Revitalizing folklore for HIV/AIDS messaging in South Africa: the impact of theatrical storytelling on public health communication

The scourge of HIV/AIDS has continued unabated in most parts of Southern Africa despite the muted success achieved in the past two years. Thus, the threat of high HIV/AIDS remains a constant reality as the country remains top of the list in HIV/AIDs prevalence in the world. This paper examines the potential use of storytelling and other complementary cultural artifacts – an indigenous form of education that has served generations of indigenous Africans as an effective intervention tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS. A purposive sampling technique was used to sample 31 grade 12 learners in a high school. A narrative analysis was used, where six narrators (storytellers) who are living with HIV shared their life stories about the virus. The data was recorded and transcribed. A reflective thematic analysis technique was used to analyse the data. The findings of the study point out that HIV storytelling campaigns can be used to enhance HIV awareness programmes.