Shuga: Love, Sex, Money Premieres

Members of the cast of Shuga: Love. Sex, Money at the premiere

Called Shuga: Love, Sex, Money, it looks at the complexity of love in the age of Aids and HIV - and especially at how Kenyan teenage girls and teenagers in poor countries in general - go out with older men who have the financial means to finance the young girls' expensive lifestyles.

The girls are portrayed as being irresponsible in their sexual activities by for example, not using condoms.

Directed by South African filmmakers Teboho Mahlatsi and Angus Gibson, who collaborated with their Kenya counterparts, the movie premiered in Nairobi last week Friday.

But it started showing on Valentine's Day on DStv on Tuesday, and will be offered for free to TV channels, especially in the developing world.

Nigerian artists Banky W and WizKid, South African rapper L-Tido and Bonie from P-Unit (Kenya) have been commissioned to write and perform the title track for Shuga: Love, Sex, Money.

Shuga, a genre-defying Afro-hip-hop, R&B-soul-pop hybrid, has been commissioned by MTV Networks Africa in association with The MTV Staying Alive Foundation, PEPFAR (The US President's Emergency Fund for Aids Relief), the Partnership for an HIV-Free Generation (HFG) and the Government of Kenya, as part of a ground-breaking multimedia campaign to spread the message about responsible sexual behaviour and tolerance.

Star Nigerian music video director Clarence Peters attended the movie's premiere in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday, with Banky W, WizKid and L Tido, to record the music video for the track.

Banky W and WizKid are also making cameo appearances in the TV drama alongside Nairobi-based Nigerian Ikubese Emmanuel (aka 9con) and Kenyan singer Avril.

Other artists featured on the movie's atmospheric soundtrack include Camp Mulla, Flavour, P-Square, Wyre, STL, Madtraxx, J Martins, Sasha and Stella Mwangi.

The title song will debut on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) on Tuesday this week.

The track is available for download, free of charge, on the Shuga website (www.shuga.tv).

Source: Sowetan Live