“How well do you know your better half?”: The ”Aiisseee!” Couple Connectedness Campaign

“Aiisseee!” is typical Swahili slang, commonly used to express surprise or mild shock, usually at hearing something unexpected.  

Aiisseee! (“I Say!”) is a multi-media campaign based on the simple truth that couples that communicate better have healthier relationships. Healthy relationships translate into healthy behavior – better sexual and reproductive health, better family planning, better male involvement in maternal and child health issues. Using a combination of game show and documentary formats, Aiisseee!gets couples talking about tricky subjects through laughter – topics such as keeping romance alive, financial transparency, trust, condom use, and of course, love!

The game show portion of Aiisseee! pits three couples against each other to see which contestant couple knows each other the best. Couples are asked questions that reveal how well they communicate, the transparency of their relationship, and how attentive they are to each other as partners, with the goal of winning a romantic getaway for two. The documentary portion of Aiisseee! features “on the street” interviews with everyday Tanzanians. The goal of the Aiisseee! is to use humor to encourage healthy couple communication and promote couple connectedness. The show also acts as a platform for conversations about safe motherhood, HIV prevention, family planning, and sexual and reproductive health. Aiisseee! has a growing social media presence, including a Facebook app that allows couples to play each other at home or on the go, and the radio program is currently being adapted for television. In this sizzler reel, Aiisseee!sends crews around the streets of Dar es Salaam to find out how well people know their better half.

The video can be found on DropBox at https://www.dropbox.com/s/0vto8430ba59yab/Aisee-desktop2-desktop.m4v