“Out there it’s YOLO”: Youth perspectives on a mass media HIV- and gender-based violence campaign in South Africa
Outcomes: Gender‑Based Violence, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-aways The ZAZI intervention demonstrates that using culturally relevant, multimedia campaigns—such as music videos—can challenge and shift social norms that constrain young women’s agency in South Africa. By positioning young women as active agents in their own narratives and confronting norms around sexual silence, gender inequality, and stigma, the campaign promoted collective action and dialogue. Social norm transformation requires both structural critique and representation that affirms young women’s voices.
Objectives To explore how young women in South Africa interpret, engage with, and are potentially influenced by the ZAZI music video campaign, with a focus on its impact on gender norms and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) messaging.
Methods The study recruited 104 young women aged 18–24 through community organizations in five South African provinces. A purposive sampling strategy ensured diversity in language, geography, and socioeconomic background. Researchers conducted 12 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 26 individual in-depth interviews in 2015. The qualitative design allowed for in-depth exploration of participants’ interpretations of the ZAZI music video. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis, with coding focused on gender norms, empowerment, agency, and collective action.
Intervention Details ZAZI is a national HIV prevention and women’s empowerment campaign in South Africa that includes a multimedia music video designed to convey positive messaging about self-empowerment, resilience, and resistance to gender inequality. Developed collaboratively with young women, the video aimed to promote critical reflection and foster alternative narratives to dominant, often disempowering, portrayals of young women.
Results Participants generally responded positively to the ZAZI music video, highlighting its empowering imagery, relatable narratives, and its challenge to dominant gender norms. Many described feeling inspired by representations of strong women and the call for solidarity and collective action. However, some participants noted that without broader social support or enabling environments, empowerment messaging alone could feel idealistic or disconnected from their lived realities.
Conclusions ZAZI’s music video successfully engaged young women and created space for critical reflection on gender norms, sexual agency, and empowerment. However, for norm transformation to be sustained, messaging must be accompanied by structural changes and supportive environments. Interventions like ZAZI are most effective when they affirm local identities, disrupt harmful norms, and foster both individual and collective agency.
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