaign could effectively do the same to help influence and trigger change in peoples’ minds towards positive attitudes in fighting and containing HIV/AIDS!! The printed visual media, when effectively used alongside other means of information dissemination such as the radio, television, drama video and the social media can very successfully reinforce educational campaigns. But as for the Tanzanian situation such printed visual media are hardly seen in many of the places where they could be expected to be actively used. This study was aimed at assessing the printed visual media materials as applied in HIV/AIDS educational campaigns in Dodoma region, Tanzania. The study used an open ended questionnaire, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews to collect data. The assessment was essentially user based. The assessment was done in the viewer/user’s point of view and not the researcher. The user freely assessed the materials with the help of designed instruments. The study reveals that printed visual media materials are playing an important role in educating people concerning HIV and AIDS. Respondents’ views and other data analyses indicate that despite the fact that the materials are positively helping in information dissemination for HIV/AIDS, they are faced with numerous technical and cultural drawbacks that limit their meaningful role. The study is set to inform various stakeholders and National Policies on the state of current utilization of printed materials in enhancing educational campaigns in Tanzania and elsewhere. |
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