OYO Films & DVDs

Since 2006, OYO has produced various educational DVDs and developed a unique approach to inviting young people (18 to 23-year-old) and having them engage in writing workshops. Through sharing their own experience, workshop-participants develop stories that are relevant to the youth and can be developed into scripts by the OYO team; all films involve either children or young people.  

Once the script is ready, auditions at schools or within a community of out-of-school youth are held before four-to six-week-long workshops to train them as actors. A professional crew then captures the stories developed.  

Once the DVDs are produced and ready for viewing, a tour of schools in Namibia for screenings commences. Every screening is followed by a discussion with a trained youth facilitator, who first ensures that the audience has understood the main issues explored in the DVD, and encourages learners to talk about them. OYOs DVDs to date includePast DVDs include ‘Panado Girl’ on teenagers living with HIV; ‘Now that I can talk about it’ on gender-based violence; ‘Pap and Milk’ on intergenerational sex; and the mini-series ‘My best interest’ on children’s rights. This year featured the production of two DVDs: ‘Salute’ on HIV transmission in correctional facilities and a to-be-named DVD on child marriage.