The saying goes, “you only live once,” or “YOLO.” In Ghana, it’s also a hit television show focused on supporting young people to make healthy choices.
For seven seasons, YOLO has followed the stories of a beloved cast of characters as they navigate their adolescent and young adult years and encounter various health, gender, social and cultural issues. The show explores critical health topics such as nutrition, family planning, menstrual health, education, malaria and personal hygiene to help shape healthier futures for Ghanaian youth.
“YOLO is more than just a TV show,” says United States Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer. “It tackles complex, difficult issues head on. It challenges social norms and advocates for positive change.”
With an all-star cast, YOLO has become a national sensation, appealing to both young audiences and their caretakers. Season seven garnered over 12 million views on YouTube and around 3.4 million views an episode on TV. The show also took home two 2023 Ghana Youth Awards — the International Partnership Award and the Most Outstanding Personality of the Year award — and Digital Satellite Television (DStv), the largest pay TV service in Africa, recently entered an agreement to broadcast episodes of Season 1 through 6 across the continent.
“While we are entertaining people, we are including some very important things that the average young person in Ghana needs to know,” says Akosua Asiedua Asare-Brewu, who plays Tilly on the show.
Striking the balance between education and entertainment
YOLO is equal parts entertaining and educational, effectively delivering life lessons and engaging youth around health issues in a drama and comedy-filled format.
“Ghanaian youth love comedy and to laugh,” says Ivan Quashigah, the show’s producer. Because the show is funny and engaging, “the dosage of education isn’t difficult for them to consume.”
The “edutainment” series is supported by USAID, Ghana Health Service, National Population Council, and the FHI 360-led USAID Accelerating Social and Behavior Change (ASBC) Activity and produced by Farmhouse Productions. FHI 360 works closely with the Ghana Health Service to develop the storyline and script and recommends health issues to cover.
Importantly, the show is created with input from Ghanaian youth. The production team has held focus group discussions in and out of schools where adolescents and young people ages 10 to 25 offer feedback on health topics and help develop the characters.
“YOLO is a series of stories for young people, designed by them, acted by them,” Quashigah says. “It’s really a joint creation — that is the secret to the success of the program.”
Quashigah says that during production, the team also encourages actors to take creative liberties and adlib with language that they know will resonate with their fans. Things happen naturally on set that aren’t always part of the script. For instance, Delove Augustt, who plays “bad boy” Odenkyem (ODK), was the one to introduce the recurring phrase “brotherly advice.”
“Everyone knows ODK to be the bad guy, that gives bad advice, but there’s a point in [Season 7] where he’s trying to lead Mark Anthony on a good path, trying to give him good advice,” Augustt says. “So, the show carries both entertainment and education.”
From the screen out to real life
The cast of YOLO has also promoted healthy lifestyles off-screen, visiting communities and high schools in northern Ghana to reinforce priority health behaviors and engage with young people about them.
Students and community members actively participated in sessions, discussing personal hygiene, nutrition, contraceptive use, peer pressure and more. Attendees viewed selected excerpts from Seasons 6 and 7 that focus on the ASBC Activity’s health interventions and had the opportunity to ask questions and express concerns to health professionals and YOLO actors.
Some raised concerns about malaria and the limited access to mosquito nets. Others expressed how difficult it is to access sanitary pads.
“A lot of girls and young women experience period poverty because they are unable to afford sanitary materials or they are unable to talk to the right person,” says Asare-Brewu. “We’re trying to encourage more girls to be able to speak up when it comes to issues like these.”
These sessions have equipped over 7,000 students and nearly 1,000 community members with a deeper understanding of how to protect and improve their overall health and well-being.
“Especially with regards to nutrition, personal hygiene and malaria, we realize a lot of people are more informed,” says Nana Ama Ampofoa Ababio, who plays Ariana on the show. “A lot of people are now investing in mosquito nets, and eating healthier, more balanced diets.”
The sessions have also inspired cast members to live up to the good habits and values of their characters.
“I’ve realized, with the excitement with which they welcomed me at the high school, that I now have a responsibility toward young people,” Ababio says. “If on the show I’m advising that this is what you should do, girls expect me to behave in that same way. Everyone in the cast … we must reflect, learn and live the lessons we’re trying to teach to young people in this country.”
Credit for all images: Farmhouse Productions for FHI 360
This article is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of FHI 360 and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.