HIV

Talking with young people about relationships, pregnancy and HIV can be awkward. Once they get to a certain age, they will always know better than you - and they certainly won’t want to tell you about it.

But puppetry can provide a more comfortable route into conversations, allowing young people to take the lead in a way that is both fun and fascinating for them, and helping them explore choices, pressures and social expectations without having to speak directly about themselves.

Boys can take on girls’ roles, and girls can explore boys’ perspectives, as groups begin to question what they think they know about each other.

It’s an idea that leads naturally from our 24-Hour Challenge film, one of three that make up the Kibing series. Across each film, behaviours linked to gender equality, stigma, and protection are explored through the extraordinary lens of Kibii Kabooka Kibing, a stranger who arrives out of nowhere with his animal companions to face a challenge akin to something off a TV game show.

Kibing seems harmless, but there’s always a strange, magical undercurrent and a change in the wind the day he appears – and why has he singled you out?

Films in the series include Will This Be Your Life?, The 24-Hour Challenge and Do You Know It All?

  • Gender. Unbeknown to Matthew, his sister is harassed by a much older man.

  • Abadab’s wheel of fortune. Do You Know It All? (Stigma).

  • Will Daisy make the right choice as she gambles with her future?

  • Clifford is very attentive. For now …

  • The mysterious Kabing and companions.

  • Kibing’s talking crow side-kick.

WILL THIS BE YOUR LIFE? CLIP
A film exploring Protection Issues

Daisy is excited when Clifford arrives on his motorbike and begins offering her gifts and attention. Of course she does – she’s growing up, she’s being noticed, and Clifford is handsome! But what starts as romance soon becomes a story about pressure, pregnancy, HIV and abandonment. Because Daisy is a puppet, the story creates enough distance for audiences to engage more openly while discussing the choices, pressures and unfairness surrounding it. The film supports reflection on relationships, gender expectations, peer pressure and healthy decision-making.

THE 24-HOUR CHALLENGE: CLIP
A film exploring Gender Issues

In The 24-Hour Challenge, two boys are challenged to spend a day seeing life through their sisters’ eyes. They begin to understand the restrictions, dangers and unfair expectations the girls around them face. The film helps young people explore gender, empathy, education, early marriage, harassment and the different pressures faced by boys and girls..

The idea for the film came from a childhood experience of No Strings Creative Designer Michael Frith when he sneaked into an 18-certificate film at the cinema, dressing up as a girl with make-up to look older. Travelling home, still dressed up, he gained the attention of some older men, and the encounter shook him. Was this really something girls experienced all the time?

DO YOU KNOW IT ALL? CLIP
A film exploring Stigma Issues

In Do You Know It All?, Simon believes he understands HIV and warns others to stay away from a boy affected by it. Through Kibing’s challenge, his certainty begins to unravel. The film supports discussion around HIV transmission, misinformation, stigma and the damage caused by fear and rumour. It can also help open wider conversations about infectious disease, exclusion and care.

FIND OUT MORE

OUR STORY‍ ‍
How an old puppet called Seamus led to an international creative collaboration

OUR PUPPETRY
Why puppets create space for difficult conversations and behaviour change

OUR FILMS‍ ‍
Developed with leading members of the original Muppet Show creative team

OUR TEAM
The artists, trainers, and trustees behind the work

OUR METHODOLOGY ‍
The No Strings Method: how film, puppetry and participation come together