|
Promoting Prudence Amid Carnaval Festivities
Countries around the world celebrated Carnaval in February and PSI
was there to counter the bacchanalian tendencies in favor of more prudent
behavior, such as condom use.
Carnaval is a four-day orgy of music, dancing, parades, and drinking
that comes just before the beginning of the season of Lent. Carnaval
festivities create a climate conducive to risky behavior that PSI programs
attempt to curb. Here is a round-up of PSI activities in the season
of Carnaval around the world:
Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil—PSI supported DKT Brazil's "Operation Carnaval,"
an ambitious safer sex campaign at the mother of all Carnavals—Rio de
Janeiro—through AIDSMARK, an HIV/AIDS prevention project implemented
by PSI. As it has since 1995, DKT Brazil carried out a campaign promoting
prevention of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS through
five safer sex kiosks located on the major beaches of Rio de Janeiro
and manned by a team of young health promoters. The promoters talked
to passerby on how to avoid STIs during Carnaval and handed out free
condom samples and information. The entire DKT product line of condoms
was also available at special Carnaval prices. For information on Carnaval
and other DKT Brazil activities, visit www.dkt.com.br.
Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti—In addition to normal Carnaval activities, such
as marching bands, information kiosks and condom distribution, PSI/Haiti
featured colorful costumes of the Pantè panther
and life size logos of Pantè and Reyalite
condoms. PSI/Haiti added a huge parade float with models wearing the
colors of Pantè and Reyalite condoms. More than
10,000 people participated and thousands more watched via television.
For additional photos of PSI and Pantè activities, visit
the Haiti
Carnaval web site.
Paraguay
ENCARNACIÓN, Paraguay—For the third straight year, Promocion
y Mejoramiento de la Salud (PROMESA) and PSI Paraguay S.A. (PSI's two
local partners), made a big splash at the 2002 Carnaval in Encarnación,
the third biggest city in Paraguay, in the south of the country. Teaming
up with the Paraguayan Red Cross and 30 young health promoters, PROMESA/PSI
distributed free Pantera condom samples, Carnaval T-shirts
and Pantera party masks, and promoted prudent behavior through
the local mass media. The executive director of PROMESA and PSI Paraguay
S.A. and the president of the Red Cross gave interviews on three of
the local cable TV stations and talked about prudent behavior during,
and after, Carnaval. For the second consecutive year, these stations
broadcast two telenovelas and other educational videos produced by PROMESA/PSI.
Guinea-Bissau
BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau—The PSI/Guinea-Bissau promotion team was out in
force during Carnaval with two days of activities reinforcing HIV/AIDS
awareness and prevention, with a special emphasis on use of Pantè
brand condoms. Pantè banners with a logo promoting Carnaval
2002 were placed at several intersections throughout the capital and
posters with the message "Do celebrate a safe Carnaval by staying
around with Pantè" were plastered everywhere. Other
slogans used during the event include "Youth with Pantè,"
and "AIDS Out." On the first day of Carnival, PSI ran the
city's only float around the capital. The float included local musicians
that sang and danced to the Pantè theme song. These musicians
conducted informative talks on HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness stressing
the importance of correct condom use. On the second day, PSI/GB was
positioned at one of several "party zones" that the city of
Bissau authorized for this year's celebration. PSI's platform was stationed
at the center of a key intersection in a very popular neighborhood.
The activities for that afternoon and night included famous musicians,
speeches and demonstrations from the PSI team, peer talks geared for
the 3,600 young adults in the audiences. Total crowd was estimated in
the range of 6,000 people.
Bolivia
LA PAZ, Bolivia—PSI distributed 65,000 free samples of Pantera
condoms and brochures on STIs to Carnaval crowds in four major Bolivian
cities in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, PROSALUD
(PSI's local partner) and other NGOs. The theme of the campaign was
"Antes de hacerlo, que te ocurra una buena idea, usalo!
(Before doing it, have a good idea, use it!)" and the visual image
used by the campaign was a large condom with a light bulb going off
inside. The campaign also executed a massive diffusion of spots and
jingles through the mass media. This campaign was sustained for 17 days
(before, during and after the Carnaval).
—David J. Olson
|
 |
On the second day of Carnaval, PSI/Guinea-Bissau's Pantè
float, traveled through Bissau, carrying the the popular
slogan "Pantè Bin Mas" (Pantè
has returned).
|
|
|
