Everyone loves a good TV show-one that captivates, elicits strong emotions, makes you reflect on your life and leaves you wanting more. Using the power of media to educate is the hallmark of the “edutainment for development” approach—embedding diverse behavior change messages in drama reaching key audiences via TV, radio, and social media. Social scientists have increasingly studied how edutainment can be used to improve gender and health-related outcomes in Africa, including programming to change HIV and risky sex in Nigeria, early and forced marriage in Tanzania, and violence against women in Egypt. Understanding if edutainment is effective, through what mechanisms, and among which populations, can help improve overall development outcomes—while contributing to viewers’ enjoyment and quality of life.

In 2019 we embarked on a mixed-methods evaluation of a popular West African television series C’est la Vie! designed around gender and women’s health and rights themes. The show revolves around everyday life in a maternal health clinic in Senegal and is developed and produced by the Senegalese NGO Réseau Africain pour l’Education à la Santé (RAES, African Network of Health Education). The study investigated whether viewing the show improved adolescent girls’ and young women’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors with respect to violence against women and girls (VAWG), and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in rural areas. In this post, we summarize takeaway findings, challenges, and where the research agenda on gender and edutainment is headed next.