Popular Kenyan series, Shuga made its premiere on Ghanaian TV last Friday, March 2courtesy Viasat 1. Set in Nairobi, Kenya, Shuga is a hard-hitting drama that follows the lives, loves and ambitions of a group of young people whose bright lives and futures are put in jeopardy due to their love of living dangerously.

First aired in Kenya in 2009, Shuga has since reached viewers in 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and more than 70 TV stations worldwide. It continues to be widely viewed in countries such as Zambia, South Africa and Jamaica, among others, together with a facilitator’s guide for peer educators to engage young people in open discussions and to motivate behaviour change. The series looks at the complexity of love in the age of Aids and HIV – and especially at how Kenyan teenage girls and teenagers in poor countries in general – date rich older men to finance their expensive lifestyles.

Directed by South African filmmakers Teboho Mahlatsi and Angus Gibson, who collaborated with Kenyan partners, the series is part of a ground-breaking multimedia campaign to spread the message about responsible sexual behavior and tolerance among third world country youth.

The campaign includes Nigerian artists Banky W and WizKid, South African rapper L-Tido and Kenyan act Bonie from P-Unit being commissioned to write and perform the title track for Shuga: Love, Sex, and Money. The title track project was commissioned by MTV Networks Africa in association with The MTV Staying Alive Foundation, the US President’s Emergency Fund for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), the Partnership for an HIV-Free Generation (HFG) and the Government of Kenya.

Shuga was premiered on Viasat 1 on Friday 2 March at 8pm. Both seasons 1 & 2 will broadcast on the channel.