Love Patrol
Encyclopedia
Love Patrol is a ni-Vanuatu
television series. It is the first ever locally-produced television series in Vanuatu. Produced by Wan Smolbag Theatre
with financial assistance from AusAID, NZAID and the Asian Development Bank
, it is a soap opera
with a serious message, intended primarily to educate viewers on the topic of AIDS
. It also tackles "youth unemployment, police brutality and the hypocrisy of keeping youth uninformed about sex". UNAIDS reported that it explores "the growing issues of high rates of STIs
among young people, high teenage pregnancy, lack of discourse on sex and risk taking behaviours in [...] Pacific communities". It has been described as an "edutainment
" series.
A review in the Fiji Times
explained that the series
The series is written by Jo Dorras, and directed by Peter Walker, with Danny Phillips as cinematographer. It stars Noel Aru, Lucy Seresere, Annette Charlie, Bob Homu, Yvette Vatu, Elsie Apia, Morinda Tari, Danny Marcel, Titus Taripu, Florence Vira, Albert Tommy, Betio Albert, Charleon Falau and Gloria Lango. Each episode lasts about 21 minutes.
and in Fiji
starting in April 2007, and contained ten episodes, focused on Elizabeth, one of the main characters. It has subsequently been broadcast in the Cook Islands
, Kiribati
, New Zealand
, Papua New Guinea
, Samoa
, the Solomon Islands
, Tonga
and Tuvalu
, with plans to distribute the series on DVD
throughout the region. In New Zealand, the first season was broadcast on Maori Television
from May 2008. In Papua New Guinea, it was broadcast on CHM Supersound channel. In Fiji, it was broadcast by Fiji TV, which then conducted a survey and found that "up to 15% of the whole population watched the whole series". Subsequently, season 1 was translated into French
by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community
, and released on DVD under the title L'Amour sous haute surveillance.
A second season went into production in 2008. It took "about one year of hard work to get the funding, writing the stories and doing the shooting at the various locations in Vanuatu", including eighteen weeks of shooting.
The first four episodes of season 2 were screened at the Asia Pacific HIV AIDS Conference in Bali
in August 2009. They were then screened at Wan Smolbag’s Smolbag Haos in Vanuatu on 6 September. All ten episodes were broadcast on local television, one a week, from October. Initial episodes were also broadcast in cinemas in Fiji in October 2009, and in the Solomon Islands in December. It is due to be broadcast throughout the region on ABC International
, Maori TV and several Pacific Island channels.
The third season also consisted of ten episodes. Production began in August 2009, and was completed in December. The filming of season 4 began in July 2010, funded by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community
, AusAID and NZAID.
The fourth series was completed in December 2010 and WSB has just (April 2011) received funding from AusAid which will allow a fifth series to be filmed.
The final pages explain what HIV is, how it spreads, how to use a condom, and where to go for HIV testing.
Similar guidebooks were released for community discussions among adults and French language versions of both the series one teacher resource and community resource now exist. Further workbooks for series two and three take the form of photo cartoons for the storyline consolidated by similar group exercises on discussion themes taken from the series, e.g. drugs, relationships, homosexuality and prostitution. The series three book will be in print in early 2011.
, "a random street poll showed that over 90% of people [in Port Vila
, the capital] were watching every episode (even the repeats)".
Reviewing the series, the magazine Islands Business noted:
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
described Love Patrol as a "new and innovative approach to HIV prevention", noting that it was "immensely popular" both in Vanuatu and in Fiji.
AusAID reported that it had been a "smash hit throughout the Pacific", and that "[t]he program has been particularly successful in breaking down barriers around HIV". It reported one of the series' leading actresses, Annette Vira, as stating: "People are far more at ease talking about HIV and AIDS now that it’s discussed openly on television and they’re also getting the messages about prevention, harm reduction and testing for infection".
Jane Clifton, for The Dominion Post
, wrote the following review while the second season was being aired on Maori TV in New Zealand: "Considering this is Vanuatu's first television production, it's outstanding, and it's such a different experience to be watching something that you know is aimed squarely at social engineering, as well as ratings". She added: "The genius of using a serial rather than one-off programme is that users get engrossed in the characters, and see them almost as real and real-time figures, so the social messages wound into the stories are easily assimilated. This must go triple for a country not accustomed to seeing itself portrayed in television drama. Cunning - and very worthy."
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
television series. It is the first ever locally-produced television series in Vanuatu. Produced by Wan Smolbag Theatre
Wan Smolbag Theatre
Wan Smolbag Theatre was established in Port Vila, Vanuatu in 1989. It began as an amateur theatre group with 15 voluntary actors. Since that time WSB has established a national and regional reputation as a development theatre organisation that produces and delivers locally-produced, high quality...
with financial assistance from AusAID, NZAID and the Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
, it is a soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
with a serious message, intended primarily to educate viewers on the topic of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. It also tackles "youth unemployment, police brutality and the hypocrisy of keeping youth uninformed about sex". UNAIDS reported that it explores "the growing issues of high rates of STIs
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
among young people, high teenage pregnancy, lack of discourse on sex and risk taking behaviours in [...] Pacific communities". It has been described as an "edutainment
Edutainment
Edutainment is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse.-Overview:...
" series.
A review in the Fiji Times
Fiji Times
The Fiji Times is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869, it is Fiji's oldest newspaper still operating....
explained that the series
- "centres on the life of a detective who works in a police station in an urban centre somewhere in the Pacific. The detective, named Mark, desperately wants his wife to have a child but gets caught up with Rita, a singer in a bar. The series also involves a gang of boys who steal from a minister's house and the search for the boys exposes the other side of paradise. The mini-series aims to look at the causes for the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region."
The series is written by Jo Dorras, and directed by Peter Walker, with Danny Phillips as cinematographer. It stars Noel Aru, Lucy Seresere, Annette Charlie, Bob Homu, Yvette Vatu, Elsie Apia, Morinda Tari, Danny Marcel, Titus Taripu, Florence Vira, Albert Tommy, Betio Albert, Charleon Falau and Gloria Lango. Each episode lasts about 21 minutes.
Broadcasting
The first season premiered on television in VanuatuVanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
and in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
starting in April 2007, and contained ten episodes, focused on Elizabeth, one of the main characters. It has subsequently been broadcast in the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
, Kiribati
Kiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
and Tuvalu
Tuvalu
Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
, with plans to distribute the series on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
throughout the region. In New Zealand, the first season was broadcast on Maori Television
Maori Television
Māori Television is a New Zealand TV station broadcasting programmes that make a significant contribution to the revitalisation of the Māori language and culture . Funded by the New Zealand Government, the station started broadcasting on 28 March 2004 from a base in Newmarket.Te Reo is the...
from May 2008. In Papua New Guinea, it was broadcast on CHM Supersound channel. In Fiji, it was broadcast by Fiji TV, which then conducted a survey and found that "up to 15% of the whole population watched the whole series". Subsequently, season 1 was translated into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community
Secretariat of the Pacific Community
The Secretariat of the Pacific Community, or SPC , is a regional intergovernmental organisation whose membership includes both nations and territories...
, and released on DVD under the title L'Amour sous haute surveillance.
A second season went into production in 2008. It took "about one year of hard work to get the funding, writing the stories and doing the shooting at the various locations in Vanuatu", including eighteen weeks of shooting.
The first four episodes of season 2 were screened at the Asia Pacific HIV AIDS Conference in Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
in August 2009. They were then screened at Wan Smolbag’s Smolbag Haos in Vanuatu on 6 September. All ten episodes were broadcast on local television, one a week, from October. Initial episodes were also broadcast in cinemas in Fiji in October 2009, and in the Solomon Islands in December. It is due to be broadcast throughout the region on ABC International
ABC International
ABC International is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the broadcaster's international outlets Radio Australia and the Australia Network....
, Maori TV and several Pacific Island channels.
The third season also consisted of ten episodes. Production began in August 2009, and was completed in December. The filming of season 4 began in July 2010, funded by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community
Secretariat of the Pacific Community
The Secretariat of the Pacific Community, or SPC , is a regional intergovernmental organisation whose membership includes both nations and territories...
, AusAID and NZAID.
The fourth series was completed in December 2010 and WSB has just (April 2011) received funding from AusAid which will allow a fifth series to be filmed.
Resource guidebooks
In August 2008, 9,000 copies of a resource guidebook for the series' first season were printed and distributed in schools in several Pacific countries. It was also released online on Wan Smolbag’s website. It suggests class activities such as group discussions focused on a particular episode (e.g. “Why do you think the three boys steal? Is breaking into houses a growing problem in your country? If so, why do you think it is happening more often?”) ; role playing ; story-writing ; reading scene scripts from the episodes, and discussing them. For example, students may be asked to read, understand and explain the script of a scene in which a nurse explains to a character the ways in which HIV AIDS is transmitted. (“You’ve heard of HIV and AIDS, haven’t you? It spreads through blood and sex… If there’s infected blood on a needle and you use it on someone else, they can get the sickness. […] [I]f you do a tattoo or get your ears pierced, make sure you use a new needle […]!”)The final pages explain what HIV is, how it spreads, how to use a condom, and where to go for HIV testing.
Similar guidebooks were released for community discussions among adults and French language versions of both the series one teacher resource and community resource now exist. Further workbooks for series two and three take the form of photo cartoons for the storyline consolidated by similar group exercises on discussion themes taken from the series, e.g. drugs, relationships, homosexuality and prostitution. The series three book will be in print in early 2011.
Reviews and reactions
Love Patrol has proven popular. According to the Secretariat of the Pacific CommunitySecretariat of the Pacific Community
The Secretariat of the Pacific Community, or SPC , is a regional intergovernmental organisation whose membership includes both nations and territories...
, "a random street poll showed that over 90% of people [in Port Vila
Port Vila
Port Vila is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. Situated on the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province, the city population at last was 29,356, an increase of 55% on the previous census result . This suggests a 2007 population of about 40,000 or around 65% of the province's...
, the capital] were watching every episode (even the repeats)".
Reviewing the series, the magazine Islands Business noted:
- "Unlike one-off productions, the series allows viewers to identify more closely with characters and themes across time and opens the way for the material on HIV and other development issues to become part of the conversational fabric of a community. Tapping into these advantages, ‘Love Patrol’ portrays strong characters with whom the audience can identify."
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific , located in Bangkok, Thailand, is the regional arm of the United Nations Secretariat for the Asian and Pacific region. It was established in 1947 to encourage economic cooperation among its member states...
described Love Patrol as a "new and innovative approach to HIV prevention", noting that it was "immensely popular" both in Vanuatu and in Fiji.
AusAID reported that it had been a "smash hit throughout the Pacific", and that "[t]he program has been particularly successful in breaking down barriers around HIV". It reported one of the series' leading actresses, Annette Vira, as stating: "People are far more at ease talking about HIV and AIDS now that it’s discussed openly on television and they’re also getting the messages about prevention, harm reduction and testing for infection".
Jane Clifton, for The Dominion Post
The Dominion Post (Wellington)
The Dominion Post is a metropolitan broadsheet newspaper published in Wellington, New Zealand, owned by the Australian Fairfax group, owners of The Age, Melbourne, and The Sydney Morning Herald.- Foundation :...
, wrote the following review while the second season was being aired on Maori TV in New Zealand: "Considering this is Vanuatu's first television production, it's outstanding, and it's such a different experience to be watching something that you know is aimed squarely at social engineering, as well as ratings". She added: "The genius of using a serial rather than one-off programme is that users get engrossed in the characters, and see them almost as real and real-time figures, so the social messages wound into the stories are easily assimilated. This must go triple for a country not accustomed to seeing itself portrayed in television drama. Cunning - and very worthy."
External links
- The official ressource guide for Season 1
- ”Love Patrol”: ”Behind the scenes of Vanuatu's hit TV series that uses drama to promote good health”. Australia NetworkAustralia NetworkAustralia Network, originally Australia Television International and later ABC Asia Pacific, is a free-to-air international satellite television service operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation since 2006. The television and online service broadcasts 24 hours a day on 7 days a week, to...
, 16 August 2009 (video)