Soul Beat Africa
African development action with informed and engaged societies
Soul Beat Africa
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Impact Data - Soul City (Series 5)

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Estimates suggest that Soul City's materials now reach over 20 million people in South Africa and the surrounding region. The organisation's most recent push has been to increase the levels of exposure to its printed materials. This evaluation attempts to assess the distribution and impact of a recent series of booklets.

Methodologies
The evaluation of the distribution and use of the booklets was conducted via a syndicated survey, while a series of focus groups were used to qualitatively investigate the impact of Series 5 around HIV and rape. The total sample of 3,500 included 2 distinct sampling frames - one for metropolitan areas and the other for non-metro areas - while the focus groups were spread across 3 provinces: North West, Limpopo, and the Free State. Groups consisted of 10 black participants, of equivalent gender and age ranges.
Attitudes
Most of the study of attitudinal shifts was carried out in focus group discussions and was thus not reported in a quantitative manner. Messages collected from the focus group demonstrated a widespread change in knowledge about what constitutes rape. Many male respondents noted that they had learned that taking a girl out for drinks or to a movie does not constitute her owing the boy sex. Furthermore, many males and females voiced a change in attitude related to the idea of the husband's right to sex; they acknowledged that rape can occur within a marriage. The theme of disability emerged spontaneously in the groups - in particular, portrayal of the challenges of being disabled, which was associated with increased respect for people in wheelchairs. Finally, there was frequent reference to themes from previous Soul City series - particularly Series 4 - in the context of discussion about Soul City's impact.
Increased Discussion of Development Issues
One and a half million black people had seen the booklets at a friend's house. The fact that books are visible in people's homes indicates a positive outcome in relation to one of the key aims of the Soul City strategy - to bring issues into a more public arena and catalyse interpersonal communication about the health and social issues it addresses. 20% of black respondents discussed the booklets with their friends; 9% discussed them with family. Focus groups revealed that having an audience of both youth and adults increases the amount of discussion stemming from the episodes.
Access
Just over half a million copies of each of 3 booklets were distributed through the Sunday Times, a weekly with national circulation. They include: "Living Positively" "Disability Rights are Human Rights", and "Starting your own business". 42% of the adult population (>16 years) saw at least one of the 3 booklets distributed during Series 5. In real population figures, this translates to 11.7 million adults. On average, 3 people saw each booklet. Black and Indian people, teenagers and young adults, and urban students and the unemployed were the most likely to see the booklets. White, older people and those living in rural areas and villages were the least likely. The socio-economic profile of the readership was generally those in the middle income/upper-middle education range. "Living positively with HIV and AIDS" is estimated to have reached 38.5% of the adult population. 78% of respondents had said that they had seen advertising for Soul City 5 on TV.